PlanMaker DATEVALUE Function: Convert Date Text into a Serial Date

Use DATEVALUE when a date arrives as text, such as a date column exported from a stock system, an archived CSV or a downloaded order report. Once interpreted as a serial value, dates can be sorted chronologically, used in subtracting elapsed days and displayed using a selected date format. An imported string that looks like a date is not proof that the sheet stored it as a date number.

PlanMaker calls DATEVALUE a compatibility function: modern PlanMaker often converts date-like text when a calculation needs a date. Explicit DATEVALUE can still make the intent visible and simplify review of imported text. Do not convert arbitrary identifiers that merely resemble dates; preserve original values in a separate source column. Vendor description.

=DATEVALUE(Text)

There is one required argument; do not put a second date-format argument inside this function. Wrap literal text in double quotes, such as "09/25/2018"; reference a cell without quotes, such as A2. The exact spelling and argument order are from the official 2026 page. With one argument, formula-list separators are not an issue inside DATEVALUE, but locales can change which date strings can be parsed. The English examples use month/day/year, not a universal day/month/year promise. PlanMaker’s data-entry notes.

Before entering A2:A4, set column A to Text (or import these strings as text), so PlanMaker does not automatically convert them before DATEVALUE runs. Use an installation configured to recognize the official U.S.-style MM/DD/YYYY date strings.

Enter the formulas separately in B2:B4 and set B2:B4 to a number display if the application initially shows formatted dates. When you apply the date format M/D/YYYY, the numeric result 43368 is displayed as 9/25/2018; the underlying result remains numeric. This is the documented distinction between a date serial and its presentation. DATEVALUE · number formatting.

To check that the converted values are useful for calculations, enter in C3:

=B3-B2

Expected: 1 day. In C4 enter =B4-B2; expected: 5 days. These are independently calculated differences conditional on the dates being parsed correctly, not observed native PlanMaker outputs. Keep the output cells formatted as numbers to see day counts.

Entering a date from its components is often safer

If the source stores year, month and day in separate numeric fields, avoid guessing its region-specific text order:

=DATE(2018,9,25)

SoftMaker documents this expression returning 43368. This is a different function: DATE takes Year, Month, Day numeric components; DATEVALUE takes one date-containing text argument. Official DATE.

Suppose your order system exports the text dates shown in A2:A4, and you need elapsed calendar days from the first delivery. Keep the original string column visible for audit. Convert with =DATEVALUE(A2) in B2, fill downward, and calculate =B3-$B$2 in C3 and =B4-$B$2 in C4. A dollar sign locks the base date row during copying. Expected elapsed days are 1 and 5. This is calendar day arithmetic, not business-day counting; it makes no promises about time zones, holiday calendars or partial days.

For ambiguous imported text such as 03/04/2026, two regional interpretations are possible. Do not silently claim the date is March 4: verify source specifications first. If the import contains full day/month/year components, consider building the date from numeric parts with DATE; if the source already contains true date serials, reformat the cell rather than converting text. Regional data-entry guidance.

PlanMaker’s data-entry chapter says dates range from January 1, 1900 through December 31, 2500 for manually entered dates, and interprets two-digit years 00–29 as 2000–2029 and 30–99 as 1930–1999. That is general data-entry documentation, not a native test establishing every DATEVALUE edge case. Use four-digit years and avoid using an unspecified DATEVALUE domain beyond these documented examples. Vendor data entry.

The official PlanMaker 2021, 2024, and 2026/NX English help pages all document the one-argument DATEVALUE(Text) function and the "09/25/2018" → 43368 example. This demonstrates documented availability in those versions; it does not prove support in every edition, local language, Android or iOS interface, nor that behavior is identical under every regional setting. The 2026 help separately lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS system requirements; this is not a per-function test. 2021 · 2024 · 2026 · platform requirements.

Microsoft Excel DATEVALUE likewise converts date text to a serial number, and Microsoft explicitly notes regional-system settings and a 1900-based default date system for Excel. Similar spelling and one-argument syntax are not proof that all inputs, error values, 1900-boundary dates or alternative date systems survive conversion unchanged. In a mixed Excel/PlanMaker workflow, test dates after export and reopen the file, especially when users have different date locales. Do not assume Excel’s documented year-omission or time-portion rules apply to PlanMaker without its own evidence.

• PlanMaker DATE — construct a date from numeric year, month and day
• PlanMaker TIMEVALUE — turn recognized time text into a fraction of a day
• PlanMaker entering data — date parsing, two-digit years and numeric storage
• PlanMaker number formatting — display dates without changing serial values

Browse the PlanMaker function directory · Compare spreadsheet functions.

Verification: Official vendor references and Microsoft compatibility documentation accessed 2026-10-11 UTC. Official sample 43368 is documented; subsequent date differences were independently calculated. Native PlanMaker execution was not performed.