Forum Discussion
Formatting CSV numeric values
I created a CSV file with a twelve numeric value id (as in a Medicaid Id). The Excel sheet converts this 12 digit number into a 1E+11 format. Is there a way to prevent this?
Bennadeau The end user has to format the column the way you suggested, formatting the cell with a "Custom" format, and replacing the "General" with twelve zeroes. This works, however, as an IT department furnishing the Excelsheet, we want to circumvent the user from formatting the column.
As the IT department, can you format the spreadsheet however you want, push it to your users and instruct them to use it? That way they will use a standardized template and they won't have to do any of the formatting.
Bennadeau We have a template to use for sending spread sheets over the internet via an attachment in an email. The spread sheet is all formatted, including several header records. However, now they want a CSV file, so we can't use the formatted excel sheet we send them. I was thinking maybe adding a =TEST(A1,"000000000000") string to the field....
Flikkery I think you got it, but you need to surround the formula with quotes to escape the comma inside it. Then the CSV file looks like this for the number 1234567890123:
previous column, "=TEXT(1234567890123,0)", subsequent column
ChrisSantosLang i just cannot get the imported CSV to change the numbers to number, even after changing text to coulumns so that i can calculate a column of numbers. i am having to type in each number to that excel recognises a number. i have used formats to change to accounting or even currency and nothing works. this is becoming a very manual process. i am on Windows 10.
