How to Find IMEI Number of Any Mobile Phone

When you’re registering your phone, or trying to sell an old one online or even offline, you might be asked for your IMEI number. The IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) is a unique number assigned to every mobile phone sold via official channels. This number is very useful if you lose your phone, or if it is stolen. Police usually require you to mention the IMEI number when reporting your phone as stolen and, then, depending upon the local laws, your phone can be blocked from accessing networks or placing calls by blacklisting its IMEI.

Note that an IMEI is associated with a SIM slot, so dual SIM phones will have two IMEI numbers. Similarly, tablets with cellular connectivity will also have a IMEI number.

This makes the number important in emergency situations. And if the device is located, you can use the IMEI number to establish that it is indeed your phone. This is how to find your phone’s IMEI number.

When you have the phone:

USSD code

This is the simplest method of finding your phone’s IMEI number. The good thing about this method is that it is more or less universal. It works on almost all feature phones and smartphones, so try this before you go hunting for the phone’s bill.

Dial *#06# on your phone.

The IMEI number will now be displayed on the screen. You should note it down somewhere safe or you can always take a screenshot.

On the phone

If you have an iPhone 5 or newer iPhone, the IMEI is also engraved on the back panel. Just flip the phone to note it down. On iPhone 4s or older iPhones, the IMEI is printed on the SIM tray.

Check Settings

On Android, go to Settings > About > IMEI to see the IMEI number. Tap Status and scroll down to see the IMEI information.

On an iPhone, tap Settings > General > About and scroll down to IMEI.

On most other phones with a removable battery, the IMEI is printed on a sticker that is inside the phone, under the battery. Take the battery out to check.

When you don’t have the phone:

Retail box or bill

The retail box and the bill both have the IMEI number written on them, which is a good reason to keep them safe instead of throwing them out. Keep the box safe at least, because it will be useful if you need to check the IMEI, or if you choose to resell the phone at a later date. The IMEI number will be on the sticker on the side of the box.

Android

Android users can check their mobile’s IMEI number even if they have lost the mobile phone. All the methods mentioned above work perfectly and are faster, but if you’ve lost the phone and not kept the box, this can still bail you out.

Log in to Google Dashboard using the Google account linked to the Android phone.

Click Android, next to the green robot logo.

This will reveal a list of devices registered to the account, along with their IMEI numbers.

You can also track your phone using your IMEI number. Happy tracking your phone via IMEI number.

track IMEI

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) security

This was the reaction some of our colleagues received when they told their relatives & friends of the latest acquisition at NVISO: Our very own ATM (Automated Teller Machine)!

With this blog post, we want to walk our readers through the history of ATM security threats and explain the ATM R&D activities at NVISO. If you are interested in our ATM-related security services, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us!

First of all, ATM's are the main component of self-service banking functions used by millions of banking customers worldwide. In Europe alone, as of 30 June 2013, 400,000 ATM devices were deployed according to the European ATM Security group.  And they are here to stay: The strategy for a lot of European banks is to further automate the cash dispensing process, which usually means: more ATM's with more money in them and less branch employees.

Given this situation, it should be clear why these devices are a highly interesting target for criminals, so let's dive into the different attack techniques used!

Back when robbers were still wielding big guns and ammunition to rob banks, the initial focus of ATM security was to physically protect the money. This made perfect sense and was accomplished by a number of preventive measures (the diagram on the right shows a simplified version of the inside of an ATM machine):

• Securing the ATM's in place (e.g. build them into the wall);
• Storing the money in a vault;
• Using small ink bombs inside the cash cartridges to render stolen money useless;
• ...

Throughout the years, these measures were (quite successfully) further optimized, resulting in a low number of successful physical ATM heists (usually involving big vehicles and/or explosions that didn't go unnoticed).

Given the low success rate, attackers started moving away from the "physical" attack scenario and got a little smarter: instead of the money in the ATM directly, why not first target the customer (after all, information security dictates that humans are the weakest link)? Attackers would now attempt to clone customer cards and obtain valid PIN codes to later retrieve the money from other ATM's. This was done by a variety of techniques, including the installation of card skimmers, fake keypads and microscopical cameras on legitimate ATM's, as illustrated below:

A typical card skimming scam (Source: The Telegraph)

As in every cat-and-mouse game, the industry went a step further and developed means of protecting against this type of attacks using multiple techniques:

• The launch of end-user security awareness campaigns;
• Protecting the card-reader with anti-skimming devices;
• Encrypted PIN Pad's (EPP);
• ...

This historical introduction brings us to the current developments in ATM attacks: although the above-mentioned generation of attacks are still rather successful, attackers are already shifting their attention to the next big thing - once again targeting the ATM, but now from a logical (not a physical) perspective! To put things in perspective, there are a few things you should know about the ATM software:

1. Back in the 90's, ATM's ran proprietary software that was not immediately available for the general public. A bit of "security by obscurity" if you will, but it did prevent the majority of criminals to easily understand what made ATM's tick and what possible vulnerabilities could arise. Nowadays, banks want to select a specific ATM hardware vendor and possibly combine it with another ATM software provider (or develop their own). This leads to a more "open" environment which produces development standards such as CEN/XFS. Needless to say, this opens interesting opportunities for ATM-targeted malware, who of-course also have access to this information...

2. Together with the move to "open" standards, the majority of ATM devices is now Windows-based and the big majority is running Windows XP. This is a worrying statistic, given the upcoming end-of-support date for Windows XP (8 April 2014). Not even everyone is planning to immediately upgrade their ATM Operating Systems, as evidenced by this diagram from the "2013 ATM Software Trends & Analysis" guide (source: KAL):

3. ATM's are prone to network-based attacks. ATM's are obviously connected to the bank's internal networks, but Shodan even reveals several ATM's (or ATM honeypots :p) connected to the Public Internet!

From a criminal's perspective, the above trends are reducing ATM's from exotic / proprietary systems to everyday desktop computers running Windows-based operating systems, something they've been attacking for years and years! This shift is being evidenced by highly complex ATM malware samples such as the Ploutus ATM malware, which was discovered in September 2013:

• http://blog.spiderlabs.com/2013/10/having-a-fiesta-with-ploutus.html

• http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/backdoorploutus-reloaded-ploutus-leaves-mexico

ATM security research in itself is nothing new, and we'd also like to highlight the efforts that have previously been done by the likes of Barnaby Jack (see his Blackhat talk of 2010) and the researchers that presented at the German CCC conference in December 2013.

The reason for our ATM purchase is to perform additional research and identify new ways of both attacking and defending ATM systems, so keep an eye on our future publications. We can however already give you the following basic defense techniques:

-Protect your ATM BIOS to ensure it won't boot from foreign sources such as DVD/CD's or USB's;
-Encrypt the hard disk;
-Make sure your OS is up to date and follow up on security patches;
-Implement application white-listing techniques to prevent malware from running;
-Protect the ATM's from network-based attacks by placing them in a segmented, secured network area;
-Use protocols that provide integrity and confidentiality services for communications towards the back-end;
-Monitor your ATM's (camera protection and system-level monitoring) to ensure you can detect suspicious behavior & events.

Oh, and please: when you get rid of / sell your ATM, make sure to wipe / destroy the hard disk, because we've gathered quite some interesting information after the initial forensics we performed on our second-hand ATM. There's enough material for a next blog post ;).

If you've got some interesting experiences to share or questions to ask, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us!

To finish, some pics of our little beauty:

  

The Difference Between the MBA and other Postgraduate Management Degrees

A Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) is among the most popular graduate business degrees in the world. However, it is not the only one: there is a wide range of other graduate business and management degrees you may wish to pursue, including general MA courses in business areas, but also MComm and MIM (Masters in Management) courses, all of which offer themselves as an excellent alternative to an MBA. To decide which one is the best for you, it’s important to understand their key differences, the type of skills they build and all the possible career prospects they open.

There are some important differences between MBA and other postgraduate level management and business degrees, such as master’s degrees. Knowing these differences is important when deciding on the best program for your needs.

SEE ALSO: Study an MBA

1. Skills Gained

One of the major differences is the type of skills you build. An MBA degree is designed to expand on your skills in the field and to make a you into a competitive professional and manager. Most master’s degrees are focused on academia and building a solid academic background on the areas involved in management. In short, an MBA programme is focused on professional skills whilst master’s degrees focus on academic skills.

2. Teaching Style

Another important difference between these degrees is the teaching style. Most programmes combine various teaching styles, but generally speaking, master’s studies are built around classroom lectures, tutorials, and seminars. There are many presentations and a strong focus on business theory. MBA programs, on the other hand, deal with real-life business problems that students should understand, explore, discuss and finally solve. These problems are often presented in the form of case studies, with a greater practical approach on analysing the exact, real-life business problems. Typically, these issues are discussed in small groups.

3. Topics Covered

MBA programs are often generalised and intended to develop a fundamental knowledge in all aspects of the business world. The goal is to build professional skills that students will be able to apply in many different professional situations. This degree prepares you for a wide range of scenarios in finance, accounting and other fields. Master’s programs, on the other hand, tend to be more specialised. They deal with one specific field or a subfield that students explore in greater detail, such as HR or marketing. In this sense, master’s programs offer a more specialised knowledge but may not build skills for solving problems in the business world. To make comparing MBAs and Master’s more confusing though, many MBAs are now being offered with specialisations which make them more focused on a particular industry such as healthcare or energy – unlike masters courses these are designed for professionals in those fields rather than business professionals aspiring to those areas.

SEE ALSO: MBA in Healthcare Management

4. Work Experience

Most MBA programs encourage or require students to seek summer internship and work placements with reputable companies or to participate in projects within various organisations. This is intended to prepare you for future management positions. Master’s degrees may focus on a different type of experience and may encourage students to perform their own research in their specialised field.

5. Employment

It’s important to note though that both MBA and master’s degrees offer a wide range of opportunities when it comes to employment. Generally speaking however, an MBA is a good choice for those who wish to run their own business or to seek management and executive positions in large companies. Master’s degrees, on the other hand, have a narrow focus and they prepare you for research and academic life or for jobs in this specific field, especially when it comes to positions requiring a strong theoretical background.

For these reasons, MBA and other business degrees are not interchangeable and therefore, it’s important to understand your goals and requirements before choosing the best programme for your needs.

What do the differences mean for you?

Only you can decide if an MBA degree is a better choice for you than a master’s degree. This decision will depend on several factors, above all, your professional and academic goals, as well as your interests and previous business experience in the field. Management experience is a prerequisite for most MBAs, as you will be required to draw upon your experiences as part of your programme.

Remember, one of the key differences is that an MBA degree builds general business management skills, such as problem-solving, whilst master’s programs are more focused on a specific field. Consequently, it means an MBA degree will prepare you for a wide range of generalised management positions whereas a master’s degree is designed for a specific career path in the chosen field.

For example, when it comes to finance, students of master’s courses spend almost three times as much time focusing on finance and accounting as students in an MBA degree programs do. It means that a graduate business degree, such as a Masters in Accounting and Finance, is ideal for those who wish to have a narrow focus on finance and accounting and build specialised skills in this field. On the other hand, an MBA course is better for those who need only generalised knowledge in finance but who also wish to develop a wide range of other business skills, such as statistics or general economics.

Another thing you should consider is your business experience. If you are not particularly experienced in the field and you wish to get a more specialised education and skills, a master’s degree in the field might be a good solution. However, if you have several years of management level experience and you wish to expand your business skills even further to push for a promotion, an MBA degree might be the best choice for you. Please note that most MBA programmes require you to have several years management experience so you can follow the courses more easily. Prior business experience will also make it easier for you to apply all the issues and case studies to real-life problems and to understand how to use your new skills in real business situations.

MBA programmes are generally more expensive than postgraduate management degrees, with some costing in excess of £50,000. A postgraduate business management degree on the otherhand may cost less than £10,000, so financially, a masters programme is by far the cheaper option, making it a tempting alternative to an MBA. It can be argued however that the earnings potential of an MBA graduate far outweighs the negative aspects of the higher fees associated with MBA programmes.

An MBA degree program is ideal for:

• Business people looking to gain additional skills.
• Managers aspiring to executive and leadership positions.
• High level executives who are looking for a qualification to accompany their experience as a manager/leader.

A master’s business degree is ideal for:

• People who wish to build specialised skills and focus on one particular field.
• Recent graduates with little hands on business experience.
• Students who are more oriented towards theory and interested in performing extensive research in a chosen field.

What do the differences mean to future employers?

The differences between an MBA degree and other business degrees are also important to your future employers. It’s important to understand that holding either degree is a benefit and proves that you have good knowledge of your field. In that sense, employers tend to consider them both.

However, the differences often come into play for example, if you’re seeking employment which requires a specialised knowledge in a field, then having a master’s degree in that field will always be an advantage. For example, a company looking for a HR professional will be more likely employ someone with a master’s degree in HR.

SEE ALSO: Search for a Master’s degree in HR

On the other hand, an MBA degree is a sign you possess many necessary skills in the business and that you are willing to go beyond basics. An MBA degree has more focus on management and leading, showing your ability for teamwork, excellent communication, flexibility and, above all, your ability to solve real business problems.

Finally, there is another thing you need to keep in mind. MBAs and other business degrees are among the most popular postgraduate qualifications, which means the market is constantly flooded with recent graduates. This benefits those students who have found additional ways to stand out from the crowd, one such example of this is how highly regarded the institution or business school is within the field. Some business schools are known for their strengths in particular sub-fields of business and management and this will only benefit the career progression of graduates looking to work in the field.  This may influence your further career, so it’s something you should consider.

Why not find out more about MBA degrees in our MBA directory or find out more about studying a postgraduate business degree abroad. You can also use our search tool at the top of the page to find your ideal postgraduate business degree or MBA.

How To Properly Patch and Repair Your Network Cables

Network cables are the arteries and veins of the Internet. A cabled network is the most reliable of the available options for setting up network infrastructure as it provides the highest speeds, is less prone to failure and has fewer points of failure to check during troubleshooting. Being less prone to failure, though, does not make it foolproof. Cables get twisted, caught in doors, have clips broken and become unreliable as they’re pulled and tied in knots during transport.

Today, we're going to help you to become "that guy" who can fix network cables. Y’know, the guy who brings a roll of bare Ethernet cable, a crimping tool and a bag of 8P8C plugs to every single LAN, just in case. We’re here to tell you, that guy is awesome.

Cable Type: The Choice is Yours

Whether you choose to use Cat5e or Cat6 cable is entirely up to you and your budget. If you can get Cat6 for a reasonable price then there is no reason not to as it is the superior option. That said, unless you’re making cables that will be installed into your home on a permanent basis there is little need to bother with Cat6 at this point in time. The advantages that it provides won’t be utilized by consumer grade networking gear any time soon, until home networks achieve speeds greater than 1 Gbit/s. This guide below will focus on Cat5e.

An Anatomy Lesson

To the naked eye, the anatomy of the different cables does not significantly differ between categories, though each can be identified by the text printed along the length of the cable. The major differences are found in the shielding and how tightly the wire pairs are twisted. A Cat6 cable is better able to avoid crosstalk and provide faster speeds than the Cat5 variants thanks to it’s heavier wire shielding and tighter pair twists. This makes our job easier, as it means that the guide below will be applicable no matter your chosen cable standard.

A Cat5e cable is made up of four twisted pairs of wires, each independently color shielded. These wires terminate at 8P8C jack plugs, or RJ45s as they’re more commonly (albeit mistakenly) known. As it turns out, “RJ45” refers to the 8P8C male plug and female socket in conjunction with the a common telephony wiring standard. The vast majority of network cables that we encounter use 8P8C jacks and sockets, and the T568A or T568B wiring standard. That said, “RJ45” is used colloquially often enough that perpetuating the misconception in conversation is unlikely to result in ridicule.

The 8P8C modular connector is a molded plastic jack plug with eight raised, gold-colored pins at one end, and a crimp tooth at the other. The plug is a solder-less design, meaning that each individual wiring job is relatively quick and easy, but will require the acquisition of a specialized tool. A crimping tool is used both to firmly attach the plug to the cable, and to make contact between the pins on the plug and the wires inside their colored shielding. Two types of 8P8C connector exist to suit both stranded, and the less common solid Ethernet cable. Both will work with any available crimping tool, but be sure to purchase the correct connector for your cable type to guarantee a reliable electrical connection.

Wiring Standards

Whether you choose to use the T568A or B wiring standard is up to you. T568B is more commonly used in the US, while Canada and Australia favor T568A. Both standards require a single cable to be at most 100 meters in length. The only major difference between the two that concerns us is the reversed position of the green and orange wires. For the purposes of non-installation home networking, the choice is largely irrelevant as long as you make sure to use the same standard at each end of a single cable. Note that if you choose to have cables installed in the walls of your home, government regulations on standards choice may apply. The photos below use the T568A standard. For reference, the numbers in the diagram correspond with the pins on the 8P8C modular connector, left to right when the locking clip is facing away from you.

The Tools You’ll Need

A length of Cat5e cable, a crimping tool with cable stripper/cutter, 8P8C jacks (more than two - mistakes happen), plug boots, cable tester. All of these tools should be available at your local electronics parts and spare store, or Amazon.

The Repair Process

Choose and cut your desired length of cable. Remember to allow a little extra for mistakes.
If you have them, add the plug boots to your cable now. Once an 8P8C jack has been crimped to a cable it cannot be temporarily removed, only cut off and replaced.

Strip the outer shielding from the cable, roughly 1.5 centimeters. Most crimping tools have guides which will help to expose the correct length of wire. Check the eight exposed wires to ensure that you didn’t inadvertently expose the copper within. If this occurs, simply cut and strip again.

Some network cables have a length of fibers running through them to help to strengthen the cable and bulk out the core. Cut these away with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife.
Reorder the wires according to the desired wiring scheme. This can be a fiddly and troublesome task thanks to the fact that the eight wires are divided into four twisted pairs. Do what you can to end up with a flat group of wires without any tangling.
Because you have untwisted the pairs, you’ll notice that the wires are no longer even lengths. Trim to remedy this situation, as it is imperative that each wire is of an even length to ensure a solid connection.

Straighten all of the lengths of wire and line them up in the correct order. Hold them tightly between your finger and thumb ready for insertion into the plug.

Each wire should easily slide into their designated slots in the plug. Double check that you have maintained the correct order during this process. Each of the wires should reach the far wall of the plug in order to be pierced by each of the teeth on the pins.

Triple check your wiring order and that there is a good amount of blue shielding underneath the crimping crimp. It is worth making these checks because once a plug has been crimped onto cable, it can’t be removed and reused.
Insert the plug into the correct slot on the crimping tool. Ensure that you have inserted it into the correct side of the tool - the teeth on the tool should correspond with the pins on the plug.

When you’re sure that everything is in the right place, go ahead and crimp. Press the plug firmly into the socket on the crimping tool and squeeze the handles together. Two or three squeezes should ensure a firm crimp. You’ll notice that the raised pins have been pushed down so that their teeth pierce the wire shielding and make contact with the copper within.

Slide the plug boots up so that they cover the clips and you’re finished! All that is left to do is confirm that your cable works by using a cable tester, or by simply attempting normal use of the cable.

Now that you have the knowledge and tools necessary for performing network cable repairs, it might be time to have a look over the cables that you currently have in use around your network. Replace any jacks with broken locking clips, frayed shielding or cracks in their housing. Eliminating doubt about the state of your physical network infrastructure will leave you free to troubleshoot problems from the comfort of your office chair, rather than crawling around on hands and knees confirming that all of your cables are in place.

50 Famous People Who Failed at Their First Attempt at Career Success

I loved this post.  It tells the stories of “50 Famously Successful People Who Failed at First.”  These people come from all walks of life.  But they shared one characteristic in common — the commitment to their own career success.  I am very happy to repost it here…
 

50 Famously Successful People Who Failed at First

Not everyone who’s on top today got there with success after success. More often than not, those who history best remembers were faced with numerous obstacles that forced them to work harder and show more determination than others. Next time you’re feeling down about your failures in college or in a career, keep these fifty famous people in mind and remind yourself that sometimes failure is just the first step towards success.

Business Gurus

These businessmen and the companies they founded are today known around the world, but as these stories show, their beginnings weren’t always smooth.

1. Henry Ford: While Ford is today known for his innovative assembly line and American-made cars, he wasn’t an instant success. In fact, his early businesses failed and left him broke five time before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company.

2. R. H. Macy: Most people are familiar with this large department store chain, but Macy didn’t always have it easy. Macy started seven failed business before finally hitting big with his store in New York City.

3. F. W. Woolworth: Some may not know this name today, but Woolworth was once one of the biggest names in department stores in the U.S. Before starting his own business, young Woolworth worked at a dry goods store and was not allowed to wait on customers because his boss said he lacked the sense needed to do so.

4. Soichiro Honda: The billion-dollar business that is Honda began with a series of failures and fortunate turns of luck. Honda was turned down by Toyota Motor Corporation for a job after interviewing for a job as an engineer, leaving him jobless for quite some time. He started making scooters of his own at home, and spurred on by his neighbors, finally started his own business.

5. Akio Morita: You may not have heard of Morita but you’ve undoubtedly heard of his company, Sony. Sony’s first product was a rice cooker that unfortunately didn’t cook rice so much as burn it, selling less than 100 units. This first setback didn’t stop Morita and his partners as they pushed forward to create a multi-billion dollar company.

6. Bill Gates: Gates didn’t seem like a shoe-in for success after dropping out of Harvard and starting a failed first business with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen called Traf-O-Data. While this early idea didn’t work, Gates’ later work did, creating the global empire that is Microsoft.

7. Harland David Sanders: Perhaps better known as Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, Sanders had a hard time selling his chicken at first. In fact, his famous secret chicken recipe was rejected 1,009 times before a restaurant accepted it.

8. Walt Disney: Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked.

Scientists and Thinkers

These people are often regarded as some of the greatest minds of our century, but they often had to face great obstacles, the ridicule of their peers and the animosity of society.

9. Albert Einstein: Most of us take Einstein’s name as synonymous with genius, but he didn’t always show such promise. Einstein did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.

10. Charles Darwin: In his early years, Darwin gave up on having a medical career and was often chastised by his father for being lazy and too dreamy. Darwin himself wrote, “I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect.” Perhaps they judged too soon, as Darwin today is well-known for his scientific studies.

11. Robert Goddard: Goddard today is hailed for his research and experimentation with liquid-fueled rockets, but during his lifetime his ideas were often rejected and mocked by his scientific peers who thought they were outrageous and impossible. Today rockets and space travel don’t seem far-fetched at all, due largely in part to the work of this scientist who worked against the feelings of the time.
12. Isaac Newton: Newton was undoubtedly a genius when it came to math, but he had some failings early on. He never did particularly well in school and when put in charge of running the family farm, he failed miserably, so poorly in fact that an uncle took charge and sent him off to Cambridge where he finally blossomed into the scholar we know today.

13. Socrates: Despite leaving no written records behind, Socrates is regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the Classical era. Because of his new ideas, in his own time he was called “an immoral corrupter of youth” and was sentenced to death. Socrates didn’t let this stop him and kept right on, teaching up until he was forced to poison himself.

Advance Excel Formula

What this Formula does ?

This Formula returns a Valid Date in proper format by accepting 3 Numeric values as parameters as mentioned below in the Syntax. The best part of this formula is, It does not throw any error, even if you enter the Month Number as more than 12 (Month Can be only 12) or Day Number as more than 31. In such case it calculates the next valid date based on the input parameter.

Syntax:

=DATE(YEAR,MONTH,DAY)
Where:
YEAR : Numeric Value for the Year. It accepts Two Digit of the Year format or Complete Year.MONTH : Numeric Value for the Month.DAY : Numeric Value for the Day.

Example:

Day	Month	Year	Date Returned by Formula	Formula Used
10	11	95	November 10, 1995	=DATE(A1,B1,C1)
32	12	95	January 1, 1996	=DATE(A2,B2,C2)
30	13	95	January 30, 1996	=DATE(E6,D6,C6)

Let’s Discuss the above example for each row:

ROW 1 : It has all valid parameters. It has all Day, Month and Year parameters as Valid one. Based on these parameters DATE() Formula returned corresponding Date.

ROW 2: It has all valid parameters except the Day. In Day parameter 32 is passed. 32 can not be a date in any of the Month of any Year. Formula will not through any error. It will check the Month. Here month is 12 i.e. December. December has 31 days. So one day is extra from the last date of December. So the Formula will automatically consider this Date as 1st January. Here year is mentioned is 95. But now the date is adjusted in January, so the Year will also be shifted to 1996. This is the reason for the ROW 2, formula Returns January 1, 1996.

ROW 3: Here Month is passed as 13. But in a Year only 12 months are possible and 12th Month is December, so 13th Month is considered as January Month of the Next Year. Therefore the formula returns as January 30, 1996

What this Formula does ?

Basically DATEDIF calculates difference between two dates. The most interesting part of this Function is that you can calculate the difference between two dates by a given intervals. If i say Intervals, what does it mean? Interval means, In what interval do you actually want the difference between two dates like total difference in Months, or Years or Days etc.
Syntax for the DATEDIF() Function:

=DATEDIF(StartDate, EndDate, Interval) 

Where:StartDate: is the First DateEndDate: is the Second DateInterval: This is the format or Type in which the difference you want
 

Note:

First Date should not be later than Second Date. If First Date is later than Second Date then the Formula will return an Error.
For Interval, we have few predefined Syntax, which you can use any one of them. Below is the list and Description for each of the Intervals
 

Interval	Meaning	Description
d	Day	Returns Total Number of Days between Two Dates
m	Month	Returns Total Number of Months between Two Dates
y	year	Returns Total Number of Years between Two Dates
yd	Days Excluding Years	Total Number of Days considering they are from the Same year.
ym	Months Excluding Years	Total Number of Months considering they are from the Same year.
md	Number of Days Excluding Years and Month	Total Number of Days considering they are from the Same Months and Same year.

Note:

1. If you are giving Dates and Interval Directly in your Formula then they both must be passed in DOUBLE QUOTES (“”) otherwise you can pass the reference directly.
=DATEDIF(StartDate,EndDate,”m”)

How to Calculate Age using this Function:

Using this Function we can calculate Age of Some One just by Passing his/her Birth date. In A1 Cell the Date of Birth is Kept. Considering that you can use the following Formula.
=DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),”y”)&” Years “&DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),”ym”)&” Months and “&DATEDIF(A1,TODAY(),”md”)&” Days”

DATEVALUE() Formula

TOP^

What this Formula does ?

The DATEVALUE() Function Converts a Date, which is stored as Text in Excel, in to a Numeric Value or Serial Number, which Excel recognizes as a Date.
DATEVALUE function is helpful when you want to Filter or Sort some data based on Date Value which is stored as Text format in Excel.
Serial Number returned by this formula, can be seen as Date format by changing the Cell format as Date.

Syntax:

=DATEVALUE(date_text)
Where:
date_text : It is required. It is a Text in Excel Date format or a Cell reference which is having Text in Excel Date format. For Example 01-Jan-2012 or 01/01/12 etc. date_text range is from 01-01-1900 to 31-12-9999. If you provide any date out of this range, then this Formula will return #VALUE Error.

Remarks:

Excel stores all the dates in a sequence. It starts from 01-01-1900 and this date is stored as 1, 02-01-1900 as 2 and so on. Sequence Number of 01-Jan-2008 39448. After 39447 days from 01-Jan-1900, date will be 01-Jan-2008.

Example:

Date Text	Date Value	Formula used to get Date Value
25-DEC-99	36519	=DATEVALUE(A1)
25/12/99	36519	=DATEVALUE(A2)
10-01-99	36170	=DATEVALUE(A3)

DAY() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The DAY() Function returns the day of a Date or corresponding Serial Number.

Syntax:

=DAY(serial_number)
Where:
serial_number : It is required. Searial_Number is the date you want to find the Day. It can accept either a date or the corresponding date value, which you get from DATEVALUE Function.

Example:

Date	Day Returned by Formula	Formula used to get Day Value
25-DEC-99	25	=DAY(A1)
31/12/99	31	=DAY(A2)
10-01-99	10	=DAY(A3)

Remarks:

Normally the result will be a number, but this can be formatted to show the actual day of the week by using Format,Cells,Number,Custom and using the code ddd or dddd.


The DAY() function can be used to calculate the name of the day for your birthday.

DAYS360() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The DAYS360() Function Returns the the number of days between two days. It calculates based on 360 (30 X 12 = 360)days in a year.

Syntax:

DAYS360(start_date, end_date, [method])
Where:
start_date & end_date : These both arguement are required. These are dates between which you want the Number of Days. If start_date occurs after end_date, the DAYS360 function returns a negative number.[method] : This is an optional Arguement. It specifies whether to use the U.S. or European method in the calculation. This is a Boolean Type arguement. If the Method is passed as TRUE, it means to use US calculation method and FALSE means to use European method in calculation.

What US and European Method of Calculation ?

US (Method – FALSE): If the starting date is the last day of a month, it becomes equal to the 30th day of the same month. If the ending date is the last day of a month and the starting date is earlier than the 30th day of a month, the ending date becomes equal to the 1st day of the next month; otherwise the ending date becomes equal to the 30th day of the same month.

European (Method – TRUE): Starting dates and ending dates that occur on the 31st day of a month become equal to the 30th day of the same month.

Example:

Start Date	End Date	Days between Two Days by Formula	Formula used to Calculate
01-Jan-98	05-Jan-98	4	=DAYS360(B1,C1,TRUE)
01-Jan-98	01-Feb-98	30	=DAYS360(B2,C2,TRUE)
01-Jan-98	31-Mar-98	89	=DAYS360(B3,C3,TRUE)

HOUR() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The HOUR() Function returns Hour of a given Time.

Syntax:

HOUR(serial_number)
Where:
Serial_Number: Is the time in number format. Time may be entered as Text strings within quotation marks (“5:30 AM”) or may be in Decimal format like 0.25 which represents 06:00:00 AM.
Result is always shown from 0 to 23.

Example:

Time Text	Hour	Formula used to get Hour
21:30	21	=HOUR(B1)
0.25	6	=HOUR(C1)

MINUTE() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The MINUTE() Function returns Minute of a given Time.

Syntax:

Minute(serial_number)
Where:
Serial_Number: Is the time in number format. Time may be entered as Text strings within quotation marks (“5:30 AM”) or may be in Decimal format like 0.25 which represents 06:00:00 AM.
Result is always shown from 0 to 59.

Example:

Time Text	Minute	Formula used to get Minute
17-07-2012 21:47	47	=MINUTE(B1)
21:15:00	15	=MINUTE(C1)
0.25	0	=MINUTE(D1)

MONTH() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The MONTH() Function returns Minute of a given Time.

Syntax:

MONTH(serial_number)
Where:
Serial_Number: is the date of the month you are trying to find. Date may be entered as Text strings like 01-Jan-1990 or may be the corresponding serial number of a valid date.

Example:

Original Date	Month Returned by the Formula	Formula used to get Month
01-Jan-98	1	=MONTH(B1)
01-Jan-98	January	=MONTH(C1)

Remarks:

Normally the result will be a number, but this can be formatted to show the actual month by using Format,Cells,Number,Custom and using the code mmm or mmmm.

NOW() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The NOW() Function shows the current date and time. The result will be updated each time the worksheet is opened and every time an entry is made anywhere on the worksheet. You can change the date and time format for the cell by using the commands in the Number group of the Home tab on the Ribbon.

Syntax:

NOW()
It does not have any arguement

Remarks:

The results of the NOW function change only when the worksheet is calculated or when a macro that contains the function is run. It is not updated continuously.

SECOND() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The SECOND() Function returns Minute of a given Time.

Syntax:

SECOND(serial_number)
Where:
Serial_Number: is the time of which Second you are trying to find. Time may be entered as Text strings like 6:00 AM or may be the corresponding decimal value of a valid time.

Example:

Original Time	Second Returned by the Formula	Formula used to get Second
4:48:18 PM	18	=SECOND(B1)
4:48 PM	0	=SECOND(C1)

Remarks:

Normally the result will be a number from 0 to 59.

TIME() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

This Formula returns a Valid Time in proper format by accepting 3 Numeric values as parameters as mentioned below in the Syntax. The best part of this formula is, It does not throw any error, even if you enter the Second Number as more than 60 (Second Can be only 60) or Minute Number as more than 60. In such case it calculates the next valid time based on the input parameter.

Syntax:

=TIME(HOUR,MINUTE,SECOND)
Where:
HOUR : Numeric Value for the Hour.MINUTE : Numeric Value for the Minute.SECOND : Numeric Value for the Second.

Example:

Hour	Minute	Second	Time Returned by Formula	Formula Used to get Time
14	30	59	14:30:59	=TIME(A1,B1,C1)
14	62	59	3:02:59 PM	=TIME(A2,B2,C2)
14	30	63	14:31:03	=TIME(E6,D6,C6)

Let’s Discuss the above example for each row:

ROW 1 : It has all valid parameters. It has all Second, Minute and Hour parameters as Valid one. Based on these parameters TIME() Formula returned corresponding Time.

ROW 2: It has all valid parameters except the Minute. In Minute parameter 62 is passed. 62 can not be a Minute Value. Formula will not through any error. Minute is more than 60 here. Therefore 1 hour will be added in the hour and remaining minute will be kept. So the Formula will automatically consider this Time as 15:02:59.

ROW 3: Here Second is passed as 63. But for Second more than 60 is not possible. Therefore 1 minute will be added in Minutes and and remaining second will be there in Second Part. There the time will be 14:30:59

TIMEVALUE() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The TIMEVALUE() Function Converts a Time, which is stored as Text in Excel, in to a Numeric Value or Serial Number, which Excel recognizes as Time.
TIMEVALUE function is helpful when you want to Filter or Sort some data based on Time Value which is stored as Text format in Excel.
Serial Number returned by this formula, can be seen as Time format by changing the Cell format as Time.

Syntax:

=TIMEVALUE(time_text)
Where:
time_text : It is required. It is a Text in Excel Time format or a Cell reference which is having Text in Excel Time format. For Example 14:30:59.

Example:

Time Text	Time Value	Formula used to get Time Value
14:30:59	0.604849537	=TIMEVALUE(A1)
14:30:59	14:30:59	=TIMEVALUE(A2)
14:30:59	2:30:59 PM	=TIMEVALUE(A3)

TODAY() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The TODAY() Function shows the current date. The result will be updated each time the worksheet is opened and every time an entry is made anywhere on the worksheet. You can change the date format for the cell by using the commands in the Number group of the Home tab on the Ribbon.

Syntax:

TODAY()
It does not have any arguement

Remarks:

The results of the TODAY() function change only when the worksheet is calculated or when a macro that contains the function is run. It is not updated continuously.

WEEKDAY() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The WEEKDAY() Function shows the day of the week from a date.

Syntax:

=WEEKDAY(serial_number, [type])
Where:
serial_number : It is required. It is date for which you want to know the Day.Type : It is an optional arguement. This is used to indicate the week day numbering system. There can be only following 3 values:

1 : will set Sunday as 1 through to Saturday as 7
2 : will set Monday as 1 through to Sunday as 7.
3 : will set Monday as 0 through to Sunday as 6.

Note : If you do not pass any value for this then the default value is considered as 1 by excel.

Example:

Date	Weekday Returned by Formula	Formula used to get Weekday
01-01-1998	5	=WEEKDAY(A1)
01-01-1998	5	=WEEKDAY(A2)
01-01-1998	5	=WEEKDAY(A3, 1)
01-01-1998	4	=WEEKDAY(A4 2)
01-01-1998	3	=WEEKDAY(A5 3)

YEAR() Formula

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What this Formula does ?

The YEAR() Function returns Minute of a given Time.

Syntax:

YEAR(serial_number)
Where:
Serial_Number: is the date of the YEAR you are trying to find. Date may be entered as Text strings like 01-Jan-1990 or may be the corresponding serial number of a valid date.

Example:

Original Date	Year Returned by the Formula	Formula used to get Year
01-Jan-98	1998	=YEAR(B1)

Remarks:

Normally the result will be a number, but this can be formatted to show the actual Year by using Format,Cells,Number,Custom and using the code mmm or mmmm.