I want to change the datatype of a column of a Dataframe imported from Excel.

The import succeeds, and I can change the data type of numeric columns (from the default 'anything' to, say, float).

But conversion fails for all string columns. For example:

DataNew := SubsDatatype(Data, "UN Region", string);

throws the following error:

Error, (in DataSeries:-SubsDatatype) in datatype conversion; try using the 'conversion' option for data type string

The column in question has values such as "Southern Asia", which I would have thought would convert.

What am I doing wrong?

I am brand new to Maple, both as a specific program and as an example of symbolic mathematical software (although years ago I spent some time with MathCad).

I am interested in referrals to online resources which can help me progress down the learning curve. I have a substantial background in application computer programming, mostly in C#.

So if there's such a thing as "Maple for Programmers" that might be ideal...particularly since I find Maple's syntax and semantics to be "just similar enough" to coding that it causes me a lot of frustration. As in, simply entering the examples from the online manual Just Doesn't Work :).

Thanx!

- Mark