Create tables from a PDF form using the PDF extractor tool in App Engine Studio.
Note:
This feature is only available if your
licensing entitles you to "exclusive low code capability" and you have Table Builder for App Engine installed. Contact your Solutions consultant
for more information.
Overview
The PDF extractor in App Engine Studio allows you to upload a PDF and then
extract table fields for use in a custom app. This streamlines the process of building
application data tables from pre-existing PDF forms because you no longer need to manually
type in field labels.
Note:
Ensure that you are mindful about recreating any tables that may already exist on the
ServiceNow AI Platform. For example, with a PDF containing user demographic data,
determine whether you want to reference existing user data tables rather than creating new
tables from the PDF.
General navigation
The following table contains a list of some of the other basic navigational elements within
the PDF extractor tool.
Table 1. Navigational elements in PDF extractor
Navigational element
Description
Collapse / expand icons
()
Select these icons to toggle between collapsing or expanding the PDF and
table panes.
Page controls
()
Use the arrows at the bottom of the PDF to page through the document one page
at a time or navigate directly to the beginning or end of the document.
Zoom controls
()
Use the zoom controls to zoom in or out in the PDF.
Add new field icon
()
Add a field column to your table manually by
selecting +Add new field, and then enter details
directly. This is similar to how you add fields on the
Data tab of Table Builder.
Add reference table icon
()
Select Add reference table in
the right side panel to add a reference field in your table that points to a new
table.
Open data table and form icon
()
Select Open data table and
form to open the selected table within Table Builder.
Table additional actions list ()
Use the table additional actions menu to edit
basic properties for your table, or if you have added a reference table, select
Delete to delete the table.
Trash icon
()
Select the Trash icon ( ) to delete fields from a table.
PDF parsing limitations
The following limitations currently exist when uploading a PDF using this tool:
PDF cannot be converted from an image.
PDF cannot be longer than 25 pages.
PDF file size cannot exceed 5 MB.
Languages other than English and French are not currently supported.
Create a table from a PDF form
Add data tables to your application by uploading a PDF in App Engine Studio.
Before you begin
Note:
This feature is only available if your
licensing entitles you to "exclusive low code capability" and you have Table Builder for App Engine installed. Contact your Solutions consultant
for more information.
Verify that the PDF meets the following requirements:
PDF cannot be converted from an image.
PDF cannot be longer than 25 pages.
PDF file size cannot exceed 5 MB.
Languages other than English and French are not currently supported.
Role required: admin, sn_app_eng_studio.user, or delegated_developer
Procedure
Navigate to All > App Engine > App Engine Studio.
From the My Apps page, open your application.
Next to the Data heading, select the Add icon ().
Select Create a blank table, and then select Continue.
Select Upload a PDF and then select
Continue.
Select and upload the PDF.
You can drag the PDF file onto App Engine Studio or browse
your computer.
Note:
It may take a moment for the PDF to load. Select the
trash icon () to clear the PDF selection.
Figure 1. Choose the PDF you want to upload
Select Continue.
Note:
It may take up to a minute for the PDF to be parsed.
Define the properties for your new table.
Property
Description
Table label
Unique label to identify the table.
Table name
Database name for the table. A table name is created
automatically after you enter a table label. Once this is
created, this field is read only.
Make extensible
Option to allow other tables to share data from this
table. For more information on table extension, see Table extension.
Auto number
Option to track table records with a unique number. If
you select this option, define the
Prefix, Starting
number, and Number of
digits.
Prefix
Abbreviated name of the table to append to the beginning
of the record number. For example, if you are creating a
"Laptop" table, then your prefix may be "LPTP" or
"LT."
Select Continue.
You may now configure permissions for your new data table.
Control who has access to create, read, write, and delete content from this
table by adding new roles and/or defining the desired Create, Read, Write,
Delete permissions for existing roles.
Roles that you create in the table persist throughout the application and can
be further defined in other tables you add. See Add application security for more information on how
security permissions work.
Note:
At least one role must have read access for you to be able to preview the
table.
Select Continue after you have configured table
permissions.
Select Go to PDF extractor to open up the PDF in the PDF
extractor.
What to do next
Next, you will add fields from the uploaded PDF. Follow the steps in Add new fields from a PDF form to populate your new data table with field
columns.
Add new fields from a PDF form
Add field columns to your data table using the PDF extractor in App Engine Studio.
Before you begin
Note:
This feature is only available if your
licensing entitles you to "exclusive low code capability" and you have Table Builder for App Engine installed. Contact your Solutions consultant
for more information.
Role required: admin, sn_app_eng_studio.user, or delegated_developer
If you have already uploaded the PDF, select the Open pdf
extractor element on the Forms or
Table tab in Table Builder to
launch the PDF extractor tool.
The PDF form displays.
Review the PDF.
Use any of the navigational controls in the PDF pane to navigate to where
you'd like to begin adding fields. See General navigation.
Click Select to enter text selection mode.
In the PDF, click on a field or text phrase to highlight it to use it as the
basis for a new field.
Figure 2. Add fields from PDF
Edit the extracted text in the Field Label as needed for
the new field you are going to add.
Choose a Field type.
Field type refers to the type of data that the new column will store. For example, to store plain text in the column, select String. To understand the basic field properties, see Add and customize a field in a table.
Depending on the type that you select, you may need to fill in additional
fields to further define the table column. For example, with Reference field
types, search for and select the appropriate data table to reference.
Optional: If you have chosen to create a choice field, perform the following
actions to populate options for the choice field.
Choose a Choice Type from the menu. This
controls whether or not the list will have None as an
option.
Click in the Choices field, and then
enter text manually or select text on the PDF to automatically
extract it.
Click Add to add your choice to the
list.
Figure 3. Adding a choice field
Optional: Repeat the previous steps until all choices have been added for your
choice field.
Select the Table where you want to add the new
field.
Multiple options may appear if you have added reference tables. The original
table is selected by default.
Select Add field to add the field to the list of fields
in the table on the right.
Note:
Any fields you add to the table on the right remain highlighted in green
in the PDF to remind you that you have created a related field from them. If
you delete a field from the tables on the right, the extracted text will no
longer be highlighted.
Repeat the steps above until you have added all the fields you want to add from
the PDF.
Note:
You can also add fields manually by clicking +Add new
field in the table on the right and entering details
directly similar to how you add fields on the Table
tab of Table Builder.
Review the fields in your table and edit as necessary.
Table 2. Table pane actions
Action
Description
Move fields between tables
To move a field between tables within the PDF extractor, change the selected
Table Name to the desired table location.
Delete reference table
Delete any additional reference tables that you add by selecting
Delete from the Additional actions list in the top right
corner of the table ( )
Add a new field
Add a field column to your table manually by
selecting +Add new field, and then enter details
directly. This is similar to how you add fields on the
Data tab of Table Builder.
Edit a field
To edit field properties (e.g., Field type), click on the field property to
select it, and then make your edits.
Delete a field
Select the Trash icon ( ) to delete fields from a table.
Open table within Table Builder
Select Open data table and
form to open the selected table within Table Builder.
Select Save.
What to do next
To open your data table in Table Builder, select Open data
table and form above the displayed tables. For more information on
editing your data tables in Table Builder, see Table Builder.
Move fields into a new referenced data table using the PDF extractor in App Engine Studio.
Before you begin
Note:
This feature is only available if your
licensing entitles you to "exclusive low code capability" and you have Table Builder for App Engine installed. Contact your Solutions consultant
for more information.
Role required: admin, sn_app_eng_studio.user, or delegated_developer
About this task
You may decide that you want to add some of the form information into separate tables that are referenced from the original table and can be referenced by other tables. For example, if you work for an insurance company, you may
want to create separate data tables for bills, claims, and policies that can be referenced as separate data tables even though the information is extracted from a single PDF form.
You can add a reference field, and then create the corresponding reference data table directly from the PDF extractor in App Engine Studio.
Note:
Before you create any new reference tables for your app, it's a good practice to verify that you are not accidentally recreating any tables that already exist on the ServiceNow AI Platform.
If you have already uploaded the PDF, select the Open pdf extractor element on the Forms or Table tab in Table Builder to launch the PDF extractor tool.
The PDF form displays.
Select Add reference table in the right side panel to add a reference table to your table.
Enter the following properties for your reference table.
Column header property
Description
Table label
Unique label for the reference table.
Table name
Database name for the reference table.
Make extensible
Option to allow other tables to share data from this table. For more information on table extension, see Table extension.
Auto number
Option to track table records with a unique number. If you select this option, define the Prefix, Starting number, and Number of
digits.
Next, you will add a reference field to the original table you are editing. This creates the connection between the tables (e.g., "Seller info").
Select the Table label of the table where you want to add your reference field in (the original table is selected by default).
The original table should be selected by default in the Table label field.
Enter a Reference field label for this new reference field (e.g., "Seller information").
Select fields from your original table to add them to your new reference table.
These fields are related to the reference field you added to the current table.Figure 4. Add a reference table
Select Add reference table.
The reference table appears below and contains the fields that you selected that were in the original table.
Review and edit the fields and table properties as necessary.
Table 3. Table pane actions
Action
Description
Move fields between tables
To move a field between tables within the PDF extractor, change the selected
Table Name to the desired table location.
Delete reference table
Delete any additional reference tables that you add by selecting
Delete from the Additional actions list in the top right
corner of the table ( )
Add a new field
Add a field column to your table manually by
selecting +Add new field, and then enter details
directly. This is similar to how you add fields on the
Data tab of Table Builder.
Edit a field
To edit field properties (e.g., Field type), click on the field property to
select it, and then make your edits.
Delete a field
Select the Trash icon ( ) to delete fields from a table.
Open table within Table Builder
Select Open data table and
form to open the selected table within Table Builder.
See General navigation for more information on additional navigational controls in the table pane.
Select Save.
What to do next
To open your data table in Table Builder, select Open data table and form above the displayed tables. For more information on editing your data tables in Table Builder, see Table Builder.
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