[mso] Re: Problems with Vlookup in Excel

Your problem, as you surmised, is caused by the different
formatting in the two sets of data.  You can change either
one or the other.  It appears you are changing one set of
data to a numeric format as opposed to a text format.  Try
this method.  Go to a blank cell in your worksheet and
format it as a number.  Then enter the number 1 (one) in
that cell.  Right click on that cell and click copy.
Highlight the range of cells to change and right mouse click
and select Paste Special.  Select multiply and then ok.
This multiplies each number in the cell by one, changing it
from text to numeric.

Alternately, if you have the opposite problem and you need
to change from numeric to text, highlight the column of data
to be changed.  Click Data, Text to columns.  Select fixed
width, click next.  Make all the data only one column.
Click Next.  Select the format for the column as text and
click ok or finish, I forget wish. This does the opposite
and changes the data from numeric to text.

Hope one of these methods works for you.

Christine

-----Original Message-----
From: mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jon Ulrich
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2006 2:06 PM
To: mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [mso] Problems with Vlookup in Excel

Hello all,

I just joined the mailing list off the recommendation of
http://www.personal-computer-tutor.com/support.htm.
   

I have mastered the basics of Vlookups in Excel, however I
occasionally encounter a problem when working with data
exported from MFG Pro (if you are unfamiliar with this
software, it is unimportant).

In a nutshell, the cells which I am trying to populate using
Vlookup will read #N/A- until I go to the column from which
it is drawing data, change its format to General/Number,
highlight an individual cell, hit F2, and hit then enter.  I
have to do this for each cell in the column.  As you can
imagine, completing the process for every cell is rather
tedious and I'm curious if anyone knows a better way.  

There are no blank spaces at the end of each cell of data in
the column, although some cells have an apostrophe at the
beginning (these are few in number).
 Perhaps I will request a method of filtering out the
apostrophes in a later email ;)

Thanks for the help, let me know if I can provide any
further assistance, and have a great day!

Jon - Skillman, NJ

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