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Custom date formats in Tableau - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

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Sample Data

This data shows three dates in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD).

CellValue
A1Date
A22024-01-15
A32024-07-04
A42024-12-25
Formula Trace
FORMAT([Date], 'MMM dd, yyyy')
Step 1: FORMAT(DATE('2024-01-15'), 'MMM dd, yyyy')
Step 2: FORMAT(DATE('2024-07-04'), 'MMM dd, yyyy')
Step 3: FORMAT(DATE('2024-12-25'), 'MMM dd, yyyy')
Cell Reference Map
    A   
1 |Date |
2 |2024-01-15|
3 |2024-07-04|
4 |2024-12-25|
The formula uses the dates in cells A2, A3, and A4 to apply the custom date format.
Result
    A            B          
1 |Date       |Formatted Date|
2 |2024-01-15 |Jan 15, 2024 |
3 |2024-07-04 |Jul 04, 2024 |
4 |2024-12-25 |Dec 25, 2024 |
Column B shows the dates from column A formatted with the custom format 'MMM dd, yyyy'.
Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions
Test your understanding
What does 'MMM' represent in the custom date format?
AAbbreviated month name like Jan, Feb
BFull month name like January, February
CDay of the month
DYear in two digits
Key Result
FORMAT formats a date field into a text string using a custom pattern like 'MMM dd, yyyy'.

Practice

(1/5)
1. What does the custom date format string yyyy-MM-dd display in Tableau?
easy
A. Month in four digits, day in two digits, year in two digits separated by slashes
B. Year in four digits, month in two digits, day in two digits separated by dashes
C. Day in four digits, month in two digits, year in two digits separated by dots
D. Year in two digits, month in two digits, day in two digits separated by spaces

Solution

  1. Step 1: Understand the format components

    yyyy means four-digit year, MM means two-digit month, and dd means two-digit day.

  2. Step 2: Analyze the separators

    The dashes - separate year, month, and day in the output.

  3. Final Answer:

    Year in four digits, month in two digits, day in two digits separated by dashes -> Option B

  4. Quick Check:

    yyyy-MM-dd = Year-Month-Day with dashes [OK]
Hint: Remember yyyy=year, MM=month, dd=day with separators [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Confusing MM with minutes
  • Mixing up order of year, month, day
  • Ignoring separator characters
2. Which of the following is the correct Tableau custom date format to show the date as 31/12/2024?
easy
A. dd/MM/yyyy
B. yyyy/MM/dd
C. MM/dd/yyyy
D. dd-MM-yyyy

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the desired output format

    The date is shown as day/month/year with slashes: 31/12/2024.

  2. Step 2: Match format string to output

    dd for day, MM for month, yyyy for year, separated by slashes /.

  3. Final Answer:

    dd/MM/yyyy -> Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    dd/MM/yyyy matches 31/12/2024 [OK]
Hint: Use slashes for separators and order day/month/year [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using dashes instead of slashes
  • Swapping month and day positions
  • Using lowercase 'mm' which means minutes
3. Given the Tableau custom date format string MMM dd, yyyy, what would the date 2024-07-04 display as?
medium
A. 04 Jul, 2024
B. July 04, 2024
C. 07 04, 2024
D. Jul 04, 2024

Solution

  1. Step 1: Understand format tokens

    MMM shows abbreviated month name (e.g., Jul), dd is two-digit day, yyyy is four-digit year.

  2. Step 2: Apply to date 2024-07-04

    Month is July abbreviated as 'Jul', day is '04', year is '2024', combined as 'Jul 04, 2024'.

  3. Final Answer:

    Jul 04, 2024 -> Option D

  4. Quick Check:

    MMM dd, yyyy = Jul 04, 2024 [OK]
Hint: MMM means short month name like Jan, Feb, Mar [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using full month name with MMM
  • Confusing MMM with MM (month number)
  • Swapping day and month order
4. You wrote the custom date format yyyy/dd/MM in Tableau but the dates look wrong. What is the likely error?
medium
A. Using lowercase 'dd' instead of uppercase 'DD' causes error
B. Missing separators like dashes or slashes between parts
C. Day and month positions are swapped, causing incorrect display
D. Year should be lowercase 'yyyy' to work correctly

Solution

  1. Step 1: Analyze the format string

    yyyy/dd/MM places day before month, which is unusual and likely not intended.

  2. Step 2: Understand correct order

    Typically, month comes before day in many formats, so swapping causes wrong date display.

  3. Final Answer:

    Day and month positions are swapped, causing incorrect display -> Option C

  4. Quick Check:

    Swapped dd and MM cause wrong date order [OK]
Hint: Check order: month usually before day, not after [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Confusing uppercase and lowercase tokens
  • Ignoring separators between date parts
  • Assuming lowercase yyyy is invalid
5. You want to create a Tableau custom date format that shows the full month name, day without leading zero, and two-digit year, like January 5, 24. Which format string should you use?
hard
A. MMMM d, yy
B. MMM dd, yyyy
C. MM/dd/yy
D. MMMM dd, yyyy

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify required parts

    Full month name = MMMM, day without leading zero = d, two-digit year = yy.

  2. Step 2: Match format string

    MMMM d, yy matches exactly: full month, day no leading zero, comma, space, two-digit year.

  3. Final Answer:

    MMMM d, yy -> Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    MMMM d, yy = January 5, 24 [OK]
Hint: Use MMMM for full month, d for day no zero, yy for two-digit year [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using dd for day adds leading zero
  • Using yyyy for four-digit year instead of two-digit
  • Using MMM for short month name instead of full