Excel 2007 General Formating Unwanted Text to Date Conversion

[RRTRACKS77]

I am working with Excel 2007. Files exported from SAP to Excel often contain
text fields that get converted to dates.

Is there a way to turnoff Excel’s auto date conversion for cells with a
general format? I already know cells formatted as text do not convert to date
values and values entered in to a cell having a general format preceded with
an (‘) will not be messed with. Neither of these points of information is of
any use in solving the problems I am having.

Using the startup workbook using both template and workbook formats in the XL
Start Folder to set the desired columns text format seemed like a good idea
but does not work either. The problem here is this does not change the format
of the default Workbooks created using the New Worksheet option. Is there a
way this setting can be changed? Or is there some other solution to this
problem? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Sheeloo]

I don't think it could be turned off... As you yourself mentioned, the only
option is to mark the column as Text/numbers at the time of importing.

I am curious to know why you are not happy with the solution and want it to
be General format and still treat the values as Text?

 

[RRTRACKS77]

The problem appears to be that SAP uses the default Workbook format (General)
with the spreadsheet it creates. I would love to format it as a text column,
if I just knew how. It seems kind of silly that Microsoft would not provide
this text to date conversion as an option for the general format field.

Rich

I don't think it could be turned off... As you yourself mentioned, the only
option is to mark the column as Text/numbers at the time of importing.

I am curious to know why you are not happy with the solution and want it to
be General format and still treat the values as Text?

I am working with Excel 2007. Files exported from SAP to Excel often contain
text fields that get converted to dates.

[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Sheeloo]

Ideally SAP configurator should take care of this by specifying the fields as
TEXT.

If they can provide a CSV file (you can try renaming the file you have) then
you can import them and specify the column as text.

The problem appears to be that SAP uses the default Workbook format (General)
with the spreadsheet it creates. I would love to format it as a text column,
if I just knew how. It seems kind of silly that Microsoft would not provide
this text to date conversion as an option for the general format field.

Rich

I don't think it could be turned off... As you yourself mentioned, the only
option is to mark the column as Text/numbers at the time of importing.

I am curious to know why you are not happy with the solution and want it to
be General format and still treat the values as Text?

I am working with Excel 2007. Files exported from SAP to Excel often contain
text fields that get converted to dates.

[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]

Thanks,
Rich

 

[RRTRACKS77]

Yes, SAP is probably saying it would be ideal if Excel provided this feature
and there you have it, a user hostile environment where it is someone else’s
and nobody’s fault.

Although SAP does provide CSV as an export option I would rather not go that
route as I would have to train about 20 people on how to use it, and then it
would be clunky compared exporting directly to an Excel Pivot table as SAP
does allow.

Surely there must be some way to set the default workbook fields to something
other than a general format. As previously noted the default workbook is the
one that starts from the “File Menu, New†option, not the default startup
workbook that starts when the Excel program opens.

Thanks,
Rich

Ideally SAP configurator should take care of this by specifying the fields as
TEXT.

If they can provide a CSV file (you can try renaming the file you have) then
you can import them and specify the column as text.

The problem appears to be that SAP uses the default Workbook format (General)
with the spreadsheet it creates. I would love to format it as a text column,

[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]

 

[RRTRACKS via OfficeKB.com]

The following comments on this were sent to Microsoft’s Feedback Web page. As
far as I can tell that is the best you can do in reporting a bug to the giant
without ears.

Having files imported into Excel is fairly common. There are two items
related to this I have issues with and have seen many others complain about
with great passion, that call for your consideration.

Giving the “general format†the ability to turn off or on the option for
converting suspected text to date would be heralded by many as a great
achievement by Microsoft. The headache this lack of flexibility has caused is
not limited to importing data.

Being given the ability to set the format for the default workbook would be
valuable in exchanging data with people having limited skills such as myself.
The song and dance you give about using the XL Start directory to set
defaults comes close to being fraud when it does nothing more than provide
unnecessary instructions for providing a shortcut to a workbook while not
changing any of the default workbook settings associated with opening a new
workbook within Excel that would be required for receiving data from other
programs.

Ideally SAP configurator should take care of this by specifying the fields as
TEXT.

If they can provide a CSV file (you can try renaming the file you have) then
you can import them and specify the column as text.

The problem appears to be that SAP uses the default Workbook format (General)
with the spreadsheet it creates. I would love to format it as a text column,

[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]