1. Use the interpretation functions: If you have the date as text or as a number that is not a date serial number, you will need to use an interpretation function, e.g. Date#() or Timestamp#().
2. Nest functions: If you want to display the date a specific way, you may need to nest an interpretation function inside a formatting function, e.g. Date(Date#(DateField, 'YYYYMMDD'), 'M/D/YY').
3. Use the MakeDate function: If you have Year, Month and Day as separate fields, use the MakeDate() function to create a date serial number.
4. Use the rounding functions: If you have a timestamp and you want a date, you should probably use a rounding function, e.g. Date(Floor(Timestamp#(DateTimeField, 'YYYYMMDD hh:mm:ss')), 'M/D/YY').
5. Use the numeric value in variables: If you want to use the variable for comparisons, it is simpler to use the date serial number rather than the textual representation, e.g. Let vToday = Num( Today() ).
6. Use combination fields, e.g. Year and Month as one field: It is often practical to display both year and month in one field, e.g. Date(MonthStart(DateField),'YYYY-MMM')
7. Use the Dual function: If you want more complicated combinations of a string with an associated numeric value, you can do almost anything using the Dual() function.
8. Use the Alt function for fields with mixed date formats: If you have a field with mixed date formats, you can resolve them using the Alt() function.
