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Join dates with text in report headers (and auto-updating copyright years)
Prevent raw date serial numbers like 46143 when concatenating report titles by wrapping dates in TEXT(..., "yyyy-mm-dd") and YEAR.
Why "As of " & DateCell prints "As of 46143"
Cell number formatting only changes visual display—underneath, May 1, 2026 is serial integer 46,143. Concatenating "Report as of " & B2 coerces the underlying integer directly into text ("Report as of 46143").
Wrapping date cells in TEXT(B2, "yyyy-mm-dd") formats the serial BEFORE concatenation ("Report: 2026-05-01 to 2026-05-31"), while YEAR(B2) builds self-updating copyright footers ("Copyright 2021-2026 Acme Corp").
| Formula Pattern | Output |
|---|---|
| ="Period: " & TEXT(B2,"yyyy-mm-dd") & " to " & TEXT(C2,"yyyy-mm-dd") | Period: 2026-05-01 to 2026-05-31 |
| ="Copyright " & A2 & IF(YEAR(B2)>A2, "-" & YEAR(B2), "") & " " & D2 | Copyright 2021-2026 Acme Corp |
Date-range report banner and dynamic copyright formulas
In live dashboards without a fixed cutoff cell, substitute TODAY() for B2.
="Period: " & TEXT(B2, "yyyy-mm-dd") & " to " & TEXT(C2, "yyyy-mm-dd")Auto-updating copyright notice (single year vs year span)
Displays "Copyright 2021-2026 Acme Corp" in later years and "Copyright 2026 Acme Corp" in the first publication year.
="Copyright " & A2 & IF(YEAR(B2) > A2, "-" & YEAR(B2), "") & " " & D2Inputs and interpretation
Use valid numeric dates with the period end on or after its start. TODAY changes when the workbook recalculates; it is not a continuously ticking clock. The footer is a text-formatting example: choose the appropriate publication year and owner rather than assuming the company founding year determines copyright.
Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.