Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks
Excel is coming out with a new feature that allows you to keep leading zeros. When entering data in Excel, it is important to know when to use Text vs. Number fields. Users will frequently use numbers when they should use text. Examples of fields that should be text include Social Security Number, Employee number, Product Number, Zip codes, and account numbers. The reason they are text is they may have leading zeros, and you are not going to need to perform a calculation on them.
Credit Chris Menard