DA0-002 Data Concepts and Environments Practice Question
Network Topology
Refer to the exhibit. A data analyst runs this query to identify high-value customers. However, the result does not include customers with exactly 5 orders. Which data concept does the HAVING clause illustrate?
⚠ Common exam trap
DA0-002 often tests the WHERE vs HAVING distinction, and candidates frequently miss strict inequality boundaries (e.g., > 5 excludes exactly 5) or mistakenly think HAVING filters rows rather than groups.
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
✓
Data aggregation with filtering on aggregated values
The HAVING clause filters groups after aggregation, so it operates on aggregated values like COUNT(*), SUM(), or AVG(). In the exhibit, the query likely uses HAVING COUNT(order_id) > 5, which excludes customers with exactly 5 orders because the condition is strictly greater than 5. This illustrates aggregation with post-aggregation filtering, distinct from WHERE, which filters rows before grouping.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data sorting with ORDER BY
Why it's wrong here
ORDER BY arranges result rows into a sequence; it neither includes nor excludes groups, so it cannot explain why customers with exactly five orders are missing. Sorting is tempting because it commonly accompanies GROUP BY queries to present aggregated results in a readable order.
- ✗
Data joining with INNER JOIN
Why it's wrong here
HAVING filters grouped rows after aggregation, whereas INNER JOIN combines rows from two tables on a matching key; no join is involved in excluding groups of exactly five orders. Joining is tempting because it is the standard technique for combining customer and order tables before analysis.
- ✓
Data aggregation with filtering on aggregated values
Why this is correct
The HAVING clause filters groups produced by GROUP BY, applying a predicate to the aggregated COUNT rather than to individual rows, so customers with exactly five orders are excluded when the condition is a strict inequality.
- ✗
Data filtering on row-level conditions
Why it's wrong here
HAVING filters aggregated groups after GROUP BY, while row-level WHERE conditions filter individual rows before aggregation; the stem's exclusion of groups with exactly five orders is group-level. Row-level filtering is tempting because WHERE clauses also restrict which rows enter the aggregation.
About these practice questions
This DA0-002 question is part of Courseiva's 1,004-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.