A data analyst receives a flat file that includes dates. The analyst needs to calculate the number of days from the dates on the file to the current date. Which of the following is the best way to com

Converting the flat file data to a specific date format ensures that the system recognizes the values as dates, allowing the use of built-in date functions to calculate differences accurately.

Validating the date format is important, but simply validating without converting to a date data type will not enable the proper use of date functions for analysis.

Using date functions on data that has not been explicitly converted to a date format will likely result in errors or incorrect calculations, as the system may treat it as text or numbers.

Transforming date data to a numerical value loses the inherent date context, making it difficult or impossible to perform accurate date-specific calculations like 'number of days from current date' using standard mathematical functions.