Technically, a SharePoint list is a collection of related data in table format, similar to Microsoft Excel. From one perspective, lists are a way to share data on a SharePoint site.

Exporting iCal data for use in Excel permits you to backup your calendar data with greater flexibility. The export process also makes it easy to share calendar data between calendar applications.

Excel tables have many benefits that regular spreadsheets lack. The biggest is the option to use data from multiple tables to create queries and reports.

Microsoft announced this week that's it's now possible for Office 365 users to import table data from Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files into the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program.

Make sure the box next to "Export data with formatting and layout," which is usually the default option, is checked for the best results.