numbers default to date

[QA]

I have data from a company system that I am pasting into a worksheet. The data pulls in like delimited text file so I run it through the Text to Columns actions. The data pulls in with integrity, but when it runs through the column process it changes #-# and #-#-# to a date(I have used the General and the Text selections). The number of columns is not fixed, so I cannot preset one particular column for the number series. Is there any way to stop this from happening?

 

[David McRitchie]

Change the file extension from .csv to .txt then when you open
the file the text import wizard will allow you to specify the format
for each column. I think you are looking for format such columns
as text.
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HTH,
David McRitchie, Microsoft MVP - Excel [site changed Nov. 2001]
My Excel Pages: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm
Search Page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/search.htm

I have data from a company system that I am pasting into a worksheet. The data pulls in like delimited text file so I run it

through the Text to Columns actions. The data pulls in with integrity, but when it runs through the column process it changes #-#
and #-#-# to a date(I have used the General and the Text selections). The number of columns is not fixed, so I cannot preset one
particular column for the number series. Is there any way to stop this from happening?