#UNPARSEABLE error on my date using parent/child relationship

Leighmercado

What is wrong with my formula for parent/child relation?

=IF((COUNT(CHILDREN(Start Date@row))) > 0, INDEX(CHILDREN(Start Date@row), 1), "")

All other columns are working fine except for my dates.

Samuel Mueller

@Leighmercado you definitely have to have the brackets if you include the column name. Invalid column value is because you are putting a date in a non date column.

To get around this error, you can add a "" to the end of the formula, like this:

=IF(COUNT(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row)) > 0, INDEX(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row), 1), "")+""

You could also reduce your formula to this:

=IFERROR(INDEX(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row), 1), "") + ""

Samuel Mueller

see below

Samuel Mueller

@Leighmercado You need brackets around start date:

=IF(COUNT(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row)) > 0, INDEX(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row), 1), "")

If it's in the same column, you don't even need start date at all, like this

=IF(COUNT(CHILDREN()) > 0, INDEX(CHILDREN(), 1), "")

Leighmercado

@Samuel Mueller I tried both - with the bracket and without - now getting #INVALID COLUMN VALUE error

Samuel Mueller

@Leighmercado you definitely have to have the brackets if you include the column name. Invalid column value is because you are putting a date in a non date column.

To get around this error, you can add a "" to the end of the formula, like this:

=IF(COUNT(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row)) > 0, INDEX(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row), 1), "")+""

You could also reduce your formula to this:

=IFERROR(INDEX(CHILDREN([Start Date]@row), 1), "") + ""

Leighmercado

Thank you @Samuel Mueller! it worked!