Simple formula

[dione]

In column A I have employee names with surname then first name. I want to insert a formula in column B to record surname only and first name only in column c

[IML]

Text to columns would work for this, but if you prefer formula you could use
for Smith Bill in A1
=LEFT(A1,FIND(" ",A1)-1) for last and
=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1)) for first

for Smith, Bill in A2
=LEFT(A2,FIND(",",A2)-1) and
=RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND(",",A2)-1)

good luck

[Jay Petrulis]

Hi,

What is the separator between the surname and the firstname? Usually it is a comma, but that is by no means always the case.

Suppose I have the following in A1

Petrulis, Jay

in B1
=LEFT(A1,SEARCH(",",A1,1)-1)

Returns "Petrulis"

in C1
=TRIM(RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-SEARCH(",",A1,1)))

Returns "Jay"

If you have a standard setup, this can be of use.

Bye,
Jay