DA0-002 Data Analysis Practice Question
A data analyst is reviewing a dashboard that tracks monthly sales. The analyst notices that the 'Total Sales' metric for the current month is significantly lower than previous months, but the underlying daily sales data appears normal. The dashboard uses a live connection to the database. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the discrepancy?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is overlooking dashboard filter settings and assuming a data pipeline issue when the problem is often in the visualization configuration.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The dashboard's date filter is set to include only the first week of the current month.
The most likely cause is a date filter limiting the data to a subset of the month, such as the first week, which would reduce the total while daily sales remain normal. Other options would affect the daily data or show different patterns, making them less consistent with the scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The database connection is using a stale cache that has not refreshed since last month.
Why it's wrong here
A stale cache would typically show last month's data, not a lower total for the current month. If the cache were stale, the number would likely match the previous month's total or be missing recent days, but not show a partial month pattern.
- ✓
The dashboard's date filter is set to include only the first week of the current month.
Why this is correct
A date filter that restricts data to only the first week would cause the total to appear lower than a full month, even if daily sales are normal. This is a common dashboard configuration issue where filters are not updated to reflect the full current month-to-date period.
- ✗
The 'Total Sales' metric is calculated using a moving average that lags by one month.
Why it's wrong here
A moving average would smooth out fluctuations and not typically show a sudden drop unless the underlying trend changed. Moreover, a one-month lag would show last month's average, not a lower current month total, and daily sales would not appear normal.
- ✗
The sales data for the current month has not been fully loaded into the database yet.
Why it's wrong here
If the data were not fully loaded, the daily sales would also appear incomplete or missing. The scenario states that daily sales data appears normal, which suggests the underlying data is present and the issue lies in the dashboard's aggregation or filtering.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DA0-002 exam.