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Minitab assigns a data type (numeric, text, or date/time) to a column based on the first value entered in the column. In order for Minitab to assign the date/time type to a column, Minitab must recognize the format of the first value as a date/time display format. Minitab recognizes most standard date/time display formats, including those from the regional and language settings in the Windows Control Panel. If you enter a date/time value in a format that Minitab doesn't recognize, Minitab assigns the column a text or numeric data type.
You can create a custom date/time format and assign it to a column. See Defining custom date/time display formats.
To see the format assigned to a column, click in the column, right-click, then choose Format Column. The format is displayed in Custom date format.
| Format | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| d-mmmm-yy | Day, full month name, and 2-digit year | 5-January-14 |
| mmmm d | Full month name and day | January 5 |
| d mm | Day and 3-letter month | 5 Jan |
| d mmmm yy | Day, full month name, and 2-digit year | 5 January 14 |
| mmmm d, yy | Full month name, day, and 2-digit year | January 5, 14 |
| h:mm:ss.ss AM/PM | 12-hour time (hour, minute, second, AM or PM) | 11:10:14.22 PM |
| [d].hh:mm:ss.sss | Elapsed time (days, hours, minutes, seconds, hundredths of seconds) | 12.5:23:14.235 |
Minitab also recognizes variations of these formats. For example, Minitab recognizes mmmm d, yy (January 1, 14) and mmm dd, yyyy (Jan 1, 2014).
If you enter time components with a colon (:) but without a date and without AM/PM in an unformatted column, Minitab recognizes the value as an elapsed time, not as a specific time on the 12- or 24-hour clock. For example, if you enter 1:17 in an unformatted column, Minitab recognizes the value as 1 hour and 17 minutes of elapsed time.
| Format | Regional setting | Example |
|---|---|---|
| m/d/yy | English (United States) | 1/12/14 |
| yy/m/d | Chinese, Korean, or Japanese | 14/1/12 |
| d/m/yy | English (United Kingdom) or French (France) | 12/1/14 |
Minitab interprets 2-part dates (month and day, without the year) based on regional settings. For example, if the regional setting is m/d/yy or yy/m/d, Minitab interprets 1/12 as January 12 of the current year. However, if the regional setting is yy/d/m, Minitab interprets the 2-part date 1/12 as December 1 of the current year. Minitab always interprets a 2-part date that includes a 4-digit year as a month and a year.
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