Date format issue

[LadyDoe]

I am exporting database files from a database program into a comma
delimited format that can be opened in excel. When I open it in excel,
all looks fine except for the date column.

The .fil file seems to have locked the date column into the straight
number format...for example....10291934. I try to format that column
to look like 10/29/1934 but it ends up with most entries in that column
looking like this ########## or 10/29/5034. It also says that it's in
negative, but I don't know why it says that.

No matter how I try to unlock it, or save it in xls format then
reformat that column...it refuses to convert. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for any help anyone may provide.

 

[Max]

Try this on the date column ..

Select the column
Click Data > Text to Columns
Click Next > Next

In step 3 of the wizard,
Under "Column data format"
Check "Date", select "MDY" from the droplist
Click Finish

If the above worked, then just format the dates
in the column to taste as per normal