My calculation is as follows: GetAsNumber (Appointment Type). I cannot figure out why my GetAsNumber function keeps returning negative values.

For instance, the following text: Diagnostic Interview (90801)

returns the value of: -90801

and I want it to return: 90801

Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks in advance!

"(56)" means negative 56 in accounting. GetAsNumber apparently is interpreting that. You could try applying Filter first:

  GetAsNumber( Filter( Appointment Type; "0123456789"))

Problem solved! Thanks.

Shawn, can you explain why you still used GetAsNumber()? Wouldn't Filter() by itself have produced the same thing in this instance? I thought originally it might be because many diagnoses can contain a decimal (DSMIV, for instance) but even that wouldn't make a difference in this situation; neither would minus.

You simply don't do things without reason but I can't spot it and I want to understand! Can you help me out?

Oh, well, leading zeros I suppose - if they should be dropped off.

Edited February 18, 200818 yr by Guest

Filter ( "Diagnostic Interview (0123)" ; "0123456789" ) = "0123"

GetAsNumber ( Filter ( "Diagnostic Interview (0123)" ; "0123456789" ) ) = 123

BTW:

Abs ( "Diagnostic Interview (0123)" ) = 123

Oh, well, leading zeros I suppose - if they should be dropped off.

That's a good reason but I didn't even think it over - the original was returning a number type so I was just sticking with that. :