Excel calculating mobile number value

**john_prince** · 02-18-2010, 10:51 AM

Hi,

I've a user's report in csv format, it contains different fields, one of the field is of mobile number. However, when i open it up in excel, i can see that it's calculating the mobile number, hence displays an incorrect value. It appears to be calculating the mobile number and displaying out the result. I cannot change the number like remove '+' as data gets feeded by user.

Sample mobile - "+91-98182-00000".

Does anyone how to resolve this issue? or is there any way disable the excel from performing calculation for certain fields?

Thanks, Prince

**NBVC** · 02-18-2010, 11:00 AM

Save the file as a .txt, then open that file in Excel.. you should be presented with a Text to Columns wizard.. select Delimited and click next, select commas, click next, select the columns in the preview pane that you do not want converted to numbers, then select Text from the data column format area, ancd click Finish.

**john_prince** · 02-18-2010, 11:31 AM

Thanks for the reply.

Is there any simple way to do this? As i've to tell end users to do it, and some might find it complex.

Regards, Prince.

**NBVC** · 02-18-2010, 11:38 AM

I don't think there is.. you need to initially have that file as .txt, because excel will automatically convert to a number if it thinks it sees a number...

If you preface the numbers with a text string in the csv file, then that could work too...