PL-300 Prepare the data Practice Question
You are preparing data for a Power BI report. The source data contains a 'CustomerName' column with values like 'John, Doe'. You need to split this column into two columns: 'FirstName' and 'LastName'. The comma is used as a delimiter, but some names have a space after the comma. Which split method should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think 'Left-most delimiter' or a simple split is sufficient, overlooking the need to trim extra spaces, which Power Query does not do automatically when splitting by delimiter.
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
✓
Split by delimiter using comma, then use 'Trim' to remove extra spaces
Splitting by comma and then trimming extra spaces handles the inconsistent spacing after the comma (e.g., 'John, Doe' vs 'John, Doe'). Power Query's 'Split Column by Delimiter' using comma will separate the values, and the subsequent 'Trim' step removes leading/trailing spaces from the resulting columns, ensuring clean 'FirstName' and 'LastName' values without manual cleanup.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Split by number of characters using a fixed width
Why it's wrong here
Fixed width splitting relies on consistent character counts at specific positions in each row. Since full names like 'Smith, John' vary significantly in length, the position of the comma shifts from row to row, so choosing a static width would either truncate a longer name, leave remnants of another, or fail to isolate the comma entirely. This method is only appropriate for fixed-format text such as column-aligned reports, not variable-length delimited name data.
- ✗
Split by delimiter using semicolon
Why it's wrong here
A semicolon is a common delimiter in other locales, but the actual source data uses commas to separate the last and first name (e.g., 'Doe, Jane'). Running a split on semicolon would produce no match because semicolons are absent, leaving the entire name intact in a single column and providing no parsing benefit. The delimiter specified must exactly match the character present in the data to achieve a successful split.
- ✓
Split by delimiter using comma, then use 'Trim' to remove extra spaces
Why this is correct
Splitting by comma as the delimiter separates the name into two columns, typically breaking at the comma between last and first name. After the split, the resulting columns often retain leading spaces (e.g., ' Doe' or 'Jane ') that come from the source data's formatting. Applying the Trim transformation removes these extraneous spaces, yielding clean standardized name values ready for further analysis or reporting. This combination of delimiter splitting and trimming is a best practice when handling delimited text with incidental whitespace.
- ✗
Split by delimiter using comma, using 'Left-most delimiter'
Why it's wrong here
The 'Left-most delimiter' option instructs Power Query to split only at the first comma it encounters from the left side of the string, ignoring any subsequent commas. While a simple two-part name has only one comma, records with suffixes or middle names (e.g., 'Brown, John, Jr.') would not be fully parsed because the second comma remains in the rightmost column. Since the goal is to reliably separate all name components, using 'Each occurrence of the delimiter' is the safer and intended method, making 'Left-most delimiter' incorrect for this scenario.
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