Importing (and "Destring"-ing) Data From Excel (Again)

Practical questions on how to import Excel data sets into Stata seem to follow a five-year (or so) cycle. While invaluable (and relatively inexpensive) data conversion software (e.g., StatTransfer) can mange most situations, how Stata "reads" imported Excel data that may include a blend of "alpha" and "numeric" data can trip folks up. A recent discussion on the Stata Listserv (here) on the utility of Stata's "destring" command may assist.