--- updatedAt: 2026-09-08T19:09:07.000Z agentTools: projectIndex: https://docs.sensible.so/llms.txt --- # SenseML to spreadsheet reference Learn how Sensible converts extracted PDF data into Excel or CSV files, including rules for tables, fields, and multi-document spreadsheet combining. ## Introduction If you're trying to convert a document, such as a PDF, into an Excel file, you often encounter tools that copy the document's visual layout into a spreadsheet, with no meaningful relationship between the extracted text and the underlying cells. In contrast, Sensible converts document tables, checkboxes, paragraphs, and even complex repeating section layouts into meaningfully labeled column/row pairs and linked sheets. For information about document file types that Sensible can extract data from, see [Supported file types](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/file-types). This topic describes the rules Sensible uses to: * convert data extracted from one document, such as a PDF, into an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file. * combine data extracted from multiple documents into one spreadsheet Sensible extracts the data as JSON using a SenseML configuration, then applies the rules to create spreadsheet data such as tables, labeled columns, and linked sheets. ## Prerequisites To get a document's data into a spreadsheet, you must first: * Configure extractions for a document type, either by authoring an extraction configuration using the Sensible app, or by using Sensible's [configuration library](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/library-quickstart) for common document types. * Run an extraction on a target document that's in your configured document type. # CSV files To generate CSV files, Sensible uses the same rules described in the following sections, except that Sensible uses blank rows instead of tabbed sheets to separate extraction content. # Multi-document spreadsheet Sensible combines multiple document extractions into one spreadsheet when: * You extract from a [portfolio](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/portfolio) document. * You input multiple extractions to the Generate Excel [method](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/sdk-guides) or [endpoint](https://docs.sensible.so/reference/get-excel-extraction), or select multiple documents and click **Download Excel** in the Sensible app. Note you can combine portfolio and single-document extractions. To combine extractions, Sensible uses the same rules described in the following single-document spreadsheet rules. Sensible uses the following additional rules: * For all sheets other than the `` sheet, Sensible creates a new sheet for each document, and prefixes each sheet name with a zero-indexed document number, for example `doc_0` or `doc_1`. * For the ``sheet, Sensible appends data for each document in a new row. For each field ID, Sensible appends data under the same column if it finds a matching field ID from another extraction in your call to the Generate Excel method or endpoint, or under a new column if it doesn't find an matching field ID. * For portfolio extractions, Sensible adds metadata to the `` sheet, for example, the page range of the document in the portfolio. As an example, for documents `any_single_account_bank_statement_sample.pdf` and `portfolio_bank_paystub_tax.pdf`, Sensible outputs the following: ![Click to enlarge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/images/final/excel_mix.png) Where `doc_0` refers to [any\_single\_account\_bank\_statement\_sample.pdf](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/any_single_account_bank_statement_sample.pdf), and `doc_2` refers to the bank statement document in page range 2-6 of [portfolio\_bank\_paystub\_tax.pdf](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/portfolio_bank_paystub_tax.pdf). **Tips** * To avoid manually merging the similarly named columns, Sensible recommends using the same IDs for corresponding fields across different SenseML configs in a document type. For example, if document A outputs fields `car_model` and `car_year`, and document B outputs `car_model` and `manufacture_year`, Sensible creates a spreadsheet like the following: {`
`} ​ In the preceding example, Sensible recommends using either `car_year` or `manufacture_year`, not both. * To configure multi-document spreadsheet output using different rules than those described here, configure rules with Sensible's [Zapier](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/zapier) integration. You can map single-value field output with this integration, but not multi-value field output. # Single-document spreadsheet **Overview** Sensible transforms JSON data extracted from a single document to a spreadsheet using the following rules: * the `fields` sheet lists each piece of document data that can be represented as a single-cell value. For example, an extracted total monthly mortgage dollar amount. * `` sheets hold more complex pieces of document data. For example, an extracted table. * `.` sheets hold complex repeating document data. For example, an extracted claims loss run. For more information, see the following sections. # `fields` sheet The `fields` sheet lists fields and their values as key-value dictionaries, with the field ID as the column heading and value as the row. Sensible outputs a field to this sheet if the field: * outputs a single `value`. For example, the [Box](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/box), [Label](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/label), [Row](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/row) and [Region](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/region) methods each output a single value by default. * outputs a predictably short array of values that can easily be stringified in a single cell. Typically this is the result of a [Type](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/types) configuration, for example, the [Name](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/types#name) type always outputs an array. ## Example Sensible converts the JSON extraction output from the [auto\_insurance\_anyco](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/auto_insurance_anyco.pdf) example described in the [Getting started with layout-based extractions](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/getting-started) to the following spreadsheet: **Spreadsheet output** {`
`} **Example document** The preceding spreadsheet contains data from the following example document: | Example document | [Download link](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/auto_insurance_anyco.pdf) | | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | **Example configuration** See the [Getting started with layout-based extractions](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/getting-started) for the SenseML configuration for this example. **JSON output** The following JSON document extraction output is the source for this spreadsheet: ```json { "policy_period": { "type": "string", "value": "April 14, 2021 - Oct 14, 2021" }, "comprehensive_premium": { "source": "$150", "value": 150, "unit": "$", "type": "currency" }, "property_liability_premium": { "source": "$10", "value": 10, "unit": "$", "type": "currency" }, "policy_number": { "value": "123456789", "type": "string" } } ``` # `` sheets Each `` sheet lists the output of a single field. Sensible outputs a field to this sheet if the field outputs multiple values. For example: * the [table methods](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/table-methods) and other methods that output nested JSON objects. * methods that output arrays of unpredictable length, for example, fields with `"match":"all"` configured. ## Example Sensible converts the example JSON output from the [example document](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/fixed_table.pdf) described in the [Fixed Table](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/fixed-table#examples) method to the following spreadsheet: {`
`} The preceding example shows that the `fields` sheet lists the corresponding sheets for fields that have complex output. In this case, you must click on the `agile_risks_table_updates_monthly` sheet to view the table output. **Example document** The preceding spreadsheet contains data from the following example document: | Example document | [Download link](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/table_dynamic.pdf) | | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | **Example configuration** See [Fixed Table](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/fixed-table#examples) method for the SenseML configuration for this example. **JSON output** The following JSON extraction output is the source for this spreadsheet: ```json { "agile_risks_table": { "columns": [ { "id": "col1_risk_description", "values": [ { "value": "Poor task point estimation", "type": "string" }, { "value": "Poor epic scope definition", "type": "string" }, { "value": "Inadequate scrum master training", "type": "string" } ] }, { "id": "col4_rank_last_month", "values": [ { "source": "2", "value": 2, "type": "number" }, { "source": "1", "value": 1, "type": "number" }, { "source": "3", "value": 3, "type": "number" } ] } ] } } ``` # `.` sheets Each `.` sheet lists the output of a single field that contains complex repeating data, for example, [Sections](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/sections) output. ## Example Sensible converts the example JSON output from the [example document](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/vertical_section_table_in_table.pdf) described in the [Advanced Sections nested table example](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/sections-example-nested-table) topic to the following spreadsheet: {`
`} The preceding example shows that Sensible outputs nested sections in linked, indexed sheets. **Example document** The preceding spreadsheet contains data from the following example document: | Example document | [Download link](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/v0/assets/pdfs/vertical_section_table_in_table.pdf) | | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | **Example configuration** See the [Advanced sections nested table example](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/sections-example-nested-table) topic for the SenseML configuration for this example. **JSON output** The following JSON extraction output is the source for this spreadsheet: ```json { "table_columns": [ { "employee_category": { "type": "string", "value": "Employees paid \u0000100k" }, "employee_benefit": { "value": "100% of salary, max $100k", "type": "string" }, "reduction_subtable": { "columns": [ { "id": "col1_age", "values": [ { "source": "65", "value": 65, "type": "number" }, { "source": "70", "value": 70, "type": "number" }, { "source": "75", "value": 75, "type": "number" } ] }, { "id": "col2_reduction", "values": [ { "source": "35%", "value": 35, "type": "percentage" }, { "source": "60%", "value": 60, "type": "percentage" }, { "source": "75%", "value": 75, "type": "percentage" } ] } ] }, "everything_in_this_vertical_section": { "type": "string", "value": "Employees paid \u0000100k Notes Employee benefit 100% of salary, max $100k After a 3 month waiting period Common carrier Not included Benefit reduction Age Reduction Not adjusted for 65 35% inflation 70 60% 75 75% For more details about coverage and benefits, see the following sections." } }, { "employee_category": { "type": "string", "value": "All other employees" }, "employee_benefit": { "value": "50% of salary, max $50k", "type": "string" }, "reduction_subtable": { "columns": [ { "id": "col1_age", "values": [ { "source": "65", "value": 65, "type": "number" }, { "source": "70", "value": 70, "type": "number" }, { "source": "75", "value": 75, "type": "number" } ] }, { "id": "col2_reduction", "values": [ { "source": "35%", "value": 35, "type": "percentage" }, { "source": "60%", "value": 60, "type": "percentage" }, { "source": "75%", "value": 75, "type": "percentage" } ] } ] }, "everything_in_this_vertical_section": { "type": "string", "value": "All other employees Notes Employee benefit 50% of salary, max $50k After a 3 month waiting period Common carrier Not included Benefit reduction Age Reduction Not adjusted for 65 35% inflation 70 60% 75 75% For more details about coverage and benefits, see the following sections." } } ] } ``` ## Next * For a tutorial about converting document data to an Excel file using the Sensible app, see [Getting started with out-of-the-box extraction](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/library-quickstart). * To get started with extracting from your custom documents, see [Getting Started](https://docs.sensible.so/docs/getting-started-ai).