XL: AutoSelect May Detect a Double Header

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition
• Microsoft Excel for Windows NT, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

When the first two rows of your database contain all text and you click Sort or AutoFilter on the Data menu (commands that automatically select a range of cells), the second row of text may be treated as the header row.

CAUSE

When two complete rows of text are at the beginning of the database and the third row contains text and numbers or just numbers, the auto detect features of Microsoft Excel may treat your second row of the database as the header row. This behavior will occur if all of your fields for the second row in your database contain text values. If just one field in this second row contains a numeric value, then your first row of the database will be treated as the header row.

WORKAROUND

If you want all of your rows to be included in the database, and if you want the first row to be treated as the header row, then select all of the cells in your database prior to using either the Sort or the AutoFilter commands.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.