How do you validate and format your data types in Excel? (2024)

Key takeaways from this article

• Use Power Query:

  Power Query is a tool in your spreadsheet software that simplifies data type corrections. It can split or merge cells, change data types directly, and even handle complex tasks like pivoting tables.

• Combine validation formulas:

  In your spreadsheets, you can use custom formulas to validate data types. For instance, employ functions like "ISNUMBER" and "LEN" to ensure phone numbers have the correct length and area code, enhancing data quality.

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• Sudheer S Agile | Scrum | Kanban | JIRA |…
• Juan José García Guevara Administración de Empresas | Análisis…

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  This article is not precise when it says we cannot perform arithmetic operations on numbers recognized as text. If it's a column formatted as text, Excel forces the calculation and brings a numeric output. The real problem in this situation is when we try to use a VLOOKUP or similar techniques, since text and numbers will not match. But, of course, there are worse scenarios of numbers with spaces and other invalid characters, which imply a need for more detailed data cleansing.

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• Hugo Venturini Palestrante, Consultor e Instrutor | MVP Data Platform | MOS Excel

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  O mecanismo de cálculo das funções do Excel evoluiu, e no que diz respeito a cálculos aritméticos, agregações, não é mais um problema que os números estejam como texto. Mas, na utilização de outras funções, para outras operações, como busca e referência, por exemplo, o problema permanece. Zelar pela qualidade do dado que se utiliza no dia a dia envolve também pensar no próprio processo de input.

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• Ananya Canakapalli Actively Seeking Spring 2025 Internships | MS in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence @ The University of Texas at Dallas | Data Analysis | Data Visualization | SQL | R | Tableau | Power BI

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  Specificity about data in the data cleaning process is the key. During my initial days as a data migration analyst, I was using the VLOOKUP function to match product IDs with their prices, but it wasn't working. Excel thought they were text, so the matches weren't working. That's when I learned that it is important to maintain the consistency of data types to get the desired results.

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• Georg Lasar 🤪Vom Zahlenchaos zum freien Kopf 😎: Excel spielend meistern – ohne Stress, gekonnt mit Spaß. 💡 Innovatives Training: GENIUS-Methode | 🎓 Microsoft zert. Excel Experte | 🏆 4x Award-Gewinner für digitale Bildungsmedien

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  A solid datastructure is essential if you want to run reliable analyses. Especially when it comes to analyzing data in Excel, e.g. with the help of pivot tables, you need consistent data.Before you create pivot tables in Excel, make sure:- to eliminate duplicates - to have one (!) data type per column (text, date, number)- to delete empty rows and merged cells

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• TARIQ EL YASSOURI Group Director - Customer Centricity. MIT Certified. Ex-Maserati, Ex-Mercedes-Benz.

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  The data types you use in Excel can greatly impact how the software interprets and processes your data. For instance, if you have a column of dates that Excel mistakenly recognizes as text, it can lead to limitations in functionality. When dates are treated as text, you may encounter issues sorting, filtering, or performing calculations based on those dates.

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• Sudheer S Agile | Scrum | Kanban | JIRA | Confluence | Bitbucket | Atlassian | Tableau | Power BI | Process Consultant | Transformation Expert | Automation | Mentoring | Reliability Status Clearance

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  I would use the Power Query in excel. It gives you clear idea on the data type. You can easily switch the data type using Power query.

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  See Also

  Present Value (PV): What It Is and How to Calculate It in ExcelLinked data types FAQ and tipsHow we identify a cellHow to use the Excel ERROR.TYPE function

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• Georg Lasar 🤪Vom Zahlenchaos zum freien Kopf 😎: Excel spielend meistern – ohne Stress, gekonnt mit Spaß. 💡 Innovatives Training: GENIUS-Methode | 🎓 Microsoft zert. Excel Experte | 🏆 4x Award-Gewinner für digitale Bildungsmedien

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  If you analyze a plain dataset within Excel, you can use different tools to check for data types. One approach is to use conditional formatting, which can evaluate cell content based on a formula. Excel offers a variety of functions, which can be applied to the conditional formatting. You can use functions like ISTEXT or ISNUMBER, ISFORULAR and the like. If the validation is TRUE, you can apply a visual warning, e.g. a red background color etc.If you run this logic on a list, use the filter function afterward to sort by color and have all inconsistent data types filtered, ready for cleanup.When applying conditional formatting, pay attention to correct cell references when writing your formulas.

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• Gerald Tesha Data Officer @ HETA | Data Visualization | Monitoring and Evaluation

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  Inspect the troops! Use the "Data Types" feature in Excel. Select a cell, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Data Types." Excel can auto-detect or let you choose.

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  There are various ways one can check data type in Excel: one way is by highlighting the cell and looking at the number format in the toolbar.To view data types in a column, you can highlight the column, set conditional formatting rules and format only values that contain a particular data type.

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• Ali Muhammad Business Analyst | Delivering Actionable Insights and Driving Data-Driven Decision Making

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  To inspect data types, select a range and navigate to the "Data" tab. Use the "Data Types" dropdown to check if Excel correctly identifies your data. A green icon indicates a recognized data type. Incorrect identifications, marked with a yellow icon, require correction.

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• Sudheer S Agile | Scrum | Kanban | JIRA | Confluence | Bitbucket | Atlassian | Tableau | Power BI | Process Consultant | Transformation Expert | Automation | Mentoring | Reliability Status Clearance

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  Power query provides you these features in a button click to correct the data type1. Split cells2. Change data type3. Merge cells4. Pivot/Unpivot table5. Add new columns6. Calculated fieldsIt is easy to correct the data types.

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• Georg Lasar 🤪Vom Zahlenchaos zum freien Kopf 😎: Excel spielend meistern – ohne Stress, gekonnt mit Spaß. 💡 Innovatives Training: GENIUS-Methode | 🎓 Microsoft zert. Excel Experte | 🏆 4x Award-Gewinner für digitale Bildungsmedien

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  Older Excel versions provide the legacy data import wizard. Newer Excel versions will run a new import dialogue box as soon as you import data, like a CSV-file and the like. If you still want to use the legacy import wizard for importing CSV files, then you can enable the legacy import wizard in the Excel options. Go to "FILE" and then choose "options" to open the Excel options.I recommend getting comfortable with the new "import wizard", which leads you to power query eventually, where you can split your data, append and manipulate them as needed. Ideally, you don't need to enter the Power Query editor and Excel recognizes your data as needed, ready to be imported right away.

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• Gerald Tesha Data Officer @ HETA | Data Visualization | Monitoring and Evaluation

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  Fix the lineup! If Excel misreads, correct it manually. Right-click on the cell, choose "Data Types," and pick the correct one. Keep your data army in uniform.

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• Ali Muhammad Business Analyst | Delivering Actionable Insights and Driving Data-Driven Decision Making

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  For accurate data types, use the "Data Types" dropdown to correct misidentifications manually. Alternatively, select the column, go to "Data" > "Data Types," and choose the appropriate category. Correcting data types ensures consistency and eliminates errors in subsequent calculations.

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• Devendra Dabkar 🇮🇳

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  One handy tool is the Text to Columns wizard. It helps you split your text based data into different columns based on a separator, like a comma or a space.To use it, go to the Data tab in Excel and look for the Text to Columns option. When you click on it, a wizard pops up. It asks you to choose the delimiter, where you want the new columns to be and how you want Excel to treat the data in each column.if you have a column with both text and numbers and you want excel to recognize the numbers as numbers, you can choose the appropriate data format like Date or Number in the wizard. This helps excel convert your data into the right type so you can work with it more effectively.

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• Gerald Tesha Data Officer @ HETA | Data Visualization | Monitoring and Evaluation

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  Shape-shifters! Use functions like TEXT(), VALUE(), or CONVERT() to transform data types. Ensure smooth transitions without losing vital information.

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• Georg Lasar 🤪Vom Zahlenchaos zum freien Kopf 😎: Excel spielend meistern – ohne Stress, gekonnt mit Spaß. 💡 Innovatives Training: GENIUS-Methode | 🎓 Microsoft zert. Excel Experte | 🏆 4x Award-Gewinner für digitale Bildungsmedien

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  Excel also gets more intelligent with each release, so you also can use automatic help by Excel, which is often indicated through a small green triangle within a cell. It appears, when Excel assumes inconsistency in your data set.If you see more of those green triangles, then select the data range first and then choose from the context menu of the first cell to apply a new format to all selected cells. The flash fill feature in Excel may also help to quickly turn data into the appropriate data type.

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• Ali Muhammad Business Analyst | Delivering Actionable Insights and Driving Data-Driven Decision Making

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  To convert data types, use Excel functions like VALUE() or DATEVALUE(). For instance, transform text-formatted dates to true date values. Convert text numbers to numerical values using VALUE(). This ensures compatibility for sorting, filtering, and mathematical operations.

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• Devendra Dabkar 🇮🇳

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  You can make sure your data is in the right format and fix any issues with it by using functions like VALUE, DATEVALUE or TIMEVALUE. Let's say you have some text in a cell that should be a number, date or time. You can use these functions to convert that text into the correct type.if you have the text 100 in a cell and you want it to be a number, you can use the formula =VALUE() in another cell to convert it to the number 100. Similarly, if you have the text 1/1/2021 in a cell and you want it to be a date, you can use the formula =DATEVALUE() to change it to the date.These functions are handy because they can take text data and turn it into numbers, dates or times, making your excel data more accurate and easier to work with.

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• Gerald Tesha Data Officer @ HETA | Data Visualization | Monitoring and Evaluation

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  Run the drill! Regularly check your data types. Use formulas or pivot tables to validate consistency. Identify any rogue data types and bring them into formation.

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  On Excel you can validate data types by going to the data tab and selecting data validation.Secondly, one can also use formulas such as '=ISDATE()' to validate the type. In this case, the formula returns TRUE if the cell contains a date.

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• Ali Muhammad Business Analyst | Delivering Actionable Insights and Driving Data-Driven Decision Making

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  Excel's "Data Validation" feature helps validate data types. Define rules specifying acceptable data ranges or formats, preventing entry errors. This ensures that only valid data, aligned with intended types, is entered, enhancing data accuracy.

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• Hugo Venturini Palestrante, Consultor e Instrutor | MVP Data Platform | MOS Excel

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  Este artigo começa tratando do tipo primitivo do dado, ou seja, da definição do que ele é de fato, se texto, número, data, etc., muda drasticamente para uma abordagem de outro recurso, que são os Tipos de Dados Inteligentes, que tem aplicação muito específica, e termina retornando aos tipos primitivos, mas mencionando um outro recurso, que é a validação de dados. Embora eu acredite ser válida tal abordagem, considero não ser a mais adequada se o intuito era contribuir para o aprendizado e esclarecimento.

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• Devendra Dabkar 🇮🇳

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  Formatting is like adding labels. You can tell Excel what kind of data each cell holds, like numbers, dates or text. This makes your spreadsheet look cleaner and helps excel perform calculations correctly.Data validation is like setting rules. You can restrict what type of data users can enter into specific cells. For example, you can limit a cell to only accepting whole numbers, dates or choices from a dropdown list. This helps prevent typos and ensures consistency in your data.Think of formatting as labeling your boxes in a filing cabinet and data validation as setting rules for what can go in each box. Both help you keep your information organized and accurate.

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  Once you have validated and converted your data types, formatting them makes them more readable and meaningful. Use the Number group on the Home tab in the ribbon to change number formats, decimal places, currency symbols, percentage signs, comma separators, and date/time formats. For more advanced options, use the Format Cells dialog box to access custom number formats, alignment, font, border, and fill settings. By formatting your data types, you enhance the appearance and clarity of your data, making it easier to interpret and analyze.

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• Ali Muhammad Business Analyst | Delivering Actionable Insights and Driving Data-Driven Decision Making

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  Proper formatting enhances data visibility. Customize formats using the "Format Cells" option. Choose date formats, number styles, or text alignments that suit your data. Formatted data aids readability and provides a visual representation consistent with its intended interpretation.

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• Juan José García Guevara Administración de Empresas | Análisis Estratégico | Planificación

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  En mi experiencia, la validación de datos en Excel puede emplearse en conjunción con fórmulas personalizadas para realizar validaciones más avanzadas. Por ejemplo, en el caso que desees validar números de teléfono de clientes que cumplan con una longitud específica y que comiencen con un determinado código de área, podrías combinar las funciones "ESNUMERO", "LARGO", "IZQUIERDA" e "Y" para restringir datos inconsistentes, procurando así la calidad de datos durante la fase de alimentación. Esta combinación de herramientas fortalece el control y reduce al mínimo la probabilidad de errores en la fase temprana, así obtendremos coherencia en la información almacenada de la base de datos.

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