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Comment by tssva | Hacker News Reader

Excel doesn't alter data without being asked either. What it does do by default is try to change how the data is displayed. If the column is properly set to the correct data type the data will be shown correctly because Excel doesn't change the actual data. Column types can be set when csv files are imported.

The problem described in the article isn't an Excel issue. It is an issue of the geneticist failure to learn the basics of how their tools work.

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> Excel doesn't alter data without being asked either. What it does do by default is try to change how the data is displayed.

This is easily falsifiable. In a "general" cell, when I enter 0002, it gets changed into 2, not just in display, but in actual content. When I change the cell type to text, it'll still be 2. Only if I enter 0002 after changing the type to text is the content kept.

Similar when I want to have the text 3/17 or SEPT1 in a cell, I have to format it before typing or the data does get altered. If you try setting it to "text" after you typed it, you'll get some number that's not very useful to you.

Just type ‘0002.

If you enter it prior to specifying the formatting you are entering it as a date. The number you see when you change to text is the numeric value reflecting the date/data you entered.

the only way to prevent Excel from converting date-like number values into 'real dates' is to format the number values as text. or escape each and every number value so this doesn't occur.

this is not just a workaround - it's recommended by Microsoft. because you literally cannot turn this functionality off.

how is that not an "Excel issue"?

That is how spreadsheets work. Try Libreoffice or Google Sheets. You will find they operate the same. Spreadsheets format all cells as a generic type where the value entered to it is gets assigned a more specific type by the spreadsheet application. If you want to insure that the value you entered is interpreted as a specific type you need to identify that to the spreadsheet application prior to entering the value.

I was responding to the claim that Excel "doesn't alter data without being asked either." I guess it does, and it should?

It also interprets and coerces values in formulas.

Empty cells are interpreted as zero, which can be downright catastrophic, if the data is just missing.

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