Date from Excel input file (Excel format as General) not reading into Schema

[kdv]

Hi

Please excuse if this is a stupid question as I am a newbie.

I have an Excel file (where I have no conrol over the formatting) that has the first two columns as dates in the format "dd-MM-yyyy".  When I open the Excl file and look at the formating of the cells, it shows as "General" (again, this is how it is provided to me).

If I define this column as type string and read it in, it comes in fine.  However, when I change the schema to Date type for those columns with format "dd-MM-yyyy", I get an error saying "The cell format is not Date in ( Row. x and ColumnNum. x )"

Any pointers please as to how to solve this as I would have thought this should be fairly bog-standard?

Thanks

[fdenis]

Excel may store date or text looking like date.
it depend on ow is this field filled.
Excel is a bad data file format dépend on regional settings!!!