troubleshoot custom Excel Auto Filters when the column is a # or d

[MEM]

I have a spreadsheet with many columns, one if which has dates and another of
which has numbers. I want to filter the number column by filtering cells
that "begin with 2004). However, no records show when I define that
particular customer filter. The same thing happens with the date column when
I define the custom filter by filtering cells that "end with 2004". What am
I doing wrong?

 

[Debra Dalgleish]

You can't filter number with the criteria "contains", "begins with",
etc. You could use another column to convert the numbers to text, then
filter on that column. For example:

Insert a new column B, with a heading, e.g. Text#
With numbers in column A, enter this formula in cell B2:
=TEXT(A2,0)

Copy this formula down to the last row of data
Filter on column B for numbers that start with 2004