Splitting names from cells

My first question to the hordes of folks better equipped to answer than the people around me. I'm a policy advisor and I only use Excel and Access as they relate to research. I'm trying to figure out if there is a method for splitting first and last names from a cell where both are contained. We have a huge fleet database with thousands of operator names, but when some moron first set up the system, they put entire name (JOHN A DOE) in one cell. Is there a way I can search for the string following the final space, or some such thing, so I can separate the names?

Thanks.

=LEFT(A1,FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","^^",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1,"
",""))))-1)

and

=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1,"
","^^",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))))

--

HTH

RP
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)


"GoesLikeStink" <[email protected]>
wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> My first question to the hordes of folks better equipped to answer than
> the people around me. I'm a policy advisor and I only use Excel and
> Access as they relate to research. I'm trying to figure out if there
> is a method for splitting first and last names from a cell where both
> are contained. We have a huge fleet database with thousands of
> operator names, but when some moron first set up the system, they put
> entire name (JOHN A DOE) in one cell. Is there a way I can search for
> the string following the final space, or some such thing, so I can
> separate the names?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> --
> GoesLikeStink
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> GoesLikeStink's Profile:
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> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=391447
>

Bob


Using your formulas on this example John A Doe results in John A and Doe, is it possible to split it to show John / A / Doe in 3 separate cells

If possible could you explain what the formula is doing, I understand LEFT and LEN etc but don't understand the use of ^^

Thanks

Paul