title: Excel How to stop LEFT formula after meeting first Alpha in string
body: <p>So i am trying to extract just a specific part of text strings (part numbers) for a vlookup,</p>
  
  <p>I have got a formula that gives me the part number I want for most cases, which stops the LEFT formula after it reaches the last number in the text string. Some of the part numbers have more numbers further in the text string.</p>
  
  <p>I need the formula to return the text string until the last number but to stop once it changes back to Alpha again.
  I hope this makes sense I have attached a screenshot to example the issue and my code. If you look in column R and see the FR70YERXX/3, that should stop before the Y but i simply can't get my head round this one.<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zIgmU.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zIgmU.jpg" alt="Excel Find formula issue"></a></p>
  
  <pre><code>=LEFT(J2,MAX(IFERROR(FIND({1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0},J2,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&amp;LEN(J2)))),0)))
  </code></pre>