The DATEVALUE function

Welcome back to our regular blog of Excel functions from A to Z. Today we look at the DATEVALUE function.

The DATEVALUE function

This function converts a date stored as text into a serial number that Excel recognizes as a date. For instance, the formula = DATEVALUE (“1/1/2020”) bring back 43831, the serial number of the date of the 1 of January of 2020. But nevertheless, Please note that your computer's system date settings may cause the results of a DATEVALUE function to vary from this example.

The DATEVALUE The feature is useful in cases where a worksheet contains dates in a text format that you want to filter, sort or format as dates, or use in date calculations. To view a date serial number as a date, You must apply a date format to the cell.

The DATEVALUE The function uses the following syntax to operate:

The DATEVALUE The function has the following arguments:

• date_text: this is required and must be the text that represents a date in an Excel date format, or a reference to a cell that contains text that represents a date in an Excel date format. For instance, “1/1/2020” O “1-Jan-2020” are text strings enclosed in quotation marks that represent dates.
• using the default date system in Microsoft Excel for Windows, date_text The argument must represent a date between the 1 of January of 1900 and the 31 from December to 9999. DATEVALUE function returns the #VALUE! error value if the value of the date_text The argument falls outside this range
• if the part of the year of the date_text argument is omitted, the DATEVALUE The feature uses the current year from your computer's built-in clock. Weather information in the date_text The argument is ignored.

It should also be noted that:

• Excel stores dates as sequential serial numbers so that they can be used in calculations. By default, the 1 of January of 1900 is the serial number 1 and the 1 of January of 2020 is the serial number 43831 because it is 43,830 days after 1 of January of 1900.
• Most functions automatically convert date values to serial numbers.

Please, see my example below:

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