Compare Excel files using a key made from multiple columns.
Some records are unique only when several fields are considered together. Build a composite key such as company + employee, vendor + invoice, account + date, or material + plant, then compare the values that should agree.
Composite keys are evaluated deterministically. Ambiguity remains visible.
Key field 1
Key field 2
Key field 3
Composite key
V-218 · INV-7714 · 1000
Source A
| Vendor ID | Invoice Number | Company Code | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| V-218 | INV-7714 | 1000 | 780.00 |
| V-218 | INV-7714 | 2000 | 420.00 |
Source B
| Supplier | Invoice | Company | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| V-218 | INV-7714 | 2000 | 420.00 |
| V-218 | INV-7714 | 1000 | 805.00 |
Business identity can span several fields.
An invoice number may repeat across companies. An employee number may repeat across legal entities. A material can exist in several plants. Treating one column as globally unique creates duplicate groups or false assumptions.
A composite key defines identity from the complete combination. The fields remain separate and explainable in the result.
One record identity
Company 1000
+Employee 000123
+01 Aug 2026
Use the combination that is unique in your process.
Add only fields that define record identity. Amounts and other values you want to test belong in compare fields, not in the key.
- Company + employee
- payroll and HR reconciliation.
- Vendor + invoice
- accounts payable and vendor statements.
- Account + posting date
- finance and ledger extracts.
- Material + plant
- inventory or migration validation.
- Personnel number + wage type + effective date
- detailed payroll comparison.
Normalize components without hiding their meaning.
Text, number, and date components can use their own configured normalization. MatchDock preserves the raw values and explains when a rule such as ignored leading zeros or a permitted date difference affected the outcome.
Employee
000123 → 123
ignored leading zeros
Effective date
01 Aug ↔ 02 Aug
within ±1 day
Wage type
1000 ↔ 1000
exact
If the complete key is still duplicated, MatchDock stops and reports it.
A composite key must identify one row in each source. If the same combination appears more than once, the group remains duplicate or ambiguous. Compare fields are never used as hidden keys to manufacture a result.
Build the key in the same terms your process uses.
01
Map equivalent columns from both exports.
02
Add each field that contributes to identity.
03
Confirm that the composite key is unique enough for the workflow.
04
Select separate fields to compare and review the explained result.
Your spreadsheet contents stay in your browser.
MatchDock parses and reconciles your files locally. Spreadsheet contents are not uploaded to MatchDock servers, and Excel exports are generated in your browser.
Ready to review the exceptions?
Start with two Excel or CSV exports. Choose the records that should match, apply explicit rules, and keep uncertain outcomes visible.