Importing Nonstandard DIF Files into Excel

 Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
Article ID: Q59624
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0
  • Microsoft Excel for OS/2, versions 2.2, 3.0

Many statistical packages claim to create a standard DIF file for importing into Microsoft Excel. However, some add additional delimiters such as double quotation marks. One popular package that does this is LIMDEP. Microsoft Excel will not import these files because of the additional delimiters included with the file.

NOTE: This problem does not occur in later versions of Microsoft Excel.

To import the file so it will appear in correct format, do the following:

  1. Bring the DIF file into a word processor.

  2. Search and Replace all nonstandard delimiters with null values -- that is, find all the delimiters and delete them.

  3. Save the file in ASCII text format.

  4. Import the file. It will now come in as a DIF file.

  5. Save the file in normal format.

KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory:

Additional reference words: 2.0 2.00 2.01 2.1 2.10 2.2 2.20 2.21 3.0 3.00
4.0 4.00

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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994
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