What are the LEFT and SEARCH Functions and how do I used them in Excel 2007? The LEFT function returns the number of characters at the start of the text or data with in the cell. The SEARCH function will return a calculated number, which if used with the LEFT function to help return the number of characters from left to right in a cell. The training video here will show you how the functions work in tandem. Say for example you have a column of people's names that include both first and last name with a space delimiter separating them, you can used these two functions to extract the first names and apply or insert them into a second column.

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