Azure Document Intelligence - How to Extract Data from PDFs and Scanned Files

Imagine this: your nonprofit receives dozens—maybe hundreds—of forms every month. Volunteer sign-ups, program applications, donation forms, surveys. Now imagine you could automatically extract the data from those documents, no matter the layout, and drop it neatly into a spreadsheet or database—with zero manual entry.

That’s not a dream. It’s Azure Document Intelligence in action.

Whether you're processing handwritten forms, structured PDFs, or invoices from partner organizations, Document Intelligence can turn them into actionable data in minutes. Let’s walk through what it is and exactly how to get started—no coding required. In 2025, Microsoft now offers two ways to work with this tool: the new Azure AI Studio (also known as Foundry) or the original Document Intelligence Studio. Both are currently available, but AI Studio is the direction Microsoft is heading.

📄 What Is Azure Document Intelligence?

Azure Document Intelligence is a service that uses AI-powered optical character recognition (OCR) to:

• Analyze and extract text, tables, and key-value pairs from documents
• Understand form structure (even if layout varies)
• Turn scanned documents or PDFs into structured data

You can use prebuilt models (like invoice or receipt recognition),or train a custom model to understand your own document types.

🛠️ How to Use Azure Document Intelligence to Read Forms

⚡ Option 1: Use the New Azure AI Studio (Recommended)

Azure AI Studio (formerly Azure AI Foundry) is Microsoft’s unified interface for working with AI-powered services like Document Intelligence. This is the platform that will eventually replace Document Intelligence Studio.

🔹 Step 1: Go to Azure AI Studio

• Sign in with your Azure account. 👉 https://ai.azure.com
• Choose Build a solution → Document Intelligence.
• If it’s your first time, you’ll be prompted to create a new project.

🔹 Step 2: Set Up the Document Intelligence Resource

• Select your Azure subscription, region, and resource group.
• Name your project (e.g., volunteer-forms).
• You’ll be issued:
  • An Endpoint URL
  • An API key
  • Note: Keep these for later—they’re required for API calls or Power Automate connections.

🔹 Step 3: Upload and Train Your Model

• Upload sample forms (PDFs or images).
• Label fields like name, email, and date.
• Train a custom model using at least 5 of more example situations.
• Test and view your results in structured format within the testing pane.

🔹 Step 4: Use the Data

• Export to Excel or JSON.
• Connect to Power Automate, Power Apps, or your CRM via API.

Check out this blog to see more on the Azure AI Foundry and a video walkthrough of the platform Build, Deploy, & Manage AI with Azure AI Foundry | Microsoft Community Hub

🧭 Option 2: Use Document Intelligence Studio (Legacy Interface)

Step 1: Set Up the Document Intelligence Resource in Azure

1. Go to the Azure Portal.
2. Click Create a resource.

    

3. Search for Document Intelligence (formerly Form Recognizer) and select it.
4. Click Create and fill out the basics:

    

   • Subscription: Choose your nonprofit subscription.
   • Resource group: Use an existing one or create a new one.
   • Region: Choose the region closest to you.
   • Name: Something like doc-intel-demo.
   • Pricing tier: Choose Free F0 if you're testing (limited pages/month), or Standard if using your credits.
5. Click Review + Create > Create.

Step 2: Use the Document Intelligence Studio

This is the visual, no-code interface for trying out Document Intelligence.

1. Visit Document Intelligence Studio.
2. Log in with your Azure account.
3. Click Get started.
4. On the left, click Models > Custom model > Build a model.
5. Paste in your Endpoint and Key from the Azure portal.
6. Choose Create project and fill in:
   • Project name (e.g., VolunteerFormsModel)
   • Storage container: You’ll need a Blob Storage account with your forms uploaded (see next step).
   • Source: Select the folder with your form samples.

Step 3: Upload Your Forms to Blob Storage

1. In Azure, create a Storage Account if you don’t have one already.
2. Go to Containers and create a new container (e.g., forms-training).
3. Upload 5–10 sample forms of the same type. These can be PDFs, scans, or images.
4. Make sure the forms are consistent in layout (for best results).
5. In Document Intelligence Studio, link this container to your project.

Step 4: Label the Forms

1. Once your forms are uploaded, start labeling fields (like Name, Date, Email).
2. The AI will try to guess some fields—confirm or correct them.
3. Do this for 5+ documents to train the model.
4. Click Train model once labeling is complete.

Step 5: Test the Model

1. After training, go to Test model.
2. Upload a new, unlabeled form and run the model.
3. Watch as it extracts structured data like:
   • Name: Jane Doe
   • Email: jane@example.org 
   • Program Interest: Youth Mentoring
4. Review the output in JSON or table format.

Step 6: Export or Use the Results

You can:

• Export the data to Excel
• Connect via API to feed into a database or CRM
• Use Power Automate to automate workflows (like adding entries to SharePoint or sending confirmation emails) check out the blog below to see up the workflow
  • ➡️Automate the Busywork: How Nonprofits Can Use Power Automate to Extract and Process Form Data | Microsoft Community Hub

Real-World Nonprofit Use Cases

Here’s how nonprofits are using Document Intelligence right now:

• Digitizing intake forms for case management
• Automatically processing volunteer applications
• Scanning paper surveys into Excel
• Extracting info from grant agreements or invoices

Final Thoughts

Azure Document Intelligence makes what used to be tedious—scanning and retyping forms—quick, intelligent, and scalable. Once set up, it can save your nonprofit hours of manual entry each week and reduce human error.

➡️Automate the Busywork: How Nonprofits Can Use Power Automate to Extract and Process Form Data | Microsoft Community Hub