Automatic import of PDF files to the existing SharePoint List - excel

The problem is the following. I have an empty SharePoint List (table) and I want to fulfill it with the particular data from the same to each other PDF files (consisting of tables). Then I want to show the fulfilled data from SharePoint List in PowerBI. I know, that SharePoint List can be connected to the PowerBI and PDF data can be imported there as well.
How to make this process automatic? Is there a possibility to make a macros, which will have an option to upload particular file and import the data, which I need, to the SharePoint List?
Thanks for your feedback in advance!
I tried to upload it directly to PowerBI, but only see the manual solution of fulfilling the table.

Related

Update Sharepoint-List with with excel-file using power automate

I'm using PowerApps to modify a list (list A) in Sharepoint. Some of the data displayed in this list is from another list (list B), displayed using lookup. Every week I update list B, with data I get from a automated email. The email contain a excel spreadsheet.
I would like to automate this, but I've run into so many issues I'm not even sure it is possible anymore.
This is my flow:
To my knowledge, it isn't possible to update a list directly from a excel file, unless the excel file is formatted as a table. Instead I have a empty file on my sharepoint that I update, which I later try to use as the source for updating list B.
Sadly this file is either locked by myself, or it won't recognize my table.
Any solutions to solve this problem would be helpful!
Just insert a create table step into the flow.
So you will:
Receive an email with the new Excel file.
Save that temporarily in a secured spot.
Create table on the data required.
Use the table to update the SharePoint list.
I've done that, then I've taken the data listed and added it to a SharePoint list using sample data from a website about single board computers, here:

How to programmatically create a list from an excel spreadsheet in SharePoint 2010?

I want to create a list from an excel spreadsheet in SharePoint 2010. When a new Excel document is uploaded to a SharePoint library, a corresponding list will be created automatically. Is this possible?
You can do this in two phases:
Create an empty MS Access database and import your excel sheet into it (in MS access go to External data -> Excel, choose your file and follow the steps to import it.
When you get the MS access table with the data from excel sheet, right click the table name in Tables section and go to Export -> SharePoint list. There you can specify the url of your SharePoint site and the name of the new list. Click Ok and wait until the list is created and the data is uploaded to SharePoint.
EDIT:
Since this needs to be done automatically (as stated in comments), this is the high overview of the things that needs to be done, with some useful links:
Create Event receiver for the library that the excel files will be uploaded to.
In the ItemAdded Method write the code that will do the following:
Get the uploaded file
Parse the excel file using the OpenXml library
Create the list in the SharePoint site, based on the columns taken from the excel file
Loop through all the rows in the excel file and insert the list item for each excel row.

Creating a Sharepoint Report

I work for a fairly large hospital in their Decision Support Department. We have several tools at our disposal for querying data, but our way of distributing the information could use some work.
We typically run our query and then copy and paste the data into Excel. From there we create graphs and crunch some numbers before sending the Excel file out via email.
We've recently been given access to our own Sharepoint site and so far it looks promising for document distribution. What I'm wondering though is this; what kind of functionality is built into Sharepoint for building reports that run automatically.
It would be great to take a whack of our monthly query to Excel reports and set them up to run automatically via Sharepoint.
I did some reading about Sharepoint lists and that seems promising, but I thought I'd ask here for the best way to go about this - provided it's even possible.
I guess a good first step would be how to create a report in Sharepoint?
I'm going to assume you're using Sharepoint 2013 and Office 2013.
You have a couple options available to you with Excel and Access. Both methods I'll briefly describe can be automated. In either case, you will need Lists, as they can connect to Excel and Access as tables.
For the Excel route, simply choose the "Export to Excel" option in a SharePoint list. This will create an Excel version of your list, but it's more than a static workbook--that workbook retains a one-way link from SharePoint to Excel, so you can refresh the spreadsheet to reflect the most up-to-date version of your SharePoint list. Furthermore, you can link multiple Lists to a single workbook--you'll have to export each list to Excel individually, but each worksheet will still retain its link to its respective list after you consolidate the spreadsheets into a single workbook. You can save this workbook wherever you like, it'll still keep the link. I personally like to set my linked workbooks up with macros that automatically refresh the spreadsheet whenever file is opened, but that's just me. The reason you might consider this option would be to avoid having to recreate the work of creating graphs and whatever other analytics you're doing--you may well be able to set yourself up such that the graphs and analytics pull live from the table that's coming in from SharePoint.
*Do note that changes you make to list data in Excel isn't sent back to SharePoint--this is done to protect your list.
For the the Access route, you can import a list into Access as a table. This option creates a dynamic link to your SharePoint list the same way the Excel option does--the link is one-way and what you do in Access won't be sent back to SharePoint. You can create queries and reports as you normally would after the table is imported.

Edit Excel table data in SharePoint using forms

I have an Excel table with data but here the rows and columns each have meaning, for example:
ColHead1 ColHead2 ColHead3
RowHead1 Data11 Data12 Data13
RowHead2 Data21 etc. etc.
RowHead3
I would like users to edit the data using SharePoint forms.
I've considered the following options
Flatten the data and manually add editors for each field onto the form (so that I can simulate some sort of grid layout). This may become unmanageable if I need to make a change though.
Insert the data into a list and let SharePoint create a default form, but this will also flatten the data.
Is it possible to somehow use the data in SharePoint directly in a List (or lists) without flattening?
Or should I just post the Excel sheets for direct editing in SharePoint?
You are right. 2-D data cannot be handled by SharePoint.
The best solution here would be to use Excel Services.
In 2007, Excel Services did not allow to write changes to backend file. I am not sure if the situation has changed with SharePoint 2010. You might have to check it out.
You can also put Excel file in document library itself.
However, what I am missing here are the business objectives for this requirement. What essentially do you want to achieve by putting this data in SharePoint forms ? May be there is some better way which others will be able to suggest if they know actual requirements.

Design consideration for Importing large Excel file data to database in SharePoint

This being a design approach question, please bear with me for long description :-)
We have a SharePoint web part from where a user can be added to the system. But I am going to work on bulk user import functionality in SharePoint.
My question is what all design considerations should be kept in mind while developing this solution. Following is the basic flow i have identified
User downloads the import template
(excel file)
Fill in the downloaded import template with user details
User uploads the excel sheet
System will validate template and data
Import data to database from the excel file, row by row
For any exception/error log put entire excel record in another excel log file along with the exception details
Here are some of the considerations i had in mind for this flow
For template validation
Export Template
Generate template based on database columns
Add column restriction E.g. Data type, Selection of only predefined values
Template Validation
Check number of columns supported
Column header names validity
Data Validation
Check mandatory data presense
Data type validation
Data validation against database
Import Process
This being a SharePoint solution and we might have multiple WFEs, i am thinking of uploading the file to a document library for temporary storage
Actual import process will be done through some timer job which will pick up from this document library ?
The log file will be an identical blank template with only header columns and actual records which failed along with error message as an additional column. This should get stored in a separate document library.
At the end of the process show user a link to download this log file.
Should i also maintain a record of which all record were successful. Possible number of users to be imported may be in hundreds if not thousands.
Please suggest if i am missing any design considerations here or anything which can be wrong here.
Thanks.

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