Function: DATEVALUE()

🔍 Purpose:

The DATEVALUE() function converts a text date (a date written in text format) into an Excel-recognized serial date number.
This helps Excel perform calculations with dates that were originally stored as text — for example, dates imported from another system or written manually.

🧮 Syntax:  =DATEVALUE(date_text)


Parameters:

• date_text → The date written as text (for example, "15-Aug-2025" or "08/15/2025").

📘 Explanation:

When Excel reads a date as plain text (e.g., “15-Aug-2025”), it can’t calculate with it (like finding the difference between dates).
The DATEVALUE() function solves this by converting that text into an actual date value that Excel recognizes as a serial number.

For instance:
=DATEVALUE("15-Aug-2025") → returns 45404 (which Excel formats as 15-Aug-2025).

Example 1: Employee Joining Dates (Imported from HR Software)

Now, if you change the cell format to Date, Excel will show:
→ 12-Mar-2022, 25-Apr-2023, etc.

Example 2: Loan Start Date Conversion

✅ Very useful when dealing with text dates imported from software, websites, or Google Forms.

⚙️ Real-Life Uses:

• Converting text dates (from external systems or forms) into Excel-recognized dates.

• Calculating duration, age, or tenure when source data is in text form.

• Cleaning imported CSV data where Excel fails to identify proper dates.

• Combining with functions like TODAY(), DAYS(), or YEARFRAC() for calculations.

🧩 Project Tasks for Students

🧠 Project 1: Admission Data Conversion

You’ve received student admission data from Google Forms where all joining dates are text. Convert them into Excel-recognized dates.

💼 Project 2: Vendor Invoice Tracking

Convert invoice dates (text form) to real Excel dates, then calculate how many days since the invoice was issued.

🏦 Project 3: Loan Repayment Tenure

Convert text-form start dates to real dates and calculate how many years have passed using YEARFRAC().

🧾 Project 4: Attendance Log

Convert attendance timestamps received as text to date format for reporting.

📅 Project 5: Festival Planning Tracker

A marketing agency keeps festival dates as text. Convert and calculate days left for each festival.

✅ Key Tip:
Always ensure your system’s regional date format (DD/MM/YYYY) matches your data entry style — otherwise Excel might read "08/03/2025" as either 8th March or 3rd August depending on locale.