What are data types in excel

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Updated Sat, 05 Nov 2022 10:58 AM IST

Error Data Type»>Error Data Types

Data Types in MS Excel

1.
Numbers

All versions of Excel:

• 8-byte double

• [signed] short [int] – used for Boolean values and also integers

• unsigned short [int]

• [signed long] int

Numerical values are essentially just numbers, such as 10, 65.76, $75, 76%, and 15,785, to put it simply.
Excel, on the other hand, keeps track of numbers as Double-Precision Floating Point values, therefore figures there are frequently shown as decimal numbers that, if necessary, can have several decimal places.
Excel is therefore able to hold both very small and very huge quantities.
However, bear in mind that Excel only allows you to enter numbers with 15 significant digits; if you enter numbers with more, Excel will erase the additional digits on the right-hand side beginning with the 16th significant number and replace them with zeroes. The greatest and smallest positive and negative numbers that Excel can handle are shown in the following table (as of 2019).

Excel cells with numeric data types can contain numeric characters (0 to 9).
The following special characters can also be used for various reasons in addition to the numeric characters (0 to 9).

When using various numerical data formats, it’s crucial to distinguish the value of the number from the manner that Excel would display it.
For instance, there are several ways to represent the number 2, such as a generic number (2), a currency symbol (2), or a percentage (20%).

2.
Text Data Type

A combination of alphabetic, numeric, and special characters make up the text data in an Excel cell.
String data is another name for text data.
Numeric data is aligned to the cell’s right side in Excel, whereas text data is aligned to the cell’s left.
Excel handles data in an Excel Cell that includes both alphabetic and numeric characters as text.
There are no mathematical formulae that may be applied with the text data in that Cell.
You could get the #VALUE! error if you attempt to execute any mathematical operation on text data contained in an Excel cell. If the right-side cells are empty and there is text in an Excel cell that is broader than the cell width, the text will spill over onto the right-side cells.
When a right-side empty cell is later filled, Excel hides any spilled text before the data in the freshly full cell is revealed.

3.
Logical Data Type

One of Excel’s most potent features is the ability to employ logical data types and expressions.
Frequently, logical values are represented as TRUE (or 1 in a Boolean value) or FALSE (or 0 in Boolean value).
A certain function or expression will frequently result in the presentation of logical data.
Logical data cannot be manually entered into Excel way numerical and text data can; instead, it appears as a result of an equation or function.
A cell location’s contents may be checked, conditions can be created and tested, and comparisons can be made using the logical data type.

4.
Error Data Type

When using Microsoft Excel to handle data and assess a cell’s contents, errors may happen.
An illustration of this would be if a user attempted to divide a number by zero, which is incorrect because it cannot be defined mathematically.
The Error Data Type enters the picture at this point.
Hash symbols with uppercase text and a symbol (often a question mark or an exclamation point) after that are frequently used to represent error data types.
Error data types frequently appear as a result of an error and cannot be explicitly entered, just as the logical data type.
Error data types are helpful in indicating a specific error in calculating or processing data, thus even if they do not reflect a specific value, you would need to correct it so that the error data type would no longer appear.

What are the various data types in excel ?

For different data types check the article above .

In Excel, data type means the type of data which can be stored in an Excel Cell. Basically, there are three data types in Excel.

• Numeric data
• Text data
• Date and Time data (internally stored as numbers)

Excel constantly monitors the data you type in Excel Cell and classifies it into above data types.

Another type which is not shown in the above list is Excel formula. Excel formulas are not constant data, but used to calculate results from constant data available in different Cells of Excel worksheets.

Numeric data

Numeric data stored in Excel Cells are used to build most of the formulas in Excel. There are two types of numeric data;

• Numeric data : Numeric data is used to store quantities. Example — 500 sacks of Cement.
• Date and Time : Date and Time data type is used to store Date and Time values. Excel stores Date and Time also as numbers internally. Click following links to learn more about different date systems in Excel and how does Excel stores time values.

Numeric data type in Excel is used to store different quantities, which can be later used for mathematical operations using Excel formulas.

In Excel (as of 2019), you can store numeric values in an Excel Cell, up to a precision of 15 digits. Let me explain what is the meaning of «15-digit precision«.

Refer below image. I am trying to enter a 20-digit numeric value inside Cell A1.

You can see from the below image that once the Cell mode is changed from Enter mode to Ready mode, Excel has changed the last five digits (digits after 15) to 0.

A 15-digit number is a very large number and the above explained limitation (15-digit precision) in Excel will not cause any serious problem in its real-time application.

Following table lists the largest and smallest of positive and negative number possible in Excel (as of 2019).

Excel numeric data type can have numeric characters (0 to 9) in Excel Cell. Apart from numeric characters (0 to 9), following special characters can also be used for different purposes.

Text data

In an Excel Cell, the text data consists of a combination of alphabet characters, numeric characters or special characters. The text data is also called as string data. In an Excel Cell, text data is aligned to the left-side of the Cell and numeric data is aligned to the right-side of the Cell.

Even if an Excel Cell contains numeric characters along with alphabet characters, Excel treats that data as text. The text data inside that Cell cannot be used for any mathematical formulas. If you try to perform any mathematical operation with text data in an Excel Cell, you may get #VALUE! error as the result.

If the text data in an Excel Cell is wider than the Cell width, the text data will spill-over the right-side Cells, if the right-side Cells are empty.

If any right-side empty Cell is filled later, Excel hide the spilled text before newly filled Cell to reveal it’s data.

From below image, you can see the text data in Cell A6 is spilled over right-side Cells, because the right-side Cells are empty.

Once you have some data at a right-side Cell (in this case Cell C6), Excel stops the text spillage before the newly filled Cell to make the data inside the newly filled Cell visible.

Date and time

Date and time data is also stored internally as numeric value. Excel stores internally the date and time value as a number known as date-time serial number. Date and time data is also aligned to the right-side similar to numeric data. Data and time data type can be used to store a date value, time value or both. The date and time value can appear of different formats, based on how you format the Cell.

Date and time data can be used to store date, time or both. Remember to store the date value separated by proper date separator characters — or /. Example, 05-12-2021 or 05/12/2021. If there is no proper separator, Excel will treat the value as text data, not as date time data.

Following image shows a date value stored in different formats

As of Excel 2019, dates ranging from January 1, 1900 (date serial number 1) through December 31, 9999 (date serial number 2958465) are supported. If you have any date value beyond this range, Excel will display an unending hash (#) error inside Excel Cell.

Below screen shot shows a date beyond December 31, 9999 (date serial number 2958466). Refer below image to see the error generated by Excel.

Note that in US English, date is written using month/day/year format. But in some other parts of the world, date is written as day/month/year format. The difference in date format at different parts of the world is often confusing. For example; December 5, 2021 is written as 12/05/2021 in US English format, but as 05/12/2021 in India. In omnisecu.com Excel tutorials, I am using day/month/year format.

The separator character used to separate hour, minute and second in time is : (colon). If you want to use AM or PM with a time value, remember to keep one space between value and AM/PM. If there is no space, Excel will consider the value as text.

Following image shows a time value stored in different formats

Note that special the date January 0, 1900 is used to represent the date, where time alone is entered. Visit following lessons to learn more about how Excel stores time values, and how Excel stores date and time values together.

Image Source / Getty Images. Spreadsheet data is information that is stored in any spreadsheet program such as Excel or Google Sheets. Data stored in cells in a worksheet can be used in calculations, displayed in graphs, or sorted and filtered to find specific information.

Where is data on Excel?

You can reach these options by selecting File > Options > Data. In earlier versions of Excel, the Data tab can be found by selecting File > Options > Advanced.

What are the 3 types of data in Excel?

You enter three types of data in cells: labels, values, and formulas. Labels (text) are descriptive pieces of information, such as names, months, or other identifying statistics, and they usually include alphabetic characters. Values (numbers) are generally raw numbers or dates.

Save. We use Data tab for the large amount of data.It is useful to import the data by connecting with the server, and we can import data automatically from web, MS Access etc. And sort & filter are very helpful options we have in Excel; it makes easy to read vast data.

How do I write data in Excel?

Enter text or a number in a cell

1. On the worksheet, click a cell.
2. Type the numbers or text that you want to enter, and then press ENTER or TAB. To enter data on a new line within a cell, enter a line break by pressing ALT+ENTER.

How do I show data in Excel?

Let’s move on to diagram view. To access diagram view, we’ll navigate to the home tab and select the diagram view button. This gives us a pictorial view of the three tables in our data model, with a list of column names for each table. We can then use our mouse to resize the tables or move them around in this view.

What is a data cell?

A. D. An early magnetic card storage device from IBM. Used from the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s, the Data Cell was designed by Alan Shugart, who later engineered the hard disk and floppy disk. More than 100 Data Cell drives were installed worldwide.

What are the 5 types of data in Excel?

Details of Excel Data Types

• The Logical Data Type.
• The Number Data Type.
• The Text Data Type.
• The Error Data Type.

What are the 3 types of data?

There are Three Types of Data

• Short-term data. This is typically transactional data.
• Long-term data. One of the best examples of this type of data is certification or accreditation data.
• Useless data. Alas, too much of our databases are filled with truly useless data.

How do you use data types in Excel?

Search for data using a keyword or two, choose the data you want, and then click Select. Whenever you want to get current data for your data types, right-click a cell with the linked data type and select Data Type > Refresh. That will refresh the cell you selected, plus any other cells that have that same data type.

What is filtering of data?

Data filtering is the process of choosing a smaller part of your data set and using that subset for viewing or analysis. Filtering is generally (but not always) temporary – the complete data set is kept, but only part of it is used for the calculation.

How do I add data to a chart in Excel?

Right-click the chart, and then choose Select Data. The Select Data Source dialog box appears on the worksheet that contains the source data for the chart. Leaving the dialog box open, click in the worksheet, and then click and drag to select all the data you want to use for the chart, including the new data series.

How do I insert data from a text file into Excel?

You can import data from a text file into an existing worksheet.

1. Click the cell where you want to put the data from the text file.
2. On the Data tab, in the Get External Data group, click From Text.
3. In the Import Data dialog box, locate and double-click the text file that you want to import, and click Import.

How do I insert data from another sheet in Excel?

Here’s how:

1. Select all the data in the worksheet. Keyboard shortcut: Press CTRL+Spacebar, on the keyboard, and then press Shift+Spacebar.
2. Copy all the data on the sheet by pressing CTRL+C.
3. Click the plus sign to add a new blank worksheet.
4. Click the first cell in the new sheet and press CTRL+V to paste the data.

What is the data view?

A DataView enables you to create different views of the data stored in a DataTable, a capability that is often used in data-binding applications.A DataView provides you with a dynamic view of a single set of data, much like a database view, to which you can apply different sorting and filtering criteria.

What are the 5 types of views available in spreadsheet?

Normal– It is used to edit and build the worksheet. Page Layout- It is used to display the worksheet exactly before the printout. Page Break Peview- It displays the page breaks with the help of blue lines. There is another view which is called the Full Screen View.

How do I remove data model data in Excel?

Click Data > Relationships. In the Manage Relationships dialog box, select one relationship from the list. Click Delete. In the warning dialog box, verify that you want to delete the relationship, and then click OK.

What is row and?

A row is a series of data placed out horizontally in a table or spreadsheet. It is a horizontal arrangement of the objects, words, numbers, and data. In Row, data objects are arranged face-to-face with lying next to each other on the straight line.

What is data cell in a table?

A table cell is one grouping within a chart table used for storing information or data. Cells are grouped horizontally (rows of cells) and vertically (columns of cells). Each cell contains information relating to the combination of the row and column headings it is collinear with.

What is row and cell?

A cell is the intersection of a row and a column—in other words, where a row and column meet. Columns are identified by letters (A, B, C), while rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3). Each cell has its own name—or cell address—based on its column and row.

What is data type 2 Excel?

Summary. The Excel TYPE function returns a numeric code representing “type” in 5 categories: number = 1, text = 2, logical = 4, error = 16, and array = 64. Use TYPE when the operation of a formula depends on the type of value in a particular cell.

Многие пользователи Excel не видят разницы между понятиями «формат ячеек» и «тип данных». На самом деле это далеко не тождественные понятия, хотя, безусловно, соприкасающиеся. Давайте выясним, в чем суть типов данных, на какие категории они разделяются, и как можно с ними работать.

Классификация типов данных

Тип данных — это характеристика информации, хранимой на листе. На основе этой характеристики программа определяет, каким образом обрабатывать то или иное значение.

Типы данных делятся на две большие группы: константы и формулы. Отличие между ними состоит в том, что формулы выводят значение в ячейку, которое может изменяться в зависимости от того, как будут изменяться аргументы в других ячейках. Константы – это постоянные значения, которые не меняются.

В свою очередь константы делятся на пять групп:

• Текст;
• Числовые данные;
• Дата и время;
• Логические данные;
• Ошибочные значения.

Выясним, что представляет каждый из этих типов данных подробнее.

Урок: Как изменить формат ячейки в Excel

Текстовые значения

Текстовый тип содержит символьные данные и не рассматривается Excel, как объект математических вычислений. Это информация в первую очередь для пользователя, а не для программы. Текстом могут являться любые символы, включая цифры, если они соответствующим образом отформатированы. В языке DAX этот вид данных относится к строчным значениям. Максимальная длина текста составляет 268435456 символов в одной ячейке.

Для ввода символьного выражения нужно выделить ячейку текстового или общего формата, в которой оно будет храниться, и набрать текст с клавиатуры. Если длина текстового выражения выходит за визуальные границы ячейки, то оно накладывается поверх соседних, хотя физически продолжает храниться в исходной ячейке.

Числовые данные

Для непосредственных вычислений используются числовые данные. Именно с ними Excel предпринимает различные математические операции (сложение, вычитание, умножение, деление, возведение в степень, извлечение корня и т.д.). Этот тип данных предназначен исключительно для записи чисел, но может содержать и вспомогательные символы (%, $ и др.). В отношении его можно использовать несколько видов форматов:

• Собственно числовой;
• Процентный;
• Денежный;
• Финансовый;
• Дробный;
• Экспоненциальный.

Кроме того, в Excel имеется возможность разбивать числа на разряды, и определять количество цифр после запятой (в дробных числах).

Ввод числовых данных производится таким же способом, как и текстовых значений, о которых мы говорили выше.

Дата и время

Ещё одним типом данных является формат времени и даты. Это как раз тот случай, когда типы данных и форматы совпадают. Он характеризуется тем, что с его помощью можно указывать на листе и проводить расчеты с датами и временем. Примечательно, что при вычислениях этот тип данных принимает сутки за единицу. Причем это касается не только дат, но и времени. Например, 12:30 рассматривается программой, как 0,52083 суток, а уже потом выводится в ячейку в привычном для пользователя виде.

Существует несколько видов форматирования для времени:

• ч:мм:сс;
• ч:мм;
• ч:мм:сс AM/PM;
• ч:мм AM/PM и др.

Аналогичная ситуация обстоит и с датами:

• ДД.ММ.ГГГГ;
• ДД.МММ
• МММ.ГГ и др.

Есть и комбинированные форматы даты и времени, например ДД:ММ:ГГГГ ч:мм.

Также нужно учесть, что программа отображает как даты только значения, начиная с 01.01.1900.

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Логические данные

Довольно интересным является тип логических данных. Он оперирует всего двумя значениями: «ИСТИНА» и «ЛОЖЬ». Если утрировать, то это означает «событие настало» и «событие не настало». Функции, обрабатывая содержимое ячеек, которые содержат логические данные, производят те или иные вычисления.

Ошибочные значения

Отдельным типом данных являются ошибочные значения. В большинстве случаев они появляются, когда производится некорректная операция. Например, к таким некорректным операциям относится деление на ноль или введение функции без соблюдения её синтаксиса. Среди ошибочных значений выделяют следующие:

• #ЗНАЧ! – применение неправильного вида аргумента для функции;
• #ДЕЛ/О! – деление на 0;
• #ЧИСЛО! – некорректные числовые данные;
• #Н/Д – введено недоступное значение;
• #ИМЯ? – ошибочное имя в формуле;
• #ПУСТО! – некорректное введение адресов диапазонов;
• #ССЫЛКА! – возникает при удалении ячеек, на которые ранее ссылалась формула.

Формулы

Отдельной большой группой видов данных являются формулы. В отличие от констант, они, чаще всего, сами не видны в ячейках, а только выводят результат, который может меняться, в зависимости от изменения аргументов. В частности, формулы применяются для различных математических вычислений. Саму формулу можно увидеть в строке формул, выделив ту ячейку, в которой она содержится.

Обязательным условием, чтобы программа воспринимала выражение, как формулу, является наличие перед ним знака равно (=).

Формулы могут содержать в себе ссылки на другие ячейки, но это не обязательное условие.

Отдельным видом формул являются функции. Это своеобразные подпрограммы, которые содержат установленный набор аргументов и обрабатывают их по определенному алгоритму. Функции можно вводить вручную в ячейку, поставив в ней предварительно знак «=», а можно использовать для этих целей специальную графическую оболочку Мастер функций, который содержит весь перечень доступных в программе операторов, разбитых на категории.

С помощью Мастера функций можно совершить переход к окну аргумента конкретного оператора. В его поля вводятся данные или ссылки на ячейки, в которых эти данные содержатся. После нажатия на кнопку «OK» происходит выполнение заданной операции.

Урок: Работа с формулами в Excel

Урок: Мастер функций в Excel

Как видим, в программе Excel существует две основные группы типов данных: константы и формулы. Они, в свою очередь делятся, на множество других видов. Каждый тип данных имеет свои свойства, с учетом которых программа обрабатывает их. Овладение умением распознавать и правильно работать с различными типами данных – это первоочередная задача любого пользователя, который желает научиться эффективно использовать Эксель по назначению.

Despite having a wealth of alternative options for managing numeric data, millions of people around the world still rely on Microsoft Excel. Text and numbers comprised the only two Excel data types people could work with inside this iconic Office Suite staple, but this has changed over the past four years. Microsoft has introduced additional types of data that the sheet can recognize.

What Are the Current Excel Data Types?

The good news is that Microsoft has not changed the original data types. It has only created additional options, so your existing spreadsheets should continue to work the same.

1. Numeric

People primarily use Excel to handle numeric data generated by studies or financial transactions. Microsoft has almost always made it possible to identify the specific type of numeric data by currency or other types.

2. Text

Users commonly rely on text to name and identify columns and rows. Texts also come in handy for labeling sections on graphs and pie charts. However, some people manage data comprised primarily of text, such as when organizing data from qualitative studies.

3. Stocks

Microsoft improved the current Excel data types in 2018 when it finally included stocks, based on how people used its software. While the name specifies stocks, it also includes index funds and other financial data.

4. Geographical

Microsoft now has geographic data that allows Excel to recognize regions, countries, states, cities and other location-based information. This makes it possible to plot data on maps.

5. Custom Power BI Data

In 2020, Microsoft took things a step further by leveraging Power BI to allow users to create custom data types. This feature is available to users subscribed to Microsoft 365, Office 365 or the Power BI Pro service plans.

6. Custom In-House Excel Data Types

Microsoft revisited the Power BI success and has now leveraged a javascript API to help people create their own custom data types in Excel. This simplifies the process of organizing and analyzing complex data.

Why Do Custom Data Types Matter?

If you are already accustomed to making do with the existing data types, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Do you need custom Excel data types for your spreadsheets? Is this a feature worth pursuing in the future?

Enrich Your Data

The more complex your spreadsheet is, the more beneficial it is for you to differentiate data. The ability to do so could reduce instances of error and make it easier to bring your data to life in new formats that other people can understand.

For example, some manufacturers used customized data to designate product types. This made it easier to group certain products together and track their performance as opposed to manually seeking each one out.

Override Default Settings

When you create custom data, you override some of the annoying defaults that pop up when you add new rows and cells. Instead of constantly changing these cells into the format you prefer, you could teach the spreadsheet how to treat these cells and Excel data types based on the types of information.

For example, high-volume Amazon sellers and product manufacturers could use Excel spreadsheets to track product inventory. Using custom data to differentiate sale confirmation numbers from the SKU numbers can go a long way toward simplifying the process.

Create Reports Easily

When Excel knows how to treat data inside a sheet, it becomes much easier to generate reports from that data. In some cases, you could set up a real-time chart that updates as the data updates. This provides near-real-time tracking without the expensive software.

For example, consider research teams or media agencies tracking influenza infection rates across America. When Excel recognizes geographic data, it knows how to illustrate that on a map. Custom data can see this level of intuitiveness as Microsoft continues to make improvements.

How Can You Get Custom Excel Data Types for Your Business?

These changes to Microsoft Excel date types are still in beta mode and public preview. Microsoft has not yet announced which versions of Microsoft Office will receive the updates. Some users suspect it will only apply to higher versions and users with cloud subscriptions. Microsoft usually provides its best updates to customers who migrated to the cloud.

If you have not yet upgraded to cloud computing, your business has a lot to gain in speed and agility by making the switch. Cloudficient has helped dozens of companies with 5,000-plus end-users migrate to the cloud with ease, and we look forward to doing the same for you. Contact us for a quote today.

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