In MapInfo 2019, when I go to Open Table and select a Excel file, all the fields default to Character type. But in Excel they are formatted Number type.
Solution
This issue is fixed in MapInfo 2019.1 which can be downloaded with the latest Discover bundle here -
This is a regression defect introduced in MapInfo 2019. To workaround the issue, you can save the Excel file as a CSV. A CSV file can still be eited in Excel, and it will defualt to the appropriate fields types when opened in MapInfo.