Import numbers are rounding

[helms1016]

When I import a report from our membership software online the membership number (16 digit number) rounds to the nearest tenth.  The column width is fine and the number does not have any decimal places.  When I save this report as a pdf the member numbers are as they should be but even when I convert it to an excel spreadsheet it rounds that column.  Does the same if I just import it directly as an excel document.  What else can I do?

[#2]

Hi @helms1016 

Excel has a calculation limitation of 15 digits. So more than 15 digits will be ignored / replaced by 0.

In your case, a possible solution would be to import the membership numbers as a text instead of numbers. 

[#3]

@helms1016  wrote:  ``Does the same if I just import it directly as an excel document.``

Not sure what that means; how that is different from ``import a report from our membership software online``.  But I presume that both describe methods of opening a CSV file directly with Excel.

To expand on Martin's suggestion....

Instead, save the CSV file.   You might have to change some brower options in order for it to offer the option to "save" instead of "open with application".

Then start Excel by clicking an Excel icon, not a file icon.

In Excel, import the CSV file by clicking Data > Get External Data > From Text.  That opens the Import Text File wizard.

In the first dialog box, select Delimited, then click Next.  In the second dialog box, unselect Tab (default) and select Comma.  Be sure that "treat consecutive delimiters as one" is unselected (default).  Then click Next.

The "magic" occurs in the third dialog box.  Select the column with membership IDs, and select Text under "column data format".  Repeat for any other columns that should be treated as text, but Excel might interpret as numbers.  Then click Finish.