Microsoft fixed an Excel function that caused errors in scientific data
October 23, 2023
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What started it all? The problem first emerged in 2020 when scientists decided to replace the alphanumeric characters used to label genes, rather than fight an Excel function
What started it all?
The problem first emerged in 2020 when scientists decided to replace the alphanumeric characters used to label genes, rather than fight an Excel function that constantly misinterpreted gene names as dates and automatically reformatted them.
This feature of Excel’s functionality has created significant difficulties for researchers and forced them to change their notation.
Automatic conversions in Excel were originally designed to simplify data entry by quickly converting numbers and dates. However, this feature has proven annoying for scientists who rely on concise notation for clarity.
How to solve the problem?
In response to this issue, Microsoft introduced a new feature described in a recent blog post that gives users control over the automatic data conversion process.
A flag appeared “Convert continuous letters and numbers to today”allows users to turn this feature on or off. This update is based on automatic data conversion settings introduced last year; These settings include the ability for Excel to warn when automatic conversion could potentially compromise data integrity.
With this latest update, Microsoft aims to make working with Excel easier for scientists and researchers and ensure that important scientific data remains intact and accurate. This development is expected to bring significant relief to those who rely on this software for research and data analysis.
I’m Sandra Torres, a passionate journalist and content creator. My specialty lies in covering the latest gadgets, trends and tech news for Div Bracket. With over 5 years of experience as a professional writer, I have built up an impressive portfolio of published works that showcase my expertise in this field.