Use OCR to extract data from PDFs uploaded to Box and add it to Google Sheets

■Overview

Do you spend too much time manually reviewing PDF files such as invoices and application forms uploaded to Box, then transferring their contents to Google Sheets? This process is not only time-consuming but can also lead to human errors such as data entry mistakes. This workflow automates the entire process: when a file is uploaded to Box, the OCR feature automatically extracts text from the PDF and transfers it to Google Sheets.

■Recommended for

• Anyone who manually transfers the contents of PDFs uploaded to Box
• Anyone looking to reduce the time spent processing documents such as invoices and application forms
• Anyone looking to efficiently digitize paper documents and PDFs using OCR

■Benefits of this template

• When a PDF file is added to Box, its contents are automatically transferred, freeing up the time previously spent on manual work for other tasks.
• Eliminating manual data entry helps prevent human errors such as input mistakes and omissions, improving data accuracy.

■Workflow steps

1. First, connect Box and Google Sheets to Yoom.
2. Next, select Box as the trigger and use the “When a file is uploaded to a folder” action to specify the folder to monitor.
3. In the operation, set up Box’s “Download a file” action to download the file detected by the trigger into Yoom.
4. Next, select “Extract text from an image or PDF” in the OCR operation to extract the required text from the downloaded file.
5. Finally, set up Google Sheets’ “Add a record” action in the operation to add the extracted information to the specified sheet.

※ “Trigger”: An action that starts the workflow. “Operation”: An action that processes data within the workflow after the trigger starts.

■Customization options

• For the OCR operation, configure the fields to extract based on the format of the PDFs you want to process.
• For the action that adds records to Google Sheets, you can specify the sheet and column range where you want to record the data.

■Notes

・Connect both Google Sheets and Box to Yoom.

・The AI operations for OCR and audio transcription are available only on the Team and Success Plans. Please note that operations configured in your workflows will result in errors on the Free and Mini Plans.

・Paid plans, such as the Team and Success Plans, include a two-week free trial. During the free trial, you can use apps and AI features (operations) that are subject to plan restrictions.