DA0-002 Data Acquisition and Preparation Practice Question
Exhibit
SELECT * FROM sales WHERE date BETWEEN '2023-01-01' AND '2023-12-31';
Refer to the exhibit. If the date column is stored as a string in 'MM/DD/YYYY' format, what will be the result?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that string comparison of dates in 'MM/DD/YYYY' format will yield correct chronological order, but the trap is that lexicographic comparison compares month first, not year, leading to incorrect results.
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
✓
Incorrect results because string comparison is lexicographic.
When dates are stored as strings in 'MM/DD/YYYY' format, string comparison is lexicographic (character-by-character). This means that '01/02/2023' (January 2) would be considered greater than '12/31/2022' because '0' > '1' at the first character, leading to incorrect chronological ordering. The comparison does not interpret the string as a date value.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Incorrect results because string comparison is lexicographic.
Why this is correct
The different format causes lexicographic comparison to fail.
- ✗
NULL values
Why it's wrong here
The query does not produce NULLs; it may return no rows or incorrect rows.
- ✗
Error because DATE type is expected.
Why it's wrong here
The query will run, but the comparison will be string-based.
- ✗
Correct results because string comparison works for dates.
Why it's wrong here
String comparison does not recognize date semantics and will compare character by character.
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