Microsoft KB Archive/59748

DATE Function Doesn’t Subtract when Greater than 12/31/88 PSS ID Number: Q59748 Article last modified on 02-26-1993 PSS database name: W_eXceL

2.00 2.01 2.10 3.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

To find the serial number for the date one week before 9/1/1988, you can use the Excel for Windows function =DATE(88,9,1-7), which returns a value of 32380.

However, this function does not work properly when finding the serial number of a date greater than 12/31/89 in which the date is more than one day into the previous month.

For example, =DATE(90,9,1-7) will return a value of #NUM! =DATE(90,9,12-7) will work properly, as everything is in the same month.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Excel for Windows versions 2.0, 2.01, and 2.1. This problem was corrected in Excel 3.0.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.