Excel automatically recognizes common formats, such as "3/17/2012," "Mar 17, 2012" or "17 Mar 2012." Use the Month function to extract the month number from a referenced cell.

To extract and sort non-adjacent arrays in your data, nest the CHOOSECOLS or CHOOSEROWS functions inside your SORT or SORTBY ...

Formulas are powerful tools for performing calculations and analyzing data in Excel. In this beginner’s guide, you’ll learn how to use formulas and explore some popular built-in functions.