I import a lot of data from different sources into excel. When I format a
column the cell does not refresh automatically. I have to manually enter the
cell and hit F2 for the formatting to take. When I am dealing with thousands
of rows, this is impossible to to. Is there a trick I don't know about that
can help me?

For example, one source might import a social security number in text format
with dashes (999-99-9999) while another will import it as a number
(999999999). I have the same problem with dates.

If anyone else has experience this problem, your advice would be appreciated.