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00:00:00,300 --> 00:00:04,800
Year only dates can be entered into spreadsheets 
without encountering any problems,

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00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:07,900
as shown for piece number 52.

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However, when I try to enter a month/year 
date,

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spreadsheet software such as Excel converts 
the date to a text format.

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This can be seen here when I enter the First 
date and Last dates for piece number 53.

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00:00:26,100 --> 00:00:29,100
To prevent this automatic reformatting,

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the format of the cells needs to be amended 
before entering the data.

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There are many ways to do this; here are 
two ways in Excel.

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Select the cell and choose the Number format 
drop down list in the Home ribbon,

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and select Text.

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00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,100
Select the cell and right click the mouse 
in that cell.

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00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:02,800
Select Format cells and on the Number tab, 
select Text, then select OK.

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00:01:10,300 --> 00:01:13,300
You can see the format of the date is now 
retained.

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00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,200
If you are using another spreadsheet software, 
the method will be similar.