DATEVALUE function formula with examples in Excel

The DATEVALUE function in Excel converts a date represented as a text string into a valid Excel date. Here are some examples:

1. To convert the text “3/10/1975” to the date serial number 27463:

   =DATEVALUE("3/10/1975")
   

   This returns the serial number representing March 10, 1975.

2. If you have a date in cell A2 and want its serial number:

   =DATEVALUE(A2)
   

Remember that proper Excel dates are more useful than text dates since they can be directly manipulated with formulas and pivot tables.