What is non-numeric data in Excel?

[Guest]

I'm a rookie trying to use the statistical analysis tools. When I try to
enter data, I get a warning that my input contains non-numeric data; however,
it sure looks like numeric data to me. No text, etc. Any help?

 

[Dave Peterson]

Extra spaces???
Pasting from a web page??? (Maybe extra non-breaking spaces (HTML stuff))

Cell formatted as text??

If it's the non-breaking spaces stuff, visit David McRitchie's site for a
routine that will clean them up:

http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#trimall
(look for "Sub Trimall()")

If you still can't find the problem, visit Chip Pearson's site and get his
CellView addin. It should help you check character by character.

http://www.cpearson.com/excel/CellView.htm

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Dave. I actually figured out the problem -- it didn't like breaks in
the data sequence. I was looking for correlations between survey responses
and years of tenure. If no one with 19 years of tenure, for example,
responded, there was no 19 in the sequence and it was spitting it out. (Or at
least I think that was the problem. Anyway, it works now.)