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Unselected columns keep literal text, including leading zeros, = signs and error-looking labels. Selected numeric columns accept plain finite numbers; their empty cells are blank.
| Cell row | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Region | Status | Amount |
| 2 | East | Paid | 10 |
| 3 | West | Paid | 20 |
| 4 | East | Pending | 30 |
| 5 | East | Paid | -5 |
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Published help topic
Separate a literal label from a pattern
An asterisk in criteria can select more records than the label you intended.
- Decide whether the symbol is part of the stored label or a wildcard. Test a literal P* label alongside Pine so an overly broad match becomes visible.
- Excel criteria use ~ to escape a wildcard character. Operator equality and a criteria-function pattern are separate operations.
- Use the literal-label guide and its counterexample. Some guided tasks accept a narrower criteria contract and leave unsupported inputs ungraded.
Reference: Microsoft: wildcard characters
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