Spreadsheets are categorized in different proprietary and non-proprietary file formats based on product, usability, and date of release. Spreadsheets are widely used in creating budgets, statistical analysis of data, creating graphs and/ or pie charts with data and so on.
Today we will discuss some of the most common spreadsheet file formats. The latter part of this article will deal with the problem of duplication of your spreadsheets and the resolution.
Common Spreadsheet File Formats
ODS (OpenOffice Calc Spreadsheet)
ODS is an OpenOffice Calc Spreadsheet file. This is the default file format used to store your OpenOffice Calc and Google Sheets spreadsheets. Your data is stored in a well-formatted manner, classified into different rows and columns.
OpenOffice Calc and Google Sheets are considered major freeware alternatives to Microsoft Office Excel. The former is available as a standalone desktop app while the latter is available as an Internet-based cloud computing service from Google.
It is also possible to import your existing ODS files into Excel and convert them vice versa. The ODS file format is commonly used to store business accounting information, record expenditure, budget information, fiscal results, client information, statistical formulas, and much more.
XLR (Microsoft Works Spreadsheet)
The XLR format is associated with the Microsoft Works Spreadsheet file type. Now discontinued, Microsoft Works was an economical and smaller version of Microsoft Office Suite best for individuals and smaller businesses.
XLR files can contain a wide range of data from worksheets, clipart, pictures, formulas and charts. The modern version of Microsoft Office Excel supports opening and editing XLR files that were created with Microsoft Works 8 or above. Alternatively, you can use the OpenOffice Calc program to manage your XLR files efficiently.
XLS (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet)
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (XLS) is a proprietary file format from Microsoft. This is a very popular format and uses binary interchange technology to store your data into fixed sizes streams. An XLS file may also contain additional metadata such as author, date of creation, date of modification, copyright information, comments, etc.
XLSX (Microsoft Excel Open XML Spreadsheet)
Microsoft Excel Open XML Spreadsheet (XLSX) is an advanced version of the former XLS format. Introduced with Microsoft Office 2007, this format is based on rich XML standards and reduces the size of your data by compressing the content in order to cut down on the amount of storage space.
An XLSX file may contain data stored in different sub-sheets. These sheets can be accessed using the tab options underneath. Since Microsoft Office Excel is an expensive software program, you can use other freeware Office programs such as OpenOffice Calc to view and edit XLSX files.
Find & Delete Duplicate Spreadsheets
In order to find duplicate spreadsheet files, you will need to compare the content of the spreadsheets. It is not possible to manually evaluate each spreadsheet one by one, especially if you have a large chunk of data on your hard disk. This task can be accomplished automatically using Clone Files Checker, a specialized software, that uses modern technology and algorithms.
The procedure is fully automated. All you have to do is select the scan locations that possibly contain any duplicate spreadsheets, apply the appropriate scan filters, and then fix the duplicates once the scan is over. Here are the detailed steps:
1. Select Scan Location
Download and install Clone Files Checker. In the main window, use the Add button on the left-hand side to browse for folders (for example, My Documents, Downloads). You can add multiple folders/ drives as may be required.
2. Apply Filters
The Scan filters give you better control over the entire scan procedure. You can choose which type of files you want to scan for. For example, the All Files option will scan everything irrespective of the file types involved. The Custom option, on the contrary, would allow you to select specific file types such as documents, images, videos, archives and music.
You can also opt to set an upper and lower limit if required. For example: To scan files that are larger than 2 MB in size but less than 500 MB, set the upper limit to 512 MB (since this is the nearest option available) and the lower limit to 2 MB. This setting is completely optional.
For the purpose of this article, select the Custom | Documents. Click on the Start Scan button and the scan should take place.
3. Fix Duplicates
Once the scan is finished you will be prompted to select between Fix Wizard and Review and Fix. Select the latter.
Now a list of all duplicate spreadsheets will appear on your screen grouped by their common content. You will be given an option to select or deselect files individually, view more information such as file name, file size, path; or open containing folder and show Properties.
Use the Select Duplicates button and select one of your preferred selection criteria to automatically select your files. Click on the Select Action button, and delete the duplicate spreadsheets right away.