The Google Sheets function DATE is a powerful tool that creates a date value from individual components: year, month, and day. This function is particularly useful when you have separate values and need to combine them into a single date format, which can be essential for data analysis, calculations, and organizing schedules.

Syntax

DATE(year, month, day)

• year: A four-digit number representing the year.
• month: A number from 1 to 12, indicating the month. Values outside this range will cause an error.
• day: A number that indicates the day of the month. Values that exceed the number of days in the specified month will automatically roll into the next month.

Example #1

DATE(2023, 10, 31)

This function takes the year 2023, the month of October (10), and the day 31, producing the date October 31, 2023 as a result.

Example #2

DATE(2024, 2, 29)

This example uses the year 2024, which is a leap year, so it returns February 29, 2024 successfully instead of an error.

Example #3

DATE(2023, 13, 1)

Attempting to create a date for the 13th month will result in an error since valid months range from 1 to 12.

Error handling

• NUM!: This error occurs when the year, month, or day values provided are out of valid range. For instance, using a month value of 13 or a negative day value will trigger this error.
• VALUE!: This error arises when the inputs are not numbers. If text or other non-numeric data types are given, the function cannot process them, resulting in this error.
• ERROR!: An ambiguous error that may result from a range of invalid inputs that do not fit the expected structure.

Conclusion

In summary, the DATE function in Google Sheets is an essential tool for converting discrete year, month, and day numbers into a cohesive date format. With its straightforward syntax and clear error messages, even users who are not deeply familiar with spreadsheets can effectively utilize this function for better data management and analysis.