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I've redacted the names, emails, and course names to protect the guilty.  ;-p  The imported file is an Excel PivotTable (i.e., Crosstab in Access), but I cannot change the file's format. (I'm stuck with what I receive.)  The fieldname for the date value is [Completion Date], which imports as a complete date value, as you can see.  I want to create a report showing which courses are past due using conditional formatting.  Courses expiration variously at four different intervals: initial (one time only), annual (every year), bi-annual (every two years), and tri-annual (every three years).  The table also has primary and foreign keys on the two left columns.

I would import the data into a temp table first, then use an append query to get the data into a properly formatted table with the right field names and data types. Once you have that, it should just be an easy matter of setting up the conditional formatting the way you want it. Don't try to apply CF to tables you've imported directly from Excel. Always use that intermediate step. Give it a go, and if you still can't get it to work, let me know. I've got a bunch of questions in the TechHelp bin that are similar to this.