Excel: Converting Imported Text String to a Date

SUMMARY

When dates are imported from applications such as dBASE, Symphony, or mainframe applications, they often import as text and must be converted to a date before Excel can use them in calculations or in database functions.

MORE INFORMATION

The imported value may appear to be an acceptable date, such as Oct-91. However, if you look at the value of the given cell by choosing Show Info from the Window menu, the value is actually enclosed in quotation marks "Oct-91", indicating that it is actually a text string.

Re-evaluating the cell by selecting it, pressing F2 to activate the formula bar, and pressing ENTER will cause the text to convert to a value. However, if you have a range of cells containing dates to be converted, this method can be cumbersome. You can re-evaluate a range of cells easily by performing the following steps:

1. Select the cell (or range of cells).

2. From the Formula menu, choose Replace.

3. Enter a hyphen (-) in both the Find What box and the Replace With box.

4. Select Replace All.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide", version 3.0, pages 170-171