To compute the median of a numeric LDS column, which method should you use?

• A. Sort Valid Values and Pick the Middle Value
• B. Take the Mean of All Values
• C. Choose the Maximum Value
• D. Count the Number of Valid Records

Answer: (A)

The median is the central value when you line all numbers up in order. For a numeric LDS column, gather all valid numeric values, sort them from smallest to largest, and take the value in the middle. This directly identifies the middle of the data distribution and is less affected by extreme values than the mean, which makes it a better measure of central tendency in skewed data. It’s not about counting records or choosing a maximum, and those other options don’t reflect the central point of the data. If there’s an even number of values, some definitions average the two middle values, but the core step remains: sort and pick the middle value.