Data Matching: Complete Guide from Excel to AI-Powered Solutions

Month-end closing or ad-hoc data investigations often start with a dreaded request:

“Can you match this customer list against that cancellation list?”

“I tried VLOOKUP in Excel, but it froze because there were too many rows.” “I asked an engineer to pull the data with SQL, but they said, ‘Wait until next week.’” “I tried doing it myself, but nothing matched because of full-width/half-width character discrepancies.”

Data matching is a frequent task in accounting, marketing, and sales operations, yet there has never been a tool that is “just right” for the job.

---

What is Data Matching?

Definition

Data matching is the process of comparing two or more datasets to find corresponding records.

Purpose	Example
Find matches	Customer A = Customer A
Identify differences	Different data for same entity
Detect missing items	Present in one, missing in other
Merge datasets	Combine information

Common Use Cases

Department	Use Case
Accounting	Invoice vs PO matching
Marketing	Email list vs suppression list
Sales	CRM vs billing records
IT	Old system vs new system

---

The 3 Barriers to Data Matching

Why is data matching so tedious? Broadly speaking, there are three barriers.

Barrier 1: The Capacity Barrier (Excel’s Limit)

Excel is a fantastic tool, but once data exceeds tens of thousands of rows, performance visibly degrades.

Row Count	Performance	Risk
1,000	Fast	Low
10,000	Slow	Medium
50,000	Very slow	High
100,000+	May freeze	Critical

Furthermore, adding thousands of VLOOKUP formulas can cause the application to hang for minutes. In the worst case, it freezes completely (“Not Responding”), and your work is lost.

Barrier 2: The Skill Barrier (SQL/Programming)

“Just use a database (SQL) for large data” is a valid argument.

Challenge	Impact
SQL environment setup	Technical barrier
Writing JOIN queries	Skills required
IT availability	Wait time
Priority scheduling	Delays

Even if you ask IT or engineers, they are busy, and a simple matching task can take days to get a prioritized slot.

Barrier 3: The Accuracy Barrier (Data Inconsistency)

This is the most troublesome enemy.

System A	System B	Human View	System View
ABC Corp.	ABC Corporation	Same	Different
555-0199	5550199	Same	Different
Tokyo	TOKYO	Same	Different

To a human, these are the same. To Excel or SQL, they are different. To resolve this, you spend hours cleaning data before you can even begin matching.

---

Traditional Approaches

Approach 1: Excel VLOOKUP

Pros	Cons
Familiar	Exact match only
Free	Slow on large data
Immediate	Freezes with many formulas

Approach 2: SQL Joins

Pros	Cons
Handles large data	Requires skills
Fast execution	Setup needed
Powerful	Exact match only

Approach 3: Python/R Scripts

Pros	Cons
Flexible	Programming required
Can do fuzzy matching	Maintenance burden
Free	Learning curve

Approach 4: Dedicated ETL Tools

Pros	Cons
Enterprise-grade	Expensive
Scalable	Complex setup
Robust	Overkill for simple tasks

---

The Third Option: AI-Era “Inbox OS” Approach

“Excel is heavy.” “SQL is hard.”

Then, simply let “AI that understands context” handle it.

Totsugo, the next-generation reconciliation agent, overturns the common sense of data matching.

Feature 1: Different Column Names? No Problem

System A	System B	AI Understanding
Customer_ID	User_ID	”These are the same”
Date	Order_Date	”Both are dates”
Amount	Total	”Both are money”

Normally you would have to map these manually, but Totsugo’s AI infers the meaning of columns and proposes matching keys automatically.

Feature 2: AI Absorbs “Data Inconsistency”

Variation	AI Result
Corporation vs Corp.	✓ Match
555-0199 vs 5550199	✓ Match
Full-width vs half-width	✓ Match

Totsugo uses Fuzzy Match technology to determine these are “the same”. Say goodbye to preliminary data cleansing.

Feature 3: Drag & Drop to Finish

Step	Action	Your Effort
1	Drag & drop two files	10 seconds
2	AI analyzes	Wait (auto)
3	Discrepancies shown	Review
4	Press Enter to approve	1 second each

The operation is extremely simple.

---

Use Cases: Where to Apply AI Matching

Marketing: Suppression List Matching

Source	Target	Challenge
Unsubscribe list	Customer master	Email variations

AI absorbs minor differences in email addresses (case sensitivity, etc.) to ensure accurate exclusion.

Accounting: Deposit Reconciliation

Source	Target	Challenge
Bank deposit details	Billing list	Payer name variations

Even if the payer name is “ABC CORP” and your invoice says “ABC Corporation”, AI links them automatically.

Sales: CRM vs Billing Verification

Source	Target	Challenge
CRM customer data	Billing records	Duplicate detection

Find customers in CRM that don’t match billing, or vice versa.

IT: Migration Data Verification

Source	Target	Challenge
Old system export	New system import	Data integrity

Checking counts and content when migrating data from an old system to a new one. Comparing massive CSVs is a breeze with cloud-based processing.

---

Comparison Table

Criteria	Excel	SQL	AI (Totsugo)
Data size	Limited	Large	Large
Setup	None	Complex	None
Skills needed	Low	High	Low
Fuzzy matching	No	No	Yes
Speed	Slow	Fast	Fast
Cost	Free	Free	Subscription

---

Implementation Guide

Phase 1: Try It

Step	Action
1	Sign up for free account
2	Upload two sample files
3	Review AI results

Phase 2: Pilot

Step	Action
1	Use for real task
2	Measure time savings
3	Evaluate accuracy

Phase 3: Deploy

Step	Action
1	Train team
2	Standardize process
3	Expand use cases

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What file formats are supported?

A. Excel, CSV, PDF, and more.

Q. How large can files be?

A. Cloud processing handles hundreds of thousands of rows.

Q. Can I export results?

A. Yes, to CSV or Excel.

Q. Is it secure?

A. Data is encrypted and deleted after processing.

---

Conclusion: Stop Fighting with VLOOKUP

Data matching itself does not generate profit. Using your valuable time and brainpower just to “check if it matches” is a waste.

Instead of	Try
Learning SQL	Let AI handle it
Fearing Excel freeze	Cloud processing
Cleaning data	Fuzzy matching

You don’t need to learn SQL, and you don’t need to fear Excel freezing. From today, just throw your files at Totsugo and go grab a coffee.

👉 Try Totsugo for Free