Hands-on Practice 2

You want each customer's first order date regardless of the view. Use:

1. MIN(Order Date)
2. {FIXED [Customer ID] : MIN([Order Date])}
3. A table calculation
4. A context filter

Answer: {FIXED [Customer ID] : MIN([Order Date])} — FIXED pins the calculation to Customer ID whatever is on the shelves.

A running total should restart for each region. Region should be:

1. An addressing field
2. A partitioning field
3. On Filters
4. On Pages

Answer: A partitioning field — Partitioning defines where the calculation resets; addressing is the direction it moves.

Which expression adds four months to a date?

1. DATEADD('month', 4, [Date])
2. DATEDIFF('month', 4, [Date])
3. DATEPART('month', [Date])
4. DATETRUNC('month', [Date])

Answer: DATEADD('month', 4, [Date]) — DATEADD shifts a date by an interval; DATEDIFF measures between two dates.

Which function tells you whether a value is a date?

1. DATEPART()
2. ISDATE()
3. DATEVALUE()
4. TYPEOF()

Answer: ISDATE() — ISDATE() returns true when the string can be interpreted as a date.

REPLACE() in Tableau:

1. Replaces a data source
2. Searches a string for a substring and substitutes it
3. Replaces null with zero
4. Renames a field

Answer: Searches a string for a substring and substitutes it — It is a string function. Use ZN() to turn nulls into zero.

Which function returns the number of items in a group?

1. SUM()
2. COUNT()
3. TOTAL()
4. INDEX()

Answer: COUNT() — COUNT() counts items; COUNTD() counts distinct items.

To create a column alias you would:

1. Edit the extract
2. Open the data source metadata and click the column name
3. Use a calculated field
4. Rename the sheet

Answer: Open the data source metadata and click the column name — In the data source page, click the column name in the metadata grid to rename it.

To check a table's metadata:

1. Publish it
2. Data → New connection, drag the table into the data pane
3. Use Show Me
4. Open the log file

Answer: Data → New connection, drag the table into the data pane — The data source page shows the metadata grid for the connected table.

You want a chart showing task progress over a period. Use:

1. Pie chart
2. Gantt chart
3. Histogram
4. Packed bubble

Answer: Gantt chart — A Gantt chart shows progress of a task or resource over time and needs a date dimension.

To predict future values of a measure, Tableau uses:

1. Linear regression only
2. Exponential smoothing
3. A neural network
4. Clustering

Answer: Exponential smoothing — Tableau's forecasting uses exponential smoothing models.