Automatically Add File Data Received from Forms to Excel

Extract table data from invoice PDFs submitted through Forms applications and add it to Excel.
<span class="mark-yellow">Recommended for those looking to automate data collecting tasks.</span>

Automatically Add File Data from Storage Services to Microsoft Excel

Extract data from invoice PDFs uploaded to cloud storage services like OneDrive or Dropbox, using OCR and add it to Excel.
<span class="mark-yellow">Perfect for automating file management and data entry.</span>

🚀 Let's Create a Flowbot to Extract PDF Data from OneDrive & Save It in Excel

Let's walk through how to create a Flowbot that extracts table data from an invoice PDF uploaded to OneDrive using OCR, and automatically records it to a specific Excel file.

⏱️ Setup time: 5 minutes

🔧 What You’ll Need

• A free Yoom account
• Access to Microsoft Excel & OneDrive

If you do not yet have a Yoom account, register now from this registration form.

Setup Overview

• Register OneDrive & Microsoft Excel in Yoom
• Copy the Template
• Set Up OneDrive Triggers, OCR, OneDrive & Excel Actions
• Activate the Flowbot

⚠️ Note:
Some functions (OCR and Branching) used in this Flowbot are only available on Yoom’s paid plans. If you’re using the Free plan, the Flowbot may face errors due to limited access. But don’t worry - all plans have a 2-week free trial! You can try all features without restrictions. For more details on Yoom and its plans, visit our Yoom Help Center.

Step 1: Register OneDrive & Microsoft Excel in My Apps

⚠️ Note:
"Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)" includes both personal and business plans. If you’re using a personal plan, Yoom’s authentication may not work properly. We recommend using a Microsoft 365 Business account for stable connection.

Add OneDrive

In Yoom, go to the My Apps tab, and click the “+ Add” button.

Search for OneDrive from the app list and select it.

Select the account you want to connect to.

Enter your password and click “Sign In”.

Add Microsoft Excel

Click on My Apps and select “+ Add”.

Search for Microsoft Excel from the app list and select it.

Follow the same steps as OneDrive.
Click on the account name you want to link.

Enter your password and click "Sign In".

Once both apps are connected, you’ll see them listed under “My Apps”.

Step 2: Copy the Template

Click the “Try it” button to copy the pre-built template into your project. 

Click "Try this template".

Click "OK" and give this Flowbot a name to recognize.

This template will be copied to your “My Project”.

Step 3: Set Up the OneDrive Trigger

Click on the trigger step labeled, "When a file is created or uploaded in a specific folder".

For this example, we’ll set up a flow using the PDF invoice data shown below.

Give your trigger a title (anything you like).
Select your account, and check the default settings. If there are no issues, click “Next”.

Set your trigger interval (how often you want Yoom to check for new updates).
It can be set to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes.

⚠️ Note:
The trigger interval varies on your Yoom plan. ‍Be sure to check your current plan’s limit.

We recommend setting the trigger to the shortest activation interval available for your plan.

Select the Drive ID you want to link, from the displayed options.

Similarly, select the Folder ID from the options.

Then add your invoice PDF test file in the OneDrive folder you selected earlier. Click “Test”.
If successful, the data from OneDrive should appear as retrieved values.
You’ll use these data in the following steps, so check the details are correct.

📚 Reference:
For more details on retrieved values and how to set it up, see the guide here.

Step 4: Set Up Branching

Click the "Command Operation".

You can change the action title (optional). 
For the branch target value, select “When a file is created or updated in a specific folder” action and choose “Creation Date” as the obtained value.

Set the branching condition to compare “creation date” and “ last update date”.
Select “Creation Date” “Equals” “Last Update Date”.
This will make the flow only proceed when a file is newly created (when the creation and last update dates are the same).

Step 5: Configure OneDrive Action

Click the "Download file" action.

Select your account, and check the default settings. If there are no issues, click “Next”.

Select the Drive ID from the displayed options.

For the file item ID, click "Item ID" from the retrieved values in the trigger step (when a file is created or updated in a specific folder).
After the setup is complete, run a test.

If the test is successful, the data should appear as retrieved values.
Hit "Save".

Step 6: Set Up Text Recognition (OCR)

Click the "Read text from images/PDFs" action.

Confirm the action is set to "Extract text information from any PDF/Image file (within 4000 characters)."
Rename the title if needed and click “Next”.

‍

For file attachment method, select "Use retrieved value" and choose the "Downloaded file" option.
Enter the items you want to extract from the PDF information to add to Microsoft Excel.
Specify the text or data you want to extract from the PDF.
Specify the "AI to Use" and "Language", and click "Test".

If you see correct extraction items in the retrieved value, then save it.

Step 7: Set Up Loop Command (Repeat Process)

Click the "Command Operation" action.

You can change the title of the action if needed.
In the previous action (Read text from images/PDFs), you extracted info from PDF.
Sometimes this data includes multiple rows for the same type of item (e.g., column “description” listed one after another in the below image).
Because these items come as a list, you need an action to process each item individually.

To do this, select "Read text from images/PDFs" as the operation to repeat.
Then, specify which fields you want to extract from each row one by one.

📍 Example from the image:
Description, Quantity, Unit Price, Amount needs to be processed one by one.
If you want to extract more fields, you can add them by clicking “Add Value”.

Once the settings are done, save it.

‍

Step 8: Set Up Excel Action

Before getting into this step, make sure you have prepared an Excel file where the extracted data will be added.
Having this ready will ensure a smooth connection and accurate data entry. 

Once ready, return to Yoom and click the "Operate Database" action.

Give your action a name (anything you like).
Select your account and check the default settings.
If there are no issues, click "Next".

Select the Drive ID from the displayed options.

Similarly, select the Item ID of your Excel file you prepared.

Select the worksheet name from the displayed options (where the data should be populated).

Then specify the table range and click “Next”.

📚 Reference:
For detailed instructions on how to set the table range, check this help page.

‍

Map the extracted values from the previous step (Command Operation) to fields in Excel.

Example:

• Loop variable for Description Table, Chair (Command Operation) → Description (Excel Action)

This will pull the “Description” from the previous step and add the info in the Excel action. 

📚 Reference:
For more details on retrieved values and how to set it up, see the guide here.

‍

If the data is added to Excel correctly, save it.

Step 9: Activate the Flowbot

Toggle on the "Trigger ON" button to activate your flow.

That’s it! 🎉
Your Excel file is now automatically getting updated with the PDF file data :)

💡 Other Automation Ideas using OCR

Automation Flows Using OCR

OCR can unlock diverse possibilities of automation, helping you save time and reduce manual tasks.

Autmation Flows Using Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel can be connected with various apps.

📖 Summary

Now you know how to automatically record table data extracted by OCR into Microsoft Excel without writing a single line of code. Manually entering invoice and form data one by one can be time-consuming and prone to errors. But autmoation with Yoom can make this process smooth and reliable :) Plus, <span class="mark-yellow">Yoom offers many more templates connecting with other apps and tools, opening up more automation possibilities for you.</span> Setup is easy, and no techincal skills are required.

If you want to

• save time on data entry from PDFs and images
• reduce mistakes caused by manual work
• streamline your invoice or document process

Then the solution we covered in this article is just what you need.

Ready to simplify your workflow? Sign yo for Yoom and try it today!
👉 Create a free Yoom account now