If the PDF can be placed as just a static background, upon which you'll add the overlaying changing data or image elements, then it might work. Perhaps you can cover any static texts in the PDF in InDesign with a white rectangle or something, if necessary.

But you can't edit any parts of the PDF in InDesign directly.

If that's what you actually want and need to do, you could try opening the PDF in Illustrator, deleting the elements which need to change, and place the edited PDFin InDesign and add those dynamic elements.

There's even a Variable Data feature in Illustrator, but it's a bit more complex and complicated than in InDesign).

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst op Quora: I am trying to data merge in InDesign but my source file is a .PDF is this possible?"