What is a quick way or shortcut to compare two columns in Microsoft Excel?

Let's say i have two columns C1 C2 a b b a c x d y e f f z t (There are more than 2000 values) I want to compare them and generate three columns where: Column A : Should have text which is there in both C1 & C2 Column B : Should have text Which is there in C1 but not in C2 Coulmn C should have text which is there C2 but not in C1
Answer:

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/excel-questions/486708-compare-two-strings-find-difference.html

Vivek Venkitesh at Quora Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

With a few dummy columns you can solve it like this:Assuming that your data is in columns A and B you type:In C1: =IF(ISNA(MATCH(A1,B:B,0)),"",ROW()). If the value in column A is in column B this returns the row where it can be found in Column A.In D1: =IF(ISNA(MATCH(A1,B:B,0)),ROW(),""). If the value column A is NOT in column B this returns the row where it can be found in Column A.In E1: =IF(ISNA(MATCH(B1,A:A,0)),ROW(),""). If the value column B is NOT in column A this returns the row where it can be found in Column B.In F1: =IFERROR(INDEX(A:A,SMALL(C:C,ROW())),""). This returns the first value that appears in both columns.In G1: =IFERROR(INDEX(A:A,SMALL(D:D,ROW())),""). This returns the first unique value in column A.In H1: =IFERROR(INDEX(B:B,SMALL(E:E,ROW())),""). This returns the first unique value in column B.Select C1:H1 and double click the tiny black square in the lower right part of the selected area. All columns will now expand downwards and column F will be a list of all values that are in both A and B, column G will be a list of values that are only in A and column H will be a list of values that are only in column B.

Marcus HÃ¶genÃ¥ Bohman

Related Q & A:

What is a good way to advertise enexpensively for a small business? It is handyman work?Best solution by Yahoo! Answers
What's a good way to let a girl know you are interested in her?Best solution by Yahoo! Answers
What is a quick way to get rid of a breakout on my face?Best solution by Yahoo! Answers
What is a quick cold sore healing medicine or remedy?Best solution by Yahoo! Answers
What is a quick way to improve my vertical jump?Best solution by Yahoo! Answers

Just Added Q & A:

How many active mobile subscribers are there in China?Best solution by Quora
How to find the right vacation?Best solution by bookit.com
How To Make Your Own Primer?Best solution by thekrazycouponlady.com
How do you get the domain & range?Best solution by ChaCha
How do you open pop up blockers?Best solution by Yahoo! Answers

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

Got an issue and looking for advice?
Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.
Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.