It sounds to me that you need a table with all possible variations of part
numbers in one column and a corresponding column of equivalent part numbers.
You need something like this if part A rev A can be replaced by part a rev B
or part A rev C, but part A rev C cannot be replaced by prior versions. They
have to be treated as different parts. I doubt that part A left can be
replaced by part A right.

It also sounds to me like you have a database app on a spreadsheet. This may
be the best solution, but if the business is growing this could bite you.

A lot of "Excel problems" are really business problems, they just ain't
doing it right.


"sparklyballs"
wrote in message
news:sparklyballs.2cq4yo_1155885004.1319@excelforu m-nospam.com...

i have to do a shortage analysis of various part numbers at work.
i do this on a weekly basis , putting each weeks new data in a new
worksheet.
i need to be able to find the most common occuring part no. across
these worksheets.
the problem i have that these part numbers have various different
formats
some are just plain numbers eg 1234
some have a stroke and a number after them to denote a left and right
pair of the same part eg 1234/1.
the last type has the stroke for left and right, and an additional
stroke and a letter to denote revision changes to parts eg 1234/1/A
the part numbers are anywhere from 2 digits up to 7 digits.
is there a way to find which part occurs most so that i can then inform
the right people that they need to concentrate on the particular part.
the part numbers are always in the same column on each worksheet.


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