Document recovery guide

Recover a scanned table as rows and columns you can review.

Table extraction is not ordinary OCR and it is not automatic spreadsheet reconstruction. The system must detect a grid, attach each value to the correct row and column, and keep ambiguous cells visible before any export.

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Public source and recovery preview

1930 Census Orchard Street schedule, U.S. National Archives

1930 US Census population schedule with dense handwritten rows and columns

Review table showing recovered rows, columns and cells marked for checking

In the NARA census sample, a name, age and occupation are meaningful only when they stay attached to the same row. The preview shows an inspectable table with uncertain names and occupations marked before export.

Provenance: 1930 Census Orchard Street schedule, U.S. National Archives. Inspect the Atlas case.

Detection before export

Deskew and crop the page image.
Detect grid lines or repeated column alignment.
Segment cells and recover their text.
Review merged, faint or handwritten cells.
Keep CSV and XLSX absent unless a table is actually detected.

Table OCR versus spreadsheet reconstruction

OCR recognizes symbols. Table extraction adds row and column relationships. Spreadsheet reconstruction goes further by inferring formulas, types and business meaning. DocUnlocked provides reviewable extracted values; it does not recreate an authoritative workbook or guarantee formulas.

Ambiguity must remain visible

Merged cells, ditto marks, multi-line values and faint gridlines should produce review flags rather than silent shifts. A single displaced cell can corrupt every downstream row, so visual comparison is required before analysis.

Limits and failure modes

Merged cells can obscure column ownership.
Handwriting can cross grid lines.
Rotated pages can break row detection.
Multi-line cells and ditto marks need manual interpretation.
CSV/XLSX are absent when no reliable table is detected.

Questions about this workflow

Are CSV and XLSX always included?

No. They are conditional outputs produced only when table structure is detected.

Does this rebuild formulas or spreadsheet logic?

No. It extracts reviewable rows and columns; formulas and business rules must be recreated separately.

Which cells should I review first?

Names, numeric identifiers, merged cells, multi-line entries and any value marked uncertain.

One document - one-time purchase

Start one $9 one-time recovery.

Choose the source file only after reviewing the evidence and limits above. The browser checks format and capacity before secure checkout can open.

Next best step

Run the free readability check before uploading. Working with a historical record? Return to the DocUnlocked hub.