WorkpaperDiff
What changed in the accounting logic?
Ordinary spreadsheet diffs drown reviewers in changed values and formatting. WorkpaperDiff reads the XLSX package directly and elevates changes that matter to a close: formulas replaced by hardcodes, formula edits, stale dates, broken prior-period links, changed controls, and unexplained new rows.
A sample review
7review findings
2high-risk logic changes
1presentation-only edit
| Sheet | Cell | Finding | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | F18 | formula replaced by hardcode | =SUM(F8:F17) | 184920.14 |
| Revenue | G24 | external workbook link | =F24 | ='[June Close.xlsx]Rev'!G24 |
| Controls | B7 | named control changed | 0.00 | -125.36 |
| Detail | row 418 | new populated row | — | payer adjustment |
| Cover | D4 | presentation only | style 3 | style 8 |
The sample is synthetic. WorkpaperDiff never recalculates formulas; Excel remains authoritative for evaluated results.
Run it
python3 workpaperdiff.py prior.xlsx current.xlsx --out review.html
One Python file, standard library only. The workbooks stay on your machine.
The fine print
A review aid, not an audit opinion. MIT licensed. Source on GitHub.