Compare two Excel lists for added, missing and changed records
Export CSV, match stable identifiers and interpret differences using synthetic inventory records. Covers encoding, duplicates and leading zeros.
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Updated: 2026-10-30 · Baopu Cloud · Synthetic practice data
Choose the baseline and identifier
Put the older list in A and the newer list in B. Here id identifies an item and quantity is stock. Only A means absent from the newer list; Only B means newly present. These describe file differences, not proof of deletion or a purchase. Use stable IDs rather than names or row numbers.
Preserve identifiers when exporting from Excel
Store IDs as text in the source workbook, then save as CSV UTF-8. This tool accepts CSV/TSV rather than xlsx. If Excel already changed 001 to 1, exporting cannot restore the lost zeros. Inspect the text: the header should be id,name,quantity and the ID should still be 001. Use ASCII commas.
Upload and map the columns
Download both CSV samples below. Choose UTF-8 and comma, upload them, match by id, and compare name and quantity. Keep whitespace trimming and case folding off, then compare. Row order does not affect key matching; there is no need to sort the source first.
Expected results and count checks
Expect one matched pair, one changed pair, one A-only record and one B-only record. Item 001 stays at 10; 002 changes from 5 to 7; 003 is A-only; 004 is B-only. The full report has four results from three records on each side because matched pairs share a result. The exceptions export should omit 001.
Troubleshoot before using real data
If all values appear in one column, check the delimiter. For garbled Chinese, select UTF-8 or GB18030 and reselect the file. Text values 1 and 1.00 differ. A duplicate ID on either side isolates the whole group; rows are not paired arbitrarily. Blank components invalidate composite keys. Verify rules with this sample before using backed-up business data.
Trace results back to source records
First check that accounted-for A/B counts equal their respective input counts. A matched or changed pair covers one record on each side, so summing result categories does not give total source rows. Expand Inspect originals and next steps, then locate the A/B data record number. Numbers start at 1 and exclude headers; multiline CSV records differ from physical text lines. Details include all original columns for inspection, but unselected fields were not compared.
Resolve uncertain records before interpreting business changes
Review duplicate groups and blank keys first: check repeated exports, missing IDs or the need for a composite key such as ID plus region. Many one-sided records may come from different export filters or key formats, not business additions or deletions. Changed-value details flag whitespace, case, blanks and line breaks. Change normalization only when business rules allow it; ignoring case can merge distinct IDs into duplicate groups. Compare again, export exceptions, and retain the full report for review.
Practice downloads
Samples are synthetic, not customer records or official submission standards. Screenshots are not claimed. Preserve originals and check outputs.