MCB Data Cloud Certification Practice Exam

What field type should be chosen to preserve leading zeros in the purchase order number?

1. Serial.

2. Text.

3. Number.

4. Decimal.

The correct answer is: Text.

Choosing the text field type is the correct approach for preserving leading zeros in a purchase order number. Text fields treat values as strings of characters rather than as numerical values. This means that when you enter a purchase order number like "001234", it will retain all the leading zeros exactly as inputted. In contrast, numerical and decimal field types are designed for calculations and will ignore leading zeros, converting "001234" into "1234" upon entry. Serial types, which typically increment numbers automatically, also do not maintain leading zeros, as they are inherently numerical. Therefore, a text field is the best choice when the preservation of formatting, including leading zeros, is necessary for strings of characters such as purchase order numbers.