investigate changes to an excel file

  • Thread starter Thread starter ksk h2o
  • Start date Start date
K

ksk h2o

Hello,

I'm trying to find ways in which one could see the changes made to an
excel file. The problem is we have to check the authenticity of a
file and was wondering if there was any way on earth to see if a file
was altered (columns added, copy/paste made) after a database was
exported to excel?

If there is no way a moderately capable user can find these changes,
is there any company/programs/experts that can do this?

thanks
 
Myrna Larson and Bill Manville have developed a compare that's very nice.

http://www.cpearson.com/excel/whatsnew.htm
look for compare.xla

It checks cell by cell (for formula/value/formatting changes, IIRC).

Maybe that will be enough to help you determine if there was a significant
change.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies.

The problem is we do not have an original file, just one received xls
that we need to check for fraud. I was thinking if there was any way
one could use a resource editor to see what were the latest activities
on the file.
 
Excel keeps track of the last person who edited the workbook. But I don't think
it keeps track of what (if anything) changed.
 
The problem is we do not have an original file, just one received xls
that we need to check for fraud. I was thinking if there was any way
one could use a resource editor to see what were the latest activities
on the file
Click to expand...

No. If the file had Track Changes on it, you could see them.
If not, you need something to compar it to.
An original version you sent out;
or received from another source, such as an independent export from
that database
or the same one last month;
or do another query from the same db when you get the file;
or inspect and compare against a written spec;

think of other ways.
 
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