Excel Question #46

Kevy Baby · 08-13-2010, 11:22 AM

I learned something new about Excel today: the maximum number of digits in a number that you can have accurately in a cell is 15. Yes, there is a reason for it (an IEEE standard) and there are ways around it (format the cell as Text or turn on "Precision as Displayed").

A coworker was entering USPS Tracking numbers that were 19 digits and the last four digits were turned into zeroes. Did a little research and this is what I learnt. For our purposes, formatting the cells as Text worked just fine. From browsing the link below, I am not sure of the overall impact of turning on "Precision as Displayed."

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/78113

08-13-2010, 11:22 AM	#10
Kevy Baby Chowder Head Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Yes Posts: 18,500	I learned something new about Excel today: the maximum number of digits in a number that you can have accurately in a cell is 15. Yes, there is a reason for it (an IEEE standard) and there are ways around it (format the cell as Text or turn on "Precision as Displayed"). A coworker was entering USPS Tracking numbers that were 19 digits and the last four digits were turned into zeroes. Did a little research and this is what I learnt. For our purposes, formatting the cells as Text worked just fine. From browsing the link below, I am not sure of the overall impact of turning on "Precision as Displayed." http://support.microsoft.com/kb/78113 __________________ The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot verify their validity. - Abraham Lincoln
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