Compare csv or text file using windows FC command

In windows, there is great command for data comparing which is File compare or FC.

The FC (File Compare) command in Windows can be used to compare two files (txt or csv) and display the differences between them. However, it cannot directly compare CSV (comma-separated values) files as it treats them as binary files. 

 File Compare options:

FC [/A] [/C] [/L] [/LBn] [/N] [/OFF[LINE]] [/T] [/U] [/W] [/nnnn]
   [drive1:][path1]filename1 [drive2:][path2]filename2
FC /B [drive1:][path1]filename1 [drive2:][path2]filename2

 

/A------------Displays only first and last lines for each set of dif

/B------------  Performs a binary comparison.

/C------------  Disregards the case of letters.

/L------------  Compares files as ASCII text.

/LBn------------         Sets the maximum consecutive mismatches to the specifinumber of lines.

/N------------ Displays the line numbers on an ASCII comparison.

/OFF[LINE]------------         Do not skip files with offline attribute set.

/T------------  Does not expand tabs to spaces.

 /U------------            Compare files as UNICODE text files.

/W------------            Compresses white space (tabs and spaces) for compariso

/nnnn------------      Specifies the number of consecutive lines that must ma after a mismatch.

[drive1:][path1]filename1------------    Specifies the first file or set of files to compare.

[drive2:][path2]filename2------------    Specifies the second file or set of files to compare.

 

Issue 1: Comparing Two Huge Data Files and data  Order same

 When facing the problem of comparing two large data files with the requirement that the data must be in the same order, importing the files into Excel might not be possible due to their size. In this case, it is recommended to consider using a programming language or a third-party tool for comparison. However, a simple solution that does not require complex programming can be achieved using the FC (File Compare) command in the command prompt.

 To compare two CSV files located in the same directory, follow these steps:

 1. Open the file explorer and navigate to the directory containing the files.

2. In the address bar, type "CMD" and press Enter to open the command prompt.

3. The command prompt will open, displaying the current directory path.

4. In the command prompt, use the following command: "FC file1.csv file2.csv"

5. The command prompt will display a message stating that no differences were encountered, indicating that both files have the same data in the same order.

 

If the two files are located in different folders, you can still use the above steps with a slight modification. Instead of providing just the file names, you need to enter the complete file paths in the FC command.

 

For example: "FC c:/home/sreenu/file1.csv d:/data/file2.csv"

 

If you want to save the result of the comparison in either a CSV or TXT file, you can add "> result.csv" to the end of the command. This will redirect the output to a file named "result.csv" in the current working directory.

 For example: "FC c:/home/sreenu/file1.csv  d:/data/file2.csv> result.csv

 

 Issue 2: Comparing Files with Different Data Order

 It is not uncommon to come across files with unsorted data. In such cases, we need to sort the data and save it with a new name, and then use the FC command to compare the files.

 Here are the steps to follow:

 1. Navigate to the file path.

2. Sort the data using the sort command:

   sort filename > newfilename

3. Once the data is sorted and saved with a new name, use the FC command to compare the files:

   fc newfile1 newfilename2

 

1.Go to file path

2.Sort the data using sort command Sort filename> newfilename

3.Then use fc command as follows Fc newfile1 newfilename2

4. After running the fc command, you will see the differences between the two files displayed in the command prompt.

5. If there are no differences, the command prompt will display "FC: no differences encountered."

6. If there are differences, the command prompt will display the line numbers where the differences occur.

7. You can then analyze the differences and determine if the order of the data in the files is not the same.

8. If the order is indeed different, you can take appropriate actions to handle the differences, such as sorting the data in both files before comparing them again.

9. You can repeat the process until the data order is the same in both files or take further actions based on your requirements.

 Note:

·        The order of the data in both files should also be the same. 

·        If the data is not sorted, it is necessary to sort the data in the file and then compare it using the FC command.

 

FC Video