Import of CSV unable to swap comma for decimal for a number in import

Question

I am using Office 365 ProPlus - I am running into an issue with the new functionality for data import.  I have a .csv file that was originally created by someone using the German version of Excel.  This means that a decimal point (US/English system) is actually a comma.  In early versions of the import tool I was able to say "comma" is a decimal and "decimal" is a comma on the import.  This is no longer an option, the import tool automatically interprets the value as this example - What I want is 41.2345, or "forty-one point  2345" where the period is a decimal.  When I import the data, it is now 412345, which is the "incorrect" value for my data set.  I can't find any way to modify this interpretation in the latest version of Excel.

Answer 1

Hi Nicole,

If you only want to swap comma for decimal for a number in import, you can simply go to File > Options, uncheck Use system separators check box then you can swap comma for decimal.

However, if you want to go back to the legacy Text Import Wizard, you can follow the steps below.

1. Go to File > Options. Check From Text (Legacy) check box in Data tab then click OK.

2. Go back to the workbook, under Data tab, click Get Data dropdown menu, hover the mouse on Legacy Wizard and choose From Text (Legacy).

Then you can follow the steps in the reply above.

Regards,

Tisky

Answer 2

HI - yes, this works.  I'd still rather see it as part of the new workflows for importing data, as it is confusing to the user, and not obvious as something that needs to be modified in the Options.   Thanks for your feedback!