Microsoft KB Archive/60476

{| = Excel: Converting Date Fields from SYLK Files to FileMaker =
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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994

Article ID: Q60476

SUMMARY
When a Microsoft Excel SYLK file with a date field is imported into FileMaker version 1.0, the following message appears: &quot;Some values that were put into date fields could not be recognized as dates.&quot; The result of this is that the dates appear in FileMaker in serial number format.

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1
In Excel, save the file as Text instead of SYLK. FileMaker will then be able to convert incoming dates into a date format instead of a serial number format.

Method 2
In FileMaker, use the DATE function to create a new calculated field based on the field containing the Excel dates.

For example, if the field containing the Excel dates is named &quot;Excel&quot;, create a new field containing the formula &quot;=DATE(1,1,1904)+Excel&quot; (without quotation marks). Then change the field &quot;Excel&quot; into a number field by choosing Define from the Select menu and clicking Number. This new field will display the serial number from the field &quot;Excel&quot; in an actual date format.
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