Try the example, then check the result.
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Quick answer. Put the two CSVs on tabs named Old and New. In Old!C2 use =IF(B2=XLOOKUP(A2,New!$A$2:$A$5,New!$B$2:$B$5),"Same","Changed") and fill down. It flags T-101 and T-102 only.
Use the fictional practice files: old-ticket-status-practice.csv and new-ticket-status-practice.csv, plus the independent answer check. Work in a copy. This guide stands on its own without the video.
Scope and limits. Each ticket ID must be unique in each snapshot for a single-status lookup to be meaningful. The practice has no missing IDs. Investigate a real #N/A as a missing record; do not silently label it Changed.
1. Place each snapshot on its own tab
Put old-ticket-status-practice.csv on a tab named Old and new-ticket-status-practice.csv on a tab named New. Keep row 1 as headers. Old!A2:B5 and New!A2:B5 each contain four records but not in the same order.
Checkpoint: Both tabs contain the same four IDs, each once.
2. Look up the matching new status
On Old, type Comparison in C1. In C2 enter =IF(B2=XLOOKUP(A2,New!$A$2:$A$5,New!$B$2:$B$5),"Same","Changed"). Fill C2:C5. The dollar signs keep the New ranges fixed while A2 and B2 advance on Old.
Checkpoint: Lookup joins on Ticket ID, not row number.
3. Read the two changed rows
Read Old!C2:C5. Changed must appear beside T-101 and T-102 only. Look up the actual New status values to explain each change: Open→Closed and Waiting→Assigned. The other two statuses are unchanged.
Checkpoint: Changed: T-101 and T-102.
4. Verify by an independent ID map
The independent answer is the set {T-101, T-102} for changes and {T-103, T-104} for unchanged statuses. Count two of each. This verification catches a formula accidentally using B2 versus New!B2 directly.
Checkpoint: Exactly two Changed and two Same.
Verify the result
Old-to-new mapping: T-101 Open→Closed (Changed), T-102 Waiting→Assigned (Changed), T-103 Open→Open (Same), T-104 Closed→Closed (Same). The new snapshot is intentionally shuffled. The output must say Changed for exactly T-101 and T-102, and Same for exactly T-103 and T-104.
If it still does not work
If all four look changed, check that the formula uses XLOOKUP by ID instead of comparing Old row 2 to New row 2. If #N/A appears, check the ID text and whether the ID is missing. Do not convert a missing-ID error into a status change without separate review.
Official sources
- Google Sheets XLOOKUP function (checked 26 October 2026).
- Google Sheets IF function (checked 26 October 2026).
Any instructional panel without a marked actual-app capture is an illustrative diagram of the fictional exercise.
Practice downloads.
The exercise files contain invented information. Save a local copy before editing.