Table Extraction

Introduction to Table Extraction

Table Extraction refers to Grooper's functionality to extract data from cells in tables. This is accomplished by configuring the Data Table Data Element in a Data Model.

Tables are one of the most common ways data is organized on documents. Human beings have been writing information into tables before they started writing literature, even before paper was invented. There are examples of tables carved onto the walls of Egyptian temples! They are excellent structures for representing a lot of information with various characteristics in common in a relatively small space (or an Egyptian temple sized space).
However, targeting the data inside them presents its own set of challenges. A table’s structure can range from simple and straightforward to more complex (even confounding). Different organizations may organize the same data differently, creating different table structures for what, essentially, is the same data.

In Grooper, tabular data can be extracted using Data Table objects using a variety of table extraction methods using the Extract Method property.