# Find first non-numeric character in text string



## Bruce White (Jul 7, 2014)

I need to find the position of the first non-numeric character in a text string. I have a text string in a column named "Right". Here is the Excel function I use:
=MIN(FIND({"A";"B";"C";"D";"E";"F";"G";"H";"I";"J";"K";"L";"M";"N";"O";"P";"Q";"R";"R";"S";"T";"U";"V";"W";"X";"Y";"Z"},[@Right]&
"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ",1))

[@Right] is used because my data is a table.

When I try to use this function in a PowerPivot table, the semi-colons get flagged as not the correct syntax. The individual letters in brackets and the addition of the entire alphabet at the end of the string in [@Right] is to prevent an error coming from the FIND function.

Anyone know how to do something equivalent in PowerPivot?

Thanks!

Bruce


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## scottsen (Jul 7, 2014)

ouch.  I hope somebody else has a good idea, cuz my best so far is "don't do that"     Like, is it possible to do this BEFORE you get to Power Pivot?

MIN() isn't really supported in the way you used it (Power Pivot has min, but its for columns of data).
There is FIND() and SEARCH(), but they don't support passing multiple values like your whacky excel array range syntax thingy.

It is certainly POSSIBLE to do this in Power Pivot, but I can't think of way that isn't pretty complicated.  Anybody else?


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