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Excel - The Amazing Versatility of the Excel DATE Function | Excel Tutorial - Episode 540

553 views · Published 29 July 2009 · 2:57 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

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Microsoft Excel Tutorial: The Amazing Versatility of the Excel DATE Function.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast! In yesterday's podcast, we discussed how to use the date function in Excel to solve the question of when to send customer birthday cards. But today, I want to share with you one of my all-time favorite things about the date function.

As we mentioned yesterday, the date function takes three variables: the year, the month, and the day. It's a simple and straightforward way to input a specific date. But what's truly amazing about the date function is its ability to handle unusual requests. For example, if we ask for the 35th day of June, it will automatically give us the 5th of July. Or if we ask for the 17th month of 2007 and the 5th day, it will give us a date in May. The date function is incredibly versatile and can handle seemingly nonsensical requests with ease.

One of my favorite examples of this is a question that came up on the MrExcel message board. Someone asked how to create a formula that would show the last day of the month. Initially, we were trying to build a complex IF statement to account for the varying number of days in each month. But then, Aladdin came along and showed us a much simpler solution using the date function. By going to the first of the next month and subtracting one day, Excel automatically calculates the last day of the month. No need for a complicated IF statement! This was a great example of how the date function can simplify even the most challenging tasks.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the date function in Excel. It's definitely one of my favorite functions and I use it all the time in my work. Thanks for watching, and be sure to tune in next time for another netcast from MrExcel. See you soon!

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I love the DATE function. While some Excel functions are rather picky, the DATE function can handle just about anything that you throw at it. Want to know the 35th day of January? No problem. Want to know the 17th month of 2008? Easy. Want to know why this matters? Well, watch Episode 540 for a cool trick with the DATE function.

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Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction to the Date Function
(00:18) Using the Date Function to Solve a Problem
(00:28) How the Date Function Works
(00:46) Handling Strange Inputs
(01:12) Example of Using the Date Function
(02:35) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

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