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xomilennn's avatar
xomilennn
Copper Contributor
Aug 03, 2024

Compare data- plz help asap

hi all,

im new to excel and need help very urgently with my data

I have 2 sets of data open on 2 separate tabs and i must combine them to compare -->through a chart then make a graph, however when i tried to paste data set #1 to data set #2 as a second sheet it does not do anything other than say "pasting in progress" (it has been about an hour) please advise. I followed some basic steps given from a  microsoft rep but it also didnt work out

 

excel
  • mathetes's avatar
    mathetes
    Silver Contributor
    Aug 03, 2024

    xomilennn 

     

    however when i tried to paste data set #1 to data set #2 as a second sheet it does not do anything other than say "pasting in progress"

     

    If you are creating a second sheet--as you appear to be doing--there's no need to copy and paste. To combine them into a single workbook, just follow these steps:

    1. have both sheets open
    2. right click on the tab name (bottom on sheet)
    3. select "move or copy" 
    4. in the dialog box, select the name of the other sheet in the space under "To book:"
    5. and click "OK"

    But then you're still left with how you're going to do the comparing.....so if you need help with further steps, come back with more info. And if it's possible without disclosing confidential information, you could help us help you by posting a copy of the workbook on OneDrive or GoogleDrive, with a link pasted here that grants edit access.

  • GeorgieAnne's avatar
    GeorgieAnne
    Iron Contributor
    Aug 03, 2024
    Hello xomilennn
    How much data are you copying? If you select the whole worksheet, that may take a while to paste, plus you run the chance of Excel not having enough resources to paste all what you need to paste.

    I suggest copy ONLY what you need to paste back. So select the range of Data that you need. You can do this by using the Go to (F5 function key 5) and plug in the range you need to select for example A1:J98765 in the reference box. This will select your range that you want to copy and will not copy useless empty cells. If you do not know the last cell J98765 you can go to cell J1 and then use CTRL+Down arrow key combination to reach the last row. If you have any empty rows in between (Not a good idea at all) then you can repeat this process until you get to the end.

    Also to compare data in two sheets you can use the formula =Sheet1!A1=Sheet2!A1 This will give you TRUE if cell A1 in Sheet 1 is equal to cell A1 in Sheet 2. Obviously you need to change the names and the cells to make it work for you. You could also use Conditional Formatting to mark the cells that are NOT equal or EQUAL depending on your needs and then copy only these cells.

    Let us know if you need more help.
    GiGi

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