Bulk File Data Extraction

I have 678 separate folders, each holding anywhere from one to ten Word or Excel files. I need every single file opened, the key information captured, and the results consolidated into a single Excel workbook. Each file should translate into one row in that sheet so I can sort, filter, and run my own analyses later.

Because all of the source documents are already Word or Excel, the text is selectable—you won’t have to battle with OCR. What I do need is consistency: the same fields pulled from every document and placed in the same column order each time. If you spot a file that’s missing a field, flag it rather than guessing.

Deliverables
• One master .xlsx file containing a row per source file, with clean, consistently-formatted data in the agreed column order
• A brief log (any simple format) of any files you could not read or that lacked required fields so I can follow up internally

I’ll supply a sample folder so you can confirm the fields with me before you begin the bulk work. Accuracy matters more than speed, but an efficient approach is welcome since we’re potentially dealing with several thousand files.