Sample Excel File Download
Excel datasets for business intelligence, software testing, and data migration. XLS files compatible with Excel, Sheets, and Numbers.
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Corporate Employee Directory
A comprehensive list of employees with departments, roles, and salary grades for HR testing.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
<Styles><Style ss:ID="H"><Font ss:Bold="1"/><Interior ss:Color="#E2E8F0" ss:Pattern="Solid"/></Style></Styles>
<Worksheet ss:Name="Sheet1"><Table>
<Row ss:StyleID="H"><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">ID</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Name</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Email</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Department</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Position</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Salary</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Hire Date</Data></Cell></Row>
<Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">1</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">John Smith</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">john@company.com</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Engineering</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Senior Developer</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$115,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2021-05-12</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Sarah Johnson</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">sarah@company.com</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Marketing</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Project Manager</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$85,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2022-01-10</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">3</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Mike Brown</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">mike@company.com</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Sales</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Team Lead</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$105,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2019-11-22</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">4</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Alice Freeman</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">alice@company.com</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">IT</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Junior Dev</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$65,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2023-08-15</Data></Cell></Row>
</Table></Worksheet></Workbook>Global Sales Performance (Q1)
Structured quarterly sales records for regional tracking and pivot table generation.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
<Styles><Style ss:ID="H"><Font ss:Bold="1"/><Interior ss:Color="#E2E8F0" ss:Pattern="Solid"/></Style></Styles>
<Worksheet ss:Name="Sheet1"><Table>
<Row ss:StyleID="H"><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Month</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Region</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Category</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Revenue</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Target</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Variance</Data></Cell></Row>
<Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">January</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">North America</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">SaaS</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$45,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$40,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">+$5,000</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">February</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Europe</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">SaaS</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$38,500</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$40,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">-$1,500</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">March</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Asia</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Support</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$22,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$20,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">+$2,000</Data></Cell></Row>
</Table></Worksheet></Workbook>Warehouse Inventory Master List
Stock management data including categories, SKU identifiers, and reorder alerts.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
<Styles><Style ss:ID="H"><Font ss:Bold="1"/><Interior ss:Color="#E2E8F0" ss:Pattern="Solid"/></Style></Styles>
<Worksheet ss:Name="Sheet1"><Table>
<Row ss:StyleID="H"><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">SKU</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Product Name</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Category</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Stock Level</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Min Requirement</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Status</Data></Cell></Row>
<Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">SKU-001X</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Pro Laptop 15</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Hardware</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">15</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">20</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Reorder Now</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">SKU-002Y</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Wireless Mouse</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Accessories</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">250</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">50</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">OK</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">SKU-005Z</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">27 Inch Monitor</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Displays</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">8</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">5</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Low Stock</Data></Cell></Row>
</Table></Worksheet></Workbook>Annual Operational Budget
Financial allocations and year-to-date spending analysis for corporate planning.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
<Styles><Style ss:ID="H"><Font ss:Bold="1"/><Interior ss:Color="#E2E8F0" ss:Pattern="Solid"/></Style></Styles>
<Worksheet ss:Name="Sheet1"><Table>
<Row ss:StyleID="H"><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Dept ID</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Category</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Allocated</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Spent</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Remaining</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Efficiency %</Data></Cell></Row>
<Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">D-101</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Digital Marketing</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$250,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$180,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$70,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">72%</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">D-102</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Cloud Infrastructure</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$120,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$125,500</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">-$5,500</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">104%</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">D-103</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Employee Benefits</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$85,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$82,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">$3,000</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">96%</Data></Cell></Row>
</Table></Worksheet></Workbook>Product Launch Roadmap
Gantt-style timeline data tracking project milestones and owner responsibility.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
<Styles><Style ss:ID="H"><Font ss:Bold="1"/><Interior ss:Color="#E2E8F0" ss:Pattern="Solid"/></Style></Styles>
<Worksheet ss:Name="Sheet1"><Table>
<Row ss:StyleID="H"><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Phase</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Start Date</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">End Date</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Owner</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Task Status</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Priority</Data></Cell></Row>
<Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Alpha Development</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2024-04-01</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2024-05-15</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Alice</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Completed</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">P1</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Beta Testing</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2024-05-16</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2024-06-30</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Bob</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">In Progress</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">P1</Data></Cell></Row><Row><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Final Release</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2024-07-01</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">2024-07-15</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Alice</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">Planned</Data></Cell><Cell><Data ss:Type="String">P2</Data></Cell></Row>
</Table></Worksheet></Workbook>Excel: Corporate Data Standard
Microsoft Excel (.xls and .xlsx) is the standard format for data analysis, financial modeling, and business reporting. These sample workbooks provide clean, structured data for testing automation scripts, macros, and data import engines.
Technical Details
These Excel samples include currency formats, date structures, and percentage calculations to test how your software handles edge cases like localized formatting and multi-sheet workbooks.
- Cross-App Compatibility: Our .xls (Excel XML) format opens perfectly in Microsoft Office (any version), Google Sheets, LibreOffice, and Apple Numbers.
- Optimized for Testing: Perfect for verifying XLSX parsers, Python (Pandas/Openpyxl) scripts, and Java (Apache POI) implementations.
- Data Integrity: No macros or hidden scripts—just clean, valid XML-based spreadsheet data.
Deep dive into the official specifications via Microsoft Developer docs or explore Excel historical context .
Integrated Excel Tools
Use our browser-based tools to merge multiple workbooks or convert your JSON datasets to Excel spreadsheets.
Real-World Test Scenarios
Pivot Table Auditing
Use the Sales Performance dataset to test complex grouping and summarization logic in your reporting tool.
ERP Data Migration
Download the Employee Directory to simulate a mass-import into a CRM, HRIS, or ERP system.
Financial Modeling
The Department budget sample allows you to test VLOOKUP and cross-column validation formulas safely.
Excel File Format Specifications
The table below covers the technical details of both major Excel formats — the legacy binary .xls format and the modern Open XML .xlsx standard — to help you choose the right one for your use case.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| File Extensions | .xlsx (modern), .xls (legacy) |
| MIME Type (.xlsx) | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet |
| MIME Type (.xls) | application/vnd.ms-excel |
| Default Encoding | UTF-8 for .xlsx (ZIP container of XML files) |
| Max Rows per Sheet | 1,048,576 rows × 16,384 columns |
| Governing Standard | ECMA-376 / ISO 29500 (Office Open XML) |
| Year Introduced | 1985 (Excel 1.0); .xlsx introduced 2007 |
| Common Software | Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, Apple Numbers |
How to Use a Sample Excel File
Excel files are used across virtually every business domain — from HR and finance to inventory and project management. The examples below show how to read, analyze, and generate Excel files programmatically, which is essential for building automated report pipelines and testing import features.
How to Read an Excel File in Python (openpyxl)
The openpyxl library is the standard Python tool for reading and writing .xlsx files. It gives you direct access to individual cells, rows, and sheets.
import openpyxl
wb = openpyxl.load_workbook("sample-employees.xls")
ws = wb.active
# Print all rows (skip header row)
for row in ws.iter_rows(min_row=2, values_only=True):
emp_id, name, email, dept, position, salary, hire_date = row
print(f"{name} ({dept}): {salary}")How to Read an Excel File in Python (pandas)
For data analysis tasks, pandas provides a higher-level interface that loads the entire sheet into a DataFrame in a single line.
import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_excel("sample-employees.xls", sheet_name=0)
# Calculate average salary
print("Average Salary:", df["Salary"].str.replace("$", "").str.replace(",", "").astype(float).mean())
# Filter by department
it_team = df[df["Department"] == "Engineering"]
print(it_team[["Name", "Position"]])How to Read an Excel File in JavaScript (SheetJS)
SheetJS (also known as xlsx) is the most widely used Excel parser in the JavaScript ecosystem and works in both the browser and Node.js.
const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const workbook = XLSX.readFile("sample-employees.xls");
const sheetName = workbook.SheetNames[0];
const sheet = workbook.Sheets[sheetName];
// Convert sheet to array of objects (header row becomes keys)
const data = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json(sheet);
data.forEach((row) => {
console.log(row["Name"], row["Department"], row["Salary"]);
});How to Import an Excel File into Microsoft Excel
Our sample files use the SpreadsheetML format, which Excel recognizes automatically. Simply double-click the downloaded .xls file to open it. If Excel prompts a compatibility warning, click Yes to open it in compatibility mode. You can then save it as .xlsx to use all modern Excel features including conditional formatting and pivot tables.
How to Create Your Own Excel File
Creating Excel files programmatically is one of the most common automation tasks in business software. The two most reliable approaches are using openpyxl in Python for server-side generation, or SheetJS in JavaScript for browser-side generation without a server.
Creating an Excel File in Python (openpyxl)
import openpyxl
from openpyxl.styles import Font
wb = openpyxl.Workbook()
ws = wb.active
ws.title = "Employees"
# Write headers with bold formatting
headers = ["ID", "Name", "Department", "Salary"]
ws.append(headers)
for cell in ws[1]:
cell.font = Font(bold=True)
# Write data rows
employees = [
[1, "Alice Johnson", "Engineering", 125000],
[2, "Bob Smith", "Sales", 85000],
[3, "Carol White", "HR", 105000],
]
for emp in employees:
ws.append(emp)
wb.save("output.xlsx")
print("Excel file created successfully.")Creating an Excel File in JavaScript (SheetJS / Node.js)
const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const data = [
["ID", "Name", "Department", "Salary"],
[1, "Alice Johnson", "Engineering", 125000],
[2, "Bob Smith", "Sales", 85000],
[3, "Carol White", "HR", 105000],
];
const ws = XLSX.utils.aoa_to_sheet(data);
const wb = XLSX.utils.book_new();
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(wb, ws, "Employees");
XLSX.writeFile(wb, "output.xlsx");
console.log("Excel file created successfully.");Common mistakes to avoid: Do not try to generate .xlsx files by writing raw XML strings manually — the format is a ZIP archive containing multiple interlinked XML files, and hand-crafting it is error-prone. Always use an established library. When formatting currency columns, store the raw number and apply a number format string ("$#,##0.00") rather than storing the formatted string — this preserves the ability to sort and calculate.
Frequently Asked Questions about Excel Files
Is .xls or .xlsx better for software testing?
Both formats are widely supported, but .xlsx is the correct choice for any new work — it is the ISO-standardized Open XML format and is supported by every major spreadsheet library. Our samples use the SpreadsheetML .xls format because it opens without format conversion warnings and offers the broadest legacy compatibility across all Excel versions back to 2003.
How do I open an Excel file on Mac or Windows?
On Windows, double-clicking an Excel file opens it in Microsoft Excel if installed. On Mac, it opens in Numbers by default, though you can right-click and choose Open With > Microsoft Excel if Excel is installed, or upload it to Google Sheets for free access. For programmatic inspection, VS Code with the Excel Viewer extension lets you preview Excel files as a grid without opening Office.
What is the maximum file size for an Excel file?
There is no hard file size limit, but Microsoft Excel becomes sluggish with files over 50 MB. The hard structural limit is 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns per sheet. For datasets bigger than this, split the data into multiple sheets or export to CSV and process with a database engine or Python pandas.
What is the difference between Excel and CSV?
CSV is plain text with no formatting, no formulas, and no multiple sheets. Excel XLSX is a structured ZIP container that supports formulas, charts, multiple worksheets, cell styles, and macros. Use CSV when the goal is data portability and database imports. Use Excel when the output needs to be a formatted, interactive report with calculations.
How do I convert Excel to CSV?
In Excel, go to File > Save As and choose CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) from the format dropdown. In Python, pandas.read_excel("file.xlsx").to_csv("output.csv", index=False) converts it in one line. Note that saving as CSV flattens all sheets into one — only the active sheet is exported.
How do I validate an Excel file?
Excel has no built-in strict validation like XML Schema, but you can use Data Validation rules (under the Data tab) to enforce allowed values, number ranges, and date formats per column. Programmatically, openpyxl and pandas will raise errors on corrupt files. For schema-level validation, load the data into a pandas DataFrame and use the pandera library to enforce column types and constraints.
Can I create an Excel file online for free?
Yes. Google Sheets is available for free and exports clean .xlsx files via File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). LibreOffice Calc is a free desktop alternative that reads and writes .xlsx files with high compatibility. You can also merge multiple Excel files into a single workbook using our Excel Merger tool directly in your browser.
Are these sample files free for commercial use?
Yes, completely. All sample Excel files on this page are free to use for any purpose including commercial software testing, training materials, course content, and documentation. No attribution required.
Related Resources
These guides and tools will help you work more effectively with Excel files — from merging workbooks to converting your data to other formats.