Find New, Updated and Deleted Rows Between Two Files

List the new, updated and deleted rows between two CSV or Excel files by key and download the differences. Free and private.

Quick answer: Compare two datasets and see what was added, removed or changed.

Related: Data Comparison (CSV and Excel Diff) · Compare Two CSV Files · Compare Two Excel Files · CSV Diff Tool · Data Cleaning Guides and Free Tools

How to use the Find New, Updated and Deleted Rows Between Two Files

Compare two datasets and see what was added, removed or changed.

Data Comparison shows exactly what changed between two versions of a file. Pick a key column, or use the first column or the first two columns, and it lists rows that were added, removed or changed, down to the cell. Use it to check an export against last month, to review a data migration, or to find which values a script changed. CSV and Excel are supported.

  1. Load dataset A and B
  2. Pick or type the key column
  3. Review and download the differences

Tips

Example

Input: before.xlsx + after.xlsx, key = id

Output: New 3 · Updated 5 · Deleted 2

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Frequently asked questions · Data format benchmark

Frequently asked questions

What counts as new, updated and deleted?

A row whose key is only in the second file is new, a row whose key is only in the first file is deleted, and a row with the same key but different values is updated.

What if the key is not unique?

Add a second column to the key, for example id and region, so each row is matched exactly once.

Can the files be different formats?

Yes. A can be a CSV and B an Excel file. Columns are matched by name. JSON and Parquet files are not supported here, so convert them to CSV first.

Can Data Comparison do change data capture (CDC)?

It does the snapshot version of CDC for files. Compare the earlier and the latest export by key: added rows are inserts, changed rows are updates and removed rows are deletes. It does not read database logs or run in real time.

How does Data Comparison find differences?

It matches rows by a key column, or by the first two columns, and shows which rows were added, removed or changed, down to the cell. It works with CSV and Excel files.

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