Importing data into Microsoft Excel: 19-digit #. The column removes the last 5 digits & makes them zeros.?

Question

The data is lost once the Import is completed, so I need to know how to make the program REMEMBER the full 19-digit number. If anyone is familiar with car dealers, I am using ADP to extract the data and import it into Excel.

Answer 1

Format the column as "Text" instead of as "General". When it is input as a number, it is limited to the precision of an integer or double integer. When it is text, any math performed on it will be at the limit of precision, however the digits will display on the sheet.

If you are typing in numbers, you can force the cell to be treated as text by typing an apostrophe (') first.

Information about how Excel handles numbers can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/78113/en-us

Answer 2

have you tried treating the numbers as text instead of a number?
unless you need to do math on the numbers (like subtract one from another or something like that), this would probably work for you for even larger numbers as well.

if not, you could have some problems, since I believe the precision limit for Excel is 15 decimal digits, so while Excel can approximately represent your 19 digit number as a number, it can only represent 15 decimal digits in the value plus the order of magnitude of the number.

Answer 3

A number with 19 digits! Isn't that, like, over a gazillion. Excell can't handle it. Import it as text. What format is your input file? If it's a csv file (comma separated values), place quotes around the 19 digit values.