Searching multiple Excel files

galenblade

Title really says it all. I'm doing a thing for work where I have to determine where a keyword appears in some Excel sheets we've been gathering. Now, there are hundreds if not thousands of these files, and I'd like to not have to go into each individual one, run the "Find" function, and then document if it comes up. That's hella time consuming.

Is there a way to search for this particular keyword across multiple files, or am I stuck to this? Google gives me links to (purchaseable) software that I can get, but I don't think my company will outlay anything for that.

For what it's worth, i'm using Excel 07 and Windows XP Pro 2002.

Daenris

I've never tried it specifically with Excel files, but with the Windows search you can search for files containing text. So try searching the folder/drive that the files are on, for *.xls files (or better, *.xls* since you're using 07), containing the text you're looking for.

tallgeeze

Based on your post I'm guessing it's multiple excel files and not multiple sheets within one file. I have to do a similiar thing from time to time. What I do is this:

1) Open up windows search
2) Click on "All files and folder"
3) There should be a box called "A word or phrase in the file". type whatever you are looking for in there.
4) Below that there should be a "look in" box with a drop down menu. Select browse and click on the folder where all these files are located.
5) Hit search and profit.


Hopefully, your keywords are very specific so the search results won't display useless junk. For myself, I do use ID's or names when searching multiple files.

galenblade

Daenris wrote: »

I've never tried it specifically with Excel files, but with the Windows search you can search for files containing text. So try searching the folder/drive that the files are on, for *.xls files (or better, *.xls* since you're using 07), containing the text you're looking for.

That worked in narrowing it down, but it only gives me the files in which the word appears.There's still a large number of individual sheets I'd have to go through to find out where specifically the text I'm looking for is located, how many times it appears, what it references, etc. There a way to search deeper?

Deebaser

galenblade wrote: »

Daenris wrote: »

I've never tried it specifically with Excel files, but with the Windows search you can search for files containing text. So try searching the folder/drive that the files are on, for *.xls files (or better, *.xls* since you're using 07), containing the text you're looking for.

That worked in narrowing it down, but it only gives me the files in which the word appears.There's still a large number of individual sheets I'd have to go through to find out where specifically the text I'm looking for is located, how many times it appears, what it references, etc. There a way to search deeper?

You'd have to combine that with Control + F and search the workbooks individually. Oh yeah, and after this project, you should consider hopping on the access train so that shit like this doesn't happen.

galenblade

Deebaser wrote: »

galenblade wrote: »

Daenris wrote: »

I've never tried it specifically with Excel files, but with the Windows search you can search for files containing text. So try searching the folder/drive that the files are on, for *.xls files (or better, *.xls* since you're using 07), containing the text you're looking for.

That worked in narrowing it down, but it only gives me the files in which the word appears.There's still a large number of individual sheets I'd have to go through to find out where specifically the text I'm looking for is located, how many times it appears, what it references, etc. There a way to search deeper?

You'd have to combine that with Control + F and search the workbooks individually. Oh yeah, and after this project, you should consider hopping on the access train so that shit like this doesn't happen.

Yeah, I have no confidence in my company to do that. This is where one of the heads of the Internet division kept a file labeled "Passwords" on the company's shared drive.

Guess I'm resigned to manual stuff. Sigh.

Thanks much, guys.