SnapCommitBANK CSV & TABLE CLEANUP GUIDES
US and European number formats in copied tables
Choose the number convention used by the original table before removing separators. 1,234.56 and 1.234,56 can represent the same amount, but swapping commas and periods blindly can change values.
Decimal marks and grouping marks do different jobs
In 1,234.56, the comma groups thousands and the period starts the decimal part. In 1.234,56, those roles are reversed. A file's language, your computer's region and the source report's convention may not match. Inspect the source instead of relying on a country label alone.
| Input | Selected source format | SnapCommit output |
|---|---|---|
| $1,234.50 | 1,234.56 | 1234.50 |
| €1.234,50 | 1.234,56 | 1234,50 |
| (1.250,75) | 1.234,56 | -1250,75 |
SnapCommit retains the selected decimal convention. It removes recognized grouping marks; it does not change the currency or convert the final output to your spreadsheet's regional settings.
Use a value with decimals to identify the convention
A whole-table example such as 1.234,56 is more informative than an isolated 1,234. That isolated string could mean one thousand two hundred thirty-four or a decimal number, depending on context. Check a column heading, a source note or another value containing both separators.
- Find a source value with a decimal part and check which separator introduces it.
- Select that number format in SnapCommit.
- Clean and inspect the change log. Unexpected amber warnings can reveal mixed or malformed formatting.
- If different sections use different conventions, process them separately.
- Use the same decimal convention when you import the resulting CSV into a spreadsheet.
Why global find-and-replace can fail
Removing every comma would turn a decimal-comma value such as 12,50 into 1250. Replacing every period with a comma can also damage text labels, dates or identifiers. Numeric cleanup should depend on the cell's meaning and the source convention.
SnapCommit flags values it cannot interpret under your selected format. Review those cells rather than assuming every warning can be fixed by changing a separator.
An Excel formula option
Excel's NUMBERVALUE function accepts explicit decimal and grouping separators. For example, =NUMBERVALUE("1.234,50",",",".") parses that text as a number. Formula argument separators can differ with your Excel locale. Microsoft's NUMBERVALUE documentation explains the arguments and error cases.
Preserve context along with the values
Keep the source headings and units. A cleaned cell cannot tell you whether an amount was reported in euros, dollars or thousands. Keep a copy of the source, and check the result before including it in a model or report.