Different column names with CSV Reconcile
An HR export (employee_id, full_name, dept) and a payroll export (emp_no, name, department) are compared with the columns mapped to each other. The payroll file also has a bonus column that the HR file lacks; it is reported but not compared.
- Load the first export, then the second. The page lists columns of the first file that have no same-named column in the second.
- For each of them choose the matching column of the second file, including the key column.
- Keep the mapped key selected, for example employee_id.
- Press Compare. Columns without a counterpart are listed in a note and left out.
- Download the changed rows as CSV.
What to know
Two systems rarely call the same thing by the same name. HR says employee_id, payroll says emp_no; one has dept, the other department. Columns are matched by name ignoring case, so Salary and salary pair up by themselves, and only the genuinely different names need your help. Each unmatched column of the first file gets a drop-down with the unmatched columns of the second file. The key goes through the same mapping.
In the sample, ID 1002 moved from Support to Success, and 1003 went from 58000 to 60000, a difference of 2000. 1004 is only in the HR file and 1005 only in payroll. The payroll export has a bonus column with no HR counterpart. It is mentioned in a note rather than counted as a difference, since a column that exists in one file only cannot differ from anything.
Mapping does not translate values. If one system stores Sales and the other SALES, turn on Ignore case; if one stores department codes and the other names, no rule will make them equal and every row will show as changed, which is itself useful to know before a migration. A mapping applies to this comparison only. Pro can save it in a profile for the next export of the same pair.
Updated · Cosmovex
Questions
Do the column names have to match exactly?
Same-named columns match automatically, ignoring case. Others need to be matched by hand with the drop-down; there is no fuzzy guessing, so a wrong pairing never happens silently.
Can the key column have a different name in each file?
Yes. Match it like any other column, and keep the first file's column selected as the key. The second file's column is used for lookup.
What happens to columns that exist in only one file?
They are listed in a note and not compared. They are not counted as differences.
Does it convert values between systems?
No. It only compares them under the rules you set: trimming, case, empty values, numbers, dates. It does not translate codes into names.
Can I reuse the column mapping?
Pro profiles save the key, ignored columns, column mapping and rules in your browser, so a recurring export pair can be loaded in one click.
The free plan covers everything on this page. CSV Reconcile Pro ($29, paid once) is described on the CSV Reconcile page.
