[AccessD] Entering an ISO date with input mask and full validation

[Susan Harkins]

I acknowledge that we all have different ways of expressing dates (verbally and written). I have never had the talent for understanding or speaking a foreign language. I can't even understand other Americans with accents! :) 

I have no problem entering, modifying, manipulating, grouping, or sorting dates entered in the US format Jan 1, 2016. I would imagine that cultures entering them differently can say the same thing. The software handles our needs. 

It's only when we have to work with dates not in our familiar zone that we run into trouble. If I were working in an organization that had to face this problem, I would hope to find a solution that was efficient and accurate, but I'm not sure I would spend much effort into trying to force those submitting dates in a "foreign" format into my culturally biased format unless of course, I had the power and money behind me to make it happen. :) I hope that makes sense and doesn't offend anyone. It's just an opinion and how, I think, I would deal with this if I had to. It's probably how most of you handle it -- you make it work. 

I often get questions from readers with similar dirty data issues and they want solutions for fixing the data. My first question is always the same -- can you take it back to the source and get them to submit it the way you need it in the first place? But you know, all too often, that isn't possible. 

So, I don't understand why this is always such a heated discussion or why any camp claims superiority. Dates are no different than any other data we have to accept and fix before we can use it. 

I say that all gently and with no judgement, just ... the way I see it. 

Susan H. 

Hi Susan and David

And so is the logic. You would say ”224 Grand Aveny” while we always will say ”Big Street 224”.

/gustav