Definition
Kicking things off, the DAY formula in Excel allows you to extract the day of a date. This flexible formula can handle dates in various formats.
Purpose
The purpose of the DAY formula is to help you get the day from a date in a spreadsheet. It becomes a handy tool when you need to analyze or categorize data based on days.
Syntax
Here’s the simple syntax of the DAY formula:
=DAY(serial_number)
Parameters
The DAY formula takes just one parameter:
- Serial_number – This is the date from which you want to extract the day.
Returns
As you might expect, the DAY formula returns the day of the given date, ranging from 1 to 31.
Usage notes
One key point to remember is that the DAY formula can be combined with other Excel formulas for more complex date calculations.
Availability
You can find the DAY formula in all versions of Excel.
Example #1
Consider you want to extract the day from the date in cell A2. You can use the DAY formula as follows:
=DAY(A2)
This formula will return the day of the date in A2.
Example #2
Suppose you want to extract the day from a hard-coded date. The DAY formula can be used like this:
=DAY("2023-12-25")
This formula will return the day 25 from the date.
Example #3
In our third example, we’re going to use the DAY formula with the TODAY formula:
=DAY(TODAY())
This formula will return the current day.
Example #4
Let’s extract the day from a date given in the European date format (DD/MM/YYYY):
=DAY(DATEVALUE("25/12/2023"))
This formula will return the day 25 from the given date.
Example #5
For our final example, we will combine the DAY formula with the TEXT formula to get the day name:
=TEXT(A2,"dddd")
Here, if A2 contains a date, the formula will return the day name.
Tips and tricks
An interesting trick is to use the DAY formula with the EOMONTH formula to get the number of days in a month.
Limitations
One key limitation of the DAY formula is that it can only handle valid Excel dates (between January 1, 1900, and December 31, 9999).
Common errors and solutions
One common error when using the DAY formula is providing a non-date value as the input. This will return a #VALUE! error. So always ensure that the input is a valid date.
Best Practices
A best practice when using the DAY formula is to always validate the input date. Also, when dealing with strings that look like dates, use the DATEVALUE formula to convert them to Excel dates first.
List of Related functions
The related functions include MONTH, YEAR, and DATE. These formulas can work in conjunction with the DAY formula for detailed date calculations.
Frequently Used with the formulas
The DAY formula often works hand-in-hand with functions like TODAY, DATE, MONTH, and YEAR, providing more versatile date calculations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What happens if I use a non-date value as the input in the DAY formula?
If you use a non-date value as the input in the DAY formula, it will return a #VALUE! error.
Q. Can I use the DAY formula to get the day name?
No, the DAY formula only returns the day number. However, you can use the TEXT formula to get the day name.
Q. Can I use the DAY formula to get the number of days in a month?
Yes, you can use the DAY formula with the EOMONTH formula to get the number of days in a month.
Q. What is the range of values the DAY formula can return?
The DAY formula can return values ranging from 1 to 31, corresponding to the days of the month.
Q. What if the date is in the European format (DD/MM/YYYY)?
If the date is in the European format, use the DATEVALUE formula to convert it to an Excel date before using the DAY formula.
Sharpen your Excel skills by mastering the DAY formula, an effective tool for extracting the day from a date.
Visit our YouTube channel to learn step-by-step video tutorials