Compare Excel Java

When working with Excel files, it’s sometimes necessary to compare two or more XLS or XLSX files to identify differences. This can be particularly useful in scenarios like version control, auditing, or data verification. In this post, we’ll walk you through the process of comparing Excel files in Java. This approach allows you to programmatically compare Excel files and easily identify differences.

Why Compare Excel Files?

Before diving into the code, let’s discuss why you might need to compare Excel files:

  • Version Control: When multiple versions of an Excel file exist, comparing them helps you track changes and ensure consistency across versions.

  • Data Verification: Comparing Excel files ensures that data is consistent, which is crucial in financial reports, audits, and data migration.

  • Collaboration: When multiple people work on the same file, comparing versions can help merge changes without losing critical information.

Compare Excel Files - Java API Configuration

You can compare Excel files by installing Conholdate.Total for Java on your end. You can either download the JAR file or paste the following Maven configurations in pom.xml file of your project:

<dependency>
<groupId>com.conholdate</groupId>
<artifactId>conholdate-total</artifactId>
<version>24.6</version>
<type>pom</type>
</dependency>

Compare Excel XLSX Files in Java

The following steps enumerate how to compare XLSX Excel files in Java:

  • Initialize Comparer: The Comparer object is initialized with the first Excel file.
  • Add File for Comparison: The add method is used to specify the second Excel file, that will be compared against the first.
  • Set Comparison Options: The CompareOptions object allows you to customize the comparison process.
  • Perform Comparison: The compare method compares the files and saves the result to an Excel file.

The following code snippet shows how to compare Excel files in Java:

Understanding the Comparison Results

After the comparison is complete, the differences between the files are highlighted in the output Excel file. By default, three colors are used:

  • Blue: Highlights elements that were inserted in the first file.
  • Red: Highlights elements that were deleted from the first file.
  • Green: Highlights elements where styles (e.g., font, color) have changed.

You can also customize these colors according to your preferences by modifying the CompareOptions.

Customizing the Comparison

The library offers additional features that you can utilize to customize the comparison process:

  • Custom Colors: Specify custom colors for different types of changes to make the results more intuitive.
  • Ignore Specific Changes: Configure the comparison to ignore certain types of differences, such as formatting changes.
  • Detailed Reporting: Generate a detailed report of differences, which can be exported for further analysis.

Free Evaluation License

You can request a free temporary license to compare two or more Excel spreadsheets without any evaluation license.

Summing Up

Comparing Excel files in Java is made simple and efficient with the shared Java code snippet. Whether you need to manage version control, verify data integrity, or merge collaborative changes, this approach is a robust solution. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can easily integrate Excel file comparison into your Java applications. In case of any concerns, please write to us at forum.

See Also