PL-300 Prepare the data Practice Question
You are using Power Query to clean and transform data from a SQL Server database. You have a table 'Orders' with columns 'OrderID', 'CustomerID', 'OrderDate', and 'TotalAmount'. You need to ensure that the data is properly typed and that any errors are handled. Which two actions should you perform? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that removing rows with errors is always better than handling them, but losing data can be more detrimental than replacing errors with a default value.
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
✓
Use the 'Replace Errors' feature to replace errors in 'TotalAmount' with 0.
Setting correct data types for OrderDate and TotalAmount ensures accurate analysis, and replacing errors in TotalAmount with 0 handles data quality issues without losing rows. These two actions together prepare the data for reliable reporting. The other options either discard data unnecessarily or change types without benefit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use the 'Replace Errors' feature to replace errors in 'TotalAmount' with 0.
Why this is correct
Replacing errors with 0 ensures that the data loads without errors and allows calculations to proceed. However, it's important to understand the cause of errors; if they are due to data quality issues, replacing with 0 might skew results. But in many cases, it's a practical way to handle errors without losing rows. This is a recommended step when errors are expected and can be safely defaulted.
- ✗
Remove any rows with errors in the 'TotalAmount' column.
Why it's wrong here
Removing rows with errors might discard valuable data. Instead, you should investigate and fix errors where possible. Blindly removing rows can lead to incomplete analysis. The better approach is to replace errors or use error-handling functions to correct them, not delete them.
- ✗
Filter out any rows where 'CustomerID' is null.
Why it's wrong here
Filtering out null CustomerIDs might remove valid orders if CustomerID is not mandatory. It could also lead to loss of sales data. The requirement does not specify that CustomerID is required, so this action is not necessary and could be harmful. It does not address data typing or error handling.
- ✗
Change the data type of 'OrderID' to Text.
Why it's wrong here
OrderID is likely a numeric identifier, and changing it to Text might be unnecessary and could affect sorting or relationships. It does not address the need to ensure proper typing for analysis columns like OrderDate and TotalAmount. This action is not required for the given scenario.
- ✓
Change the data type of 'OrderDate' to Date and 'TotalAmount' to Decimal Number.
Why this is correct
Setting correct data types ensures that calculations and comparisons work correctly. 'OrderDate' as Date allows date-based analysis, and 'TotalAmount' as Decimal Number ensures precise monetary calculations. This is a fundamental step in data preparation to avoid type-related errors and improve performance.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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