question about database programming

[worldcrafter]

I was wondering if there was a way to program an access database so that I could pull information from a pdf file and insert information from pdf into a database? I ask this because at work I do alot of data entry, so much of it that my hands are quickly getting worn out from it from entering/updating records into my database day after day...

I was thinking that it would be possible to program something in Visual basic so that I could automatically pull certain information from an existing pdf file (e.g. name, address, phone # etc.) and have it inserted into my database, instead of having to type all this info into the database manually. I'm sure this can be done, I just wanna know how difficult it would be to accomplish this? I have limited personal background in C, java, and Qbasic, so I could probably pick up on VB quickly. I want to learn Visual Basic so I can facilitate my everyday work with microsoft access...

Any feedback or online links would be helpful, thanks!

 

[spacepro]

DOn't know if this will help, but the below link explains how to create a DLL in vb to convert PDF to text, then you could import the text into the db.

Just came across it. The other alternative is to either find code using api to other methods to convert PDF to another format or download a program that does it for you, then import the data into the db. Don't know how the formatting of the conversion would be like.

Hope this Helps

Click Here - Create DLL to convert PDF to Text

Alternatively Buy Adobe Acrobat 5.0 (software - not the reader)
to convert it to text.

Andy

 

[Pat Hartman]

The problem is difficult. To begin with a .pdf file is a graphic file rather than a text file so first off, you need to purchase the software from Adobe that turns the .pdf back into a text file. The second hurdle is that you are now faced with a text string containing the entire documane and you will need to figure out how to search that text string for keywords. Once your search finds a keyword you need to select some number of characters following the keyword and place that in your table column. Then move on to the next keyword search.

Good luck.

Where do these .pdf files come from and can they be replaced with something else that might be easier to work with?

 

[worldcrafter]

thanks for the link spacepro, will check it out later. Although I am unfamiliar with it, I have the adobe acrobat software in the office, I'll see if I can get permission to install it. Pat, the .pdf files are coming from an oracle database/server online. There is another way for me to log into the oracle server--through a java applet, but the java GUI makes more difficult to get student information quickly (I need to do alot more clicking through the java applet). Viewing the information that I need through .pdf is the simplest way I've found so far, for data entry.

I'll see what I can do with the help given, thanks!

Jeremy