count function: won't see numbers as numbers

[kimbo]

I got a (confidential) Excel file from our database administrator (DBA) with some info linked to individuals' social security numbers (ssn's). That is, the ssn's are in column A and other info about them is in other columns to the right.

I tried to do a "count" function on the column with the ssn's. (The ssn's appear as 123456789; i.e., no dashes.) I know that I set up the function correctly, because it "counts" numbers that I enter myself. However, it won't count the numbers that came back in the file from the DBA. Apparently, it's not seeing those numbers as numbers. (When I highlight the column containing the ssn's and go to Format-Cells-Number, the "General" category comes up. I click "OK" and the count function still doesn't work for the ssn's.)

I used the example of ssn's to describe the situation, but count functions don't work for any of the other numbers from the DBA either.

 

[anno]

try using =COUNTA() instead, or use =COUNT() but format the cells as numbers, not general.
This message was edited by anno on 2002-04-11 16:07