In today’s fast-paced professional environment, the ability to efficiently compare documents is paramount. Whether you’re reviewing contracts, tracking changes in legal documents, or collaborating on project proposals, quickly identifying differences between versions is crucial for accuracy and productivity. This guide will delve into how to leverage Workshare Compare within the Collaborate platform to streamline your document review process, ensuring you never miss a critical change.
Workshare Compare is a powerful tool integrated into Collaborate that allows you to perform in-depth document comparisons, highlighting modifications with precision. This feature, especially beneficial for legal, financial, and project management professionals, goes beyond simple visual checks by providing a detailed change summary and intuitive navigation through document revisions. While Collaborate also offers a document comparison feature using the Accusoft viewer, Workshare Compare stands out with its advanced capabilities and user-friendly interface, making it the preferred choice for comprehensive document analysis.
This article will walk you through the steps to effectively use Workshare Compare for different scenarios, including comparing two separate documents and comparing versions of the same document. We’ll also touch upon the key advantages of Workshare Compare over the Accusoft viewer, helping you understand why it’s an essential tool for anyone serious about document accuracy and efficient workflow.
Comparing Two Similar Documents with Workshare Compare
Workshare Compare excels when you need to analyze two distinct documents that are expected to be similar, such as revised drafts or documents from different sources that should contain comparable information. Here’s how to initiate a comparison:
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Select Documents: Begin by selecting the two documents you wish to compare. Locate the documents within your Collaborate library and use the checkboxes adjacent to each document’s name to mark your selections.
Alt text: Checkboxes next to document names are highlighted, indicating document selection for comparison in Collaborate.
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Initiate Compare Action: Once you’ve selected your two documents, navigate to the Actions dropdown menu. Click on Actions, and from the options presented, select Compare.
Alt text: The “Actions” dropdown menu is open, and the “Compare” option is highlighted, showing the user where to initiate document comparison.
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Review the Compare Screen: The Compare screen will now load, presenting a side-by-side view designed for efficient review.
Alt text: Screenshot of the Workshare Compare interface with the “Change Summary” panel on the left and the document comparison view on the right.
This screen is divided into two primary sections: the Change Summary panel on the left and the document comparison view on the right.
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Change Summary Panel: This section provides a structured breakdown of all the differences identified between the two documents. Workshare Compare categorizes changes into:
- Deletions (Red Strikethrough): Text that was present in the original document but has been removed or replaced in the revised document is marked in red with a strikethrough.
- Insertions (Blue Underline): New content added to the revised document is highlighted in blue with an underline.
The Change Summary also quantifies the total number of changes, further breaking them down by type, including:
- Content changes
- Numbering modifications
- Punctuation adjustments
- Footnote alterations
- Header and Footer revisions
You can click on each of these categories within the Change Summary to specifically review those types of changes in the document view. This focused approach allows you to quickly target areas of interest or concern.
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Document View Panel: On the right side of the screen, you’ll see the actual documents being compared. Changes are visually marked directly within the document text using the red strikethrough for deletions and blue underline for insertions, mirroring the Change Summary panel. This in-context visualization makes it easy to understand the modifications within the document’s flow.
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Utilizing Comparison Tools: Workshare Compare offers several tools within the comparison screen to enhance your review process:
- Save Options: You can save the comparison view as a PDF or a Word document. This is useful for archiving the comparison results or sharing them with others who may not have access to Collaborate.
- Track Changes: Enable track changes within the document directly from the comparison interface. This can be beneficial if you need to further edit the document based on the identified changes and want to maintain a record of subsequent modifications.
- Email and Print: Directly email or print the document from the comparison screen for easy distribution or hard copy reviews.
- Hide Change Summary: If you need to focus solely on the document view, you can hide the Change Summary panel to maximize screen real estate for document viewing.
- Navigation Buttons: Use the Previous change and Next change buttons to navigate sequentially through each identified change in the document. This ensures you don’t miss any modifications during your review.
Important Note: Workshare Compare is designed for comparing two documents at a time. Attempting to compare more than two documents will result in an error message.
Comparing Versions of the Same Document with Workshare Compare
Beyond comparing distinct documents, Workshare Compare is also invaluable for analyzing different versions of the same document, tracking its evolution over time. This is particularly useful for version control and understanding the history of document revisions.
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Access Version History: Locate the document for which you want to compare versions. Click on More actions (often represented by three dots or a similar icon) associated with the document. In the dropdown menu, navigate to Compare latest. This option is specifically designed to compare the latest version of the document with the immediately preceding version.
Alt text: The “More actions” dropdown menu is open, and the “Compare latest” option is highlighted, showing how to compare the latest version of a document.
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Review the Compare Screen (Versions): Selecting Compare latest will again launch the familiar Compare screen.
Alt text: The Workshare Compare screen displaying the comparison of two versions of the same document.
This screen is identical in layout and functionality to the screen used for comparing two separate documents. You’ll have access to the same Change Summary, document view, and tools for saving, tracking changes, navigation, and display customization. The key difference is that in this case, Workshare Compare is automatically comparing the two most recent iterations of the same file.
Comparing Versions Directly in the File Viewer
For a quick and integrated approach, you can also initiate version comparison directly from within the document viewer.
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Open Document in Viewer: Open the document with multiple versions directly in the Collaborate file viewer.
Alt text: Screenshot of a document open in the Collaborate file viewer interface.
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Access Compare Latest from Viewer: Once the document is open in the viewer, navigate to More actions within the viewer interface. Select Compare latest from the dropdown options. This will launch the Workshare Compare screen, comparing the latest two versions of the document, without needing to go back to the document library.
Workshare Compare vs. Accusoft Viewer for Document Comparison
Collaborate offers two options for document comparison: Workshare Compare and the built-in document viewer (Accusoft Viewer). While both serve the purpose of identifying differences, Workshare Compare provides a more robust and feature-rich experience, especially for users requiring detailed and comprehensive document analysis.
Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:
| Feature | Workshare Compare | Accusoft Viewer Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Feature Richness | Advanced features, detailed change summary, granular categories | Basic comparison features, less detailed summary |
| Licensing | May require separate Workshare Compare Everywhere license | Built-in feature, no additional cost |
| File Type Support | Wider support, including Word (.doc, .docx), PDF, and more | Limited to Word documents (.doc, .docx) |
| User Experience | Richer navigation, precise change location highlighting | Basic navigation, page-level change highlighting |
| Change Navigation | Navigates to the exact location of each change | Navigates to the page where the change is, not exact location |
| Permissions Requirement | Requires edit rights to documents for comparison | Allows comparison even with view-only rights |
In summary:
- Choose Workshare Compare if: You require a comprehensive comparison with detailed change summaries, need to compare various file types beyond Word documents, and benefit from precise change navigation. It’s ideal for legal professionals, contract reviewers, and anyone needing in-depth document analysis. Note that it might require a separate license.
- Choose Accusoft Viewer Comparison if: You need a basic comparison of Word documents and don’t require advanced features. It’s a cost-effective option for quick checks and is accessible even with view-only permissions.
For organizations and professionals who prioritize thorough and accurate document review, especially in fields like law, finance, and project management, Workshare Compare is the superior solution. Its advanced features, detailed reporting, and user-friendly interface make it an invaluable asset for streamlining workflows and ensuring document integrity. If you’re interested in leveraging the full power of Workshare Compare, contact your account manager to discuss enabling the Workshare Compare Everywhere license for your Collaborate instance.
