Help with dates please - novice alert!

[pinkpopster]

Hi there
I am a new user to Excel - I am devising a worksheet to contain details people enquiring about and booking two holiday properties. I want to be able to input an arrival date, and if that date for that property (and not the other property) has already been input in another cell in the same column ('arrival date') then I want an error alert to let me know I am double-booking. Does that make sense? It's important that if the client is booking the same date for the other property, that I am allowed to input it.

Any suggestions and help gratefully received - and many thanks for even looking (and probably laughing!)

[Carim]

Hi,

Nobody is laughing ...
In addition for a newbie, it is already a tough question ...
In my opinion, best solution is to use
Data Validation to avoid duplicate in your column say column B
Select cells B2:B50
Choose Data Data Validation
Choose Allow: Custom
Formula
=COUNTIF($B$2:$B$50,B2)<=1

HTH
Carim

[pinkpopster]

Hi again Carim
Many thanks for that - it does work, but it flags up the error even if the arrival date is for the other holiday property. Is there a way to extend the formula so that it's only a problem if the previous column has the same info too? The previous column has the name of the property in it - either 'OK' or 'OH', and if the property and the date match then the error is flagged up?
I hope I'm explaining myself articulately! If there isn't a way to do that, then you have still helped a great deal.
thanks again.

[Carim]

Well ...
Let me tell you that for a start ... it's a heck of start ...
Data validation formula should look like :

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make sure to adjust your ranges, as need be ...
make sure the validation formula is adjusted in all your range ...
and let me know if it is working properly ...

HTH
Carim

[pinkpopster]

Carim - you are a genius!
I have no idea how that works, but it does. I'm so in awe that I may not be able to take all the credit for that at work...
Thank you so much for your help!
Valerie (pinkpopster)

[Carim]

Valérie,

I am quite glad you can take all the credit at work ...
Because you were interested in solving the issue ...(as opposed to those who keep talking without acting...)

Thanks for the feedback

Cheers
Carim