Python – Convert excel serial date to datetime

Last Updated : 14 Sep, 2021

This article will discuss the conversion of an excel serial date to DateTime in Python.

The Excel “serial date” format is actually the number of days since 1900-01-00 i.e., January 1st, 1900. For example, the excel serial date number 43831 represents January 1st, 2020, and after converting 43831 to a DateTime becomes 2020-01-01.

By using xlrd.xldate_as_datetime() function this can be achieved. The xlrd.xldate_as_datetime() function is used to convert excel date/time number to datetime.datetime object.

Syntax: xldate_as_datetime (xldate, datemode)

Parameters: This function accepts two parameters that are illustrated below:

xldate: This is the specified excel date that will converted into datetime.

datemode: This is the specified datemode in which conversion will be performed.

Return values: This function returns the datetime.datetime object.

First, call xlrd.xldate_as_datetime(date, 0) function to convert the specified Excel date to a datetime.datetime object. Then, call datetime.datetime.date() function on the returned datetime.datetime object to return the date as a datetime.date object. Lastly, call datetime.date.isoformat() function to convert the returned datetime.date object to a ISO format date string.

Let’s see some examples to illustrate the above algorithm:

Example: Python program to convert excel serial date to string date

Python3

# Python3 code to illustrate the conversion 
# of excel serial date to datetime 
  
# Importing xlrd module 
import xlrd 
  
# Initializing an excel serial date 
xl_date = 43831
  
# Calling the xldate_as_datetime() function to 
# convert the specified excel serial date into 
# datetime.datetime object 
datetime_date = xlrd.xldate_as_datetime(xl_date, 0) 
  
# Calling the datetime_date.date() function to convert 
# the above returned datetime.datetime object into 
# datetime.date object 
date_object = datetime_date.date() 
  
# Calling the isoformat() function to convert the 
# above returned datetime.date object into the 
# ISO format date string 
string_date = date_object.isoformat() 
  
# Getting the converted date string as output 
print(string_date) 
  
# Getting the type of returned date format 
print(type(string_date)) 

Output:

2020-01-01
<class 'str'>

Example 2: Python program to convert excel serial number to DateTime

Python3

# Python3 code to illustrate the conversion 
# of excel serial date to datetime 
  
# Importing xlrd module 
import xlrd 
  
# Initializing an excel serial date 
xl_date = 43831
  
# Calling the xldate_as_datetime() function to 
# convert the specified excel serial date into 
# datetime.datetime object 
datetime_date = xlrd.xldate_as_datetime(xl_date, 0) 
  
# Calling the datetime_date.date() function to convert 
# the above returned datetime.datetime object into 
# datetime.date object 
date_object = datetime_date.date() 
  
# Getting the converted date date as output 
print(date_object) 
  
# Getting the type of returned date format 
print(type(date_object)) 

Output:

2020-01-01
<class 'datetime.date'>

Pandas Convert Date (Datetime) To String Format

Kanchan_Ray

Improve

Article Tags :

Practice Tags :

python

Python – Convert excel serial date to datetime

Python3

Python3

Similar Reads

Thank You!

What kind of Experience do you want to share?