Guide · Stock counts

Compare a stock count with your inventory system by SKU

After a stock count you have two lists: what was on the shelves and what the inventory system says should be there. CSV Compare matches them on the SKU and shows every item where the counted quantity differs from the system quantity, every item that was not counted and every item that was found but is not in the system. This page shows how to prepare both lists so the result is a short work list rather than noise.

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1. One row per SKU in each file

Use the SKU or item number as the key. It must be written the same way in both files: matching is exact and case-sensitive after surrounding spaces are removed, and 00125 is not 125.
If an item was counted in several places, add the counts up per SKU before you compare, for example with a pivot table. The app reports a repeated SKU as a duplicate and never adds quantities together.
To check stock per location instead, make the key include the location in both files, such as SKU-205@C-01, so that each SKU and location pair appears once.

2. Take both lists at the same moment

Export the system quantities at the time of the count. Goods received or shipped between the count and the export show up as differences that are not counting errors.
Include items with a system quantity of zero only if you also counted them. Otherwise every zero-stock item appears as “only in the system”.
Quantities must be plain numbers: 24 or 2,5, without units such as “pcs” or thousands separators. Choose the decimal separator for each file in the app. 24 and 24.00 count as the same quantity.

3. Map the quantities as the amount

Map the SKU as the record key on both sides.
Map the counted quantity on one side and the system quantity on the other as the amount. The app compares amounts as exact decimals, so 10 and 12 are a difference and 12 and 12.0 are not. Leave currency set to “Do not compare”.
Optionally pair the location columns as a text field, such as location → bin, to catch items counted in a different place than the system expects.
Choose Compare exports and work through the review entries.

Example: a small parts store

Left file: count.csv
sku	location	counted
SKU-200	A-01	24
SKU-201	A-02	10
SKU-202	B-01	0
SKU-204	B-03	6
SKU-205	C-01	15
SKU-205	C-02	5
SKU-206	C-03	3

Right file: system.csv
sku	description	on_hand	bin
SKU-200	Cable ties 200 mm	24	A-01
SKU-201	Hose clamp 20 mm	12	A-02
SKU-202	Fuse 10 A	4	B-01
SKU-203	Fuse 15 A	8	B-02
SKU-204	Wire connector	6	B-04
SKU-205	Relay 12 V	20	C-01

Map sku as the record key on both sides, counted and on_hand as the amount, and pair the text field location → bin.

What the comparison reports
SKU	Report status	What to check
SKU-205	Duplicate left key	The relay was counted in two places, 15 and 5. The app does not add them up; SKU-205 is left out of matching until the count file has one row for it. Summed, 20 would match the system.
SKU-200	Mapped fields match	24 counted, 24 in the system, same location.
SKU-201	Amount differs	10 counted, 12 in the system. Recount before you adjust.
SKU-202	Amount differs	Nothing on the shelf, 4 in the system. Check recent sales and goods in transit.
SKU-204	Text differs	The quantity agrees, but the item was found in B-03 and the system expects B-04.
SKU-206	Only on left	Found on the shelf, but not in the system export. A new item not yet registered, or a wrong SKU on the count sheet?
SKU-203	Only on right	In the system with 8, but not counted. Was location B-02 skipped?

That is 1 match and 6 review entries. The report shows both quantities side by side; it does not calculate the difference in units or value.

Copy the example as CSV text

Paste each block into the left and right text boxes of the demo. Choose comma and dot for both files, then map the columns as above.

sku,location,counted
SKU-200,A-01,24
SKU-201,A-02,10
SKU-202,B-01,0
SKU-204,B-03,6
SKU-205,C-01,15
SKU-205,C-02,5
SKU-206,C-03,3

sku,description,on_hand,bin
SKU-200,Cable ties 200 mm,24,A-01
SKU-201,Hose clamp 20 mm,12,A-02
SKU-202,Fuse 10 A,4,B-01
SKU-203,Fuse 15 A,8,B-02
SKU-204,Wire connector,6,B-04
SKU-205,Relay 12 V,20,C-01

4. What to check for each result

Report statuses and next checks
Report status	What to check
Amount differs	Recount the item. Then check unposted receipts, shipments and returns, and whether both files count in the same unit, such as pieces or boxes.
Text differs	The report names the field, such as the location. Move the goods or update the system location.
Multiple fields differ	Both the quantity and the location differ.
Only on left	Counted but not in the system: an unregistered item, a typo in the SKU, or a system export with a filter.
Only on right	In the system but not counted: a skipped location, an item that is really gone, or zero-stock items in the export.
Duplicate left key / Duplicate right key	The same SKU on several rows. Sum per SKU, or use SKU and location together as the key.
Invalid left row / Invalid right row	An empty SKU, or a quantity with a unit, a thousands separator or text such as “approx. 10”. Fix those rows and compare again.
Unresolved left record / Unresolved right record	The SKU is on one side only, but the other file has a row without a SKU. Fix the empty SKU first.

A difference is not yet a loss.

Most count differences come from timing, units or a missed shelf. Check the source before you adjust stock. The report is a work list, not an inventory valuation or accounting entry.

Privacy and limits

The comparison runs in your browser tab. The app makes no network requests while it compares, saves no input to browser storage and contains no analytics, so your stock data is not uploaded. The free demo handles up to 50 data rows and 2 MiB per file; the full version handles up to 10,000 data rows and 2 MiB per file, offline after you extract the ZIP. SKUs are matched exactly. Summing quantities, calculating stock value, scanning barcodes and posting adjustments are not included.

After the next count

Try it on one shelf section first.

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