This will extract the '2' digits from the birthdate. This time, choose 'Date' as the category and 'Custom' as the criteria. This formula will extract the '4' digits from the birthdate. Here's how to clean the formatting in Excel: Typically, you'd format the birthdate as a number, but for this example we'll pretend the birthdates are formatted 'YYYY-MM-DD' instead. In that case, you can use Excel's 'Auto Filter' to find the values you need.įor example, let's say you have a list of names with birthdates next to each. Sometimes, you'll have data that appears out of place. There are many different ways to clean up your data, such as: Clean the Formatting

Once you've gathered your data, the next step is to clean it. For example, you can get data from Salesforce or Google Analytics into Excel, then manipulate that data however you like. You can bring data from other applications into Excel as well. Power Query also allows you to consolidate the data from different files into a single worksheet.įor instance, if you have 100 different Excel spreadsheets, you can consolidate them into a single workbook, which saves you time. Once you get the data from these sources, you can shape them to suit your needs.