Document Comparison Tool

Location: Document Viewer >> DOC Tab

General

This technical note explains Lexbe’s built-in document comparison feature that will compare the text of two separate documents within a case and highlight the differences.  This can be extremely helpful when reviewing email chains or near duplicate documents.  For more on email chains and near duplicate documents, see Email Threading and Near Duplication

Background

In document intensive cases, there will inevitably be numerous duplicate documents, near duplicate documents and email chains.  Handling duplicate documents can be as easy as simply filtering them out of review or removing them from the data set completely.  Handling near duplicate documents and email chains, however, require a bit more attention as the minor differences can be pertinent.  One way to quickly spot the differences is to use a comparison tool.  Lexbe’s built-in document comparison feature provides both a side by side or line by line display option of two documents highlighting all the differences.  Documents are compared within the Doc Viewer and can be selected from the Browse page, Search page or through linear document progression within the Doc Viewer itself.

Benefits

• • Speed up linear neardupe group review by setting one baseline document and reviewing all others against it

  • Locate inconsistencies within email chains

  • Easily identify differences between documents for any general purpose

Process

To execute the compare feature:

1. 1. Select the baseline document from Browse/Search page

   2. On Doc tab in the Doc Viewer, click "Set Compare Doc"

   3. This document then becomes the “Compare to Doc” on the right side (green) and will remain the "Compare to Doc" until the Clear Compare Doc button is clicked

   4. Navigate back to Browse/Search

   5. Select the document to be compared to the baseline document

   6. In the Compare tab, this document is displayed as the “Current Document” in red and is reflected in all other areas of the Doc Viewer for easy, on the fly coding

   7. To compare additional documents to the baseline "Compare to Doc", you can either:

      • • Navigate back to Search or Browse and select new document for comparison, or

        • If you are working in a continuous, filtered subset such as a neardup group or review set, you can click Save or the next arrow to progress to the next document.  This will maintain the baseline document, progress to the next “Current Document” and update the comparison results accordingly

   8. To set a new baseline document, click Clear Compare Doc and repeat the instructions above

Additional Information

For additional information or questions, please contact professionalservices@lexbe.com.