screwy dates

[Janet Russell]

I have a database that we've been using for several
years. There are several date fields in the employee
table - birth date, start date, leave date, etc. The
input mask in the table for these dates is 99/99/9999;0;_,
although it might have been different when the database
was first created.

When I copy the data from this table to Excel, some of the
dates arrive looking like a date, but apparently are
really text, while others come in as the serial number. I
can convert those "text dates" to the serial date with the
datevalue() function in Excel, and that tells me they are
actually text.

I have created a new table with the input mask
99/99/0000;0;_, for those dates, then tried to paste
append the data from the old table into it. I thought this
might force all dates to now be in the correct format.
Everything seems to work just fine during the paste
append, but once again, when I copy the data into Excel,
some are text and some are the serial date number.

How can I get them all to be dates instead of a mix of
dates and text?

 

[Marshall Smith]

The critical thing you should be looking at is not the input mask, but the
Data Type. If the Data Type is Date/Time, then it should go to Excel with
no problems, regardless of the input mask or format specified in Access.

HTH,

Marshall Smith
Project Developers, Inc.

 

[Janet Russell]

The Data Type IS set to Date/Time, but it's not all coming
in to Excel as dates.

 

[Brian]

I have noticed this at my location and it seems to be an
Excel issue more then a Access issue. I think it has to
do with the formating of the cell type rather then access
masking. For example I have Access dates in the dd-mon-
yyyy format when I copy past to excel they do all sorts
of wierd things but I can clear it up formating the cell
type.