CHAPTER 5 Excel

More Skills 13 Convert Comma-Separated Text into Columns

᭤ Tabular data is often formatted as comma-separated values—text that uses commas to separate each column of text. ᭤ When a cell contains comma-separated values, the Convert Text to Columns Wizard can convert the text into separate columns.

To complete this document, you will need the following file: ᭿ e05_Membership

You will save your document as: ᭿ Lastname_Firstname_e05_Membership

1. Start Excel and open the student data file e05_Membership. Save the file in your Excel Chapter 5 folder with the name Lastname_Firstname_e05_Membership Insert the file name in the left footer. Select cell A1 and return to Normal view. Compare your screen with Figure 1. In this worksheet, all of the data is contained in column A. Instead of using columns, each row uses commas to separate the data. The data is organized using the following headings: First Name, Last Name, Member Since, and Handicap.

Comma- separated values

Figure 1

Format Cells and Worksheets | Microsoft Excel Chapter 5 More Skills: SKILL 13 | Page 1 of 5

From Skills for Success with Microsoft® Excel 2010 Comprehensive Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 2. Select the range A4:A14. Display the Data tab and then in the Data Tools group, click Text to Columns.

3. In the Convert Text to Columns Wizard, under Original data type, verify that the Delimited option button is selected as shown in Figure 2. A delimiter is the character used to separate columns of text in a data table. Here, the data uses a comma as the delimiter. Other common delimiters are tabs and spaces.

Delimited selected

Range selected

Figure 2

Format Cells and Worksheets | Microsoft Excel Chapter 5 More Skills: SKILL 13 | Page 2 of 5

From Skills for Success with Microsoft® Excel 2010 Comprehensive Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 4. Click Next. Under Delimiters, clear the Tab check box and then select the Comma check box. Under Data preview, notice the data is arranged into columns as shown in Figure 3.

Comma selected

Columns display in Data preview

Figure 3

Format Cells and Worksheets | Microsoft Excel Chapter 5 More Skills: SKILL 13 | Page 3 of 5

From Skills for Success with Microsoft® Excel 2010 Comprehensive Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 5. Click Next and then click Finish. Compare your screen with Figure 4. The wizard evaluates the contents of the cells, and whenever a comma is located, the comma is removed and the remaining text is moved into the adjacent cell. This pattern continues until all of the commas are located and removed.

Data organized into columns

Figure 4

Format Cells and Worksheets | Microsoft Excel Chapter 5 More Skills: SKILL 13 | Page 4 of 5

From Skills for Success with Microsoft® Excel 2010 Comprehensive Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 6. AutoFit columns A:D. 7. Select the range A4:D4 and then display the Home tab. In the Styles group, click Cell Styles and then under Titles and Headings, click Heading 4. Select cell A1 and compare your screen with Figure 5.

Figure 5

8. Save your workbook and then print or submit the file as directed by your instructor. Exit Excel. ᭿ You have completed More Skills 13

Format Cells and Worksheets | Microsoft Excel Chapter 5 More Skills: SKILL 13 | Page 5 of 5

From Skills for Success with Microsoft® Excel 2010 Comprehensive Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.