You can use conditional formatting to colour the cells. For example,
with headings in cells A1:E1, dates in cells A2:A20, Qtr1 in B2:B2, Qtr2
in C2:C20, Qtr3 in D2:D20 and Qtr4 in E2:E20 --

Select cells B2:B20, with B2 as the active cell
Choose FormatConditional Formatting
From the first dropdown, choose Formula Is
In the formula box, type: =MONTH($A2)=1
Click the Format button
On the Pattern tab, select a colour
Click OK, click OK

Repeat for C2:C20, using the formula: =MONTH($A2)=4
Repeat for D2:D20, using the formula: =MONTH($A2)=7
Repeat for E2:E20, using the formula: =MONTH($A2)=10

dipsy wrote:
Hi! I have a column full of dates. I want to do the
following based on dates:

1. If date is Feb-05 - then I want to color only Qtr1
cell.
2. If date is Dec-05 - then I want to color Qtr1, Qtr2,
Qtr3 & Qtr4.

Is there a way to do it?

Thanks.


--
Debra Dalgleish
Excel FAQ, Tips & Book List
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html