Which of the following is a recommended practice for preparing published data sources in Tableau?

Creating meaningful binned fields is a recommended practice for preparing published data sources in Tableau because it enhances both the usability and clarity of the data. Binning allows users to categorize continuous data into discrete intervals, making it easier to analyze and visualize patterns and trends. For instance, creating bins for age ranges can simplify the understanding of demographic distributions in visualizations or dashboards.

Meaningful binned fields provide a way to aggregate data effectively, improving the performance of calculations and visualizations. By setting clear intervals that are relevant to the dataset, users can derive insights faster and support decision-making with clearer contextual information.

The other practices listed may not align with best practices for preparing published data sources. Complex algorithms for data shape might result in performance issues or complicate the understanding of the data. Avoiding the use of calculated fields can limit flexibility in analysis, and while using long and descriptive field names may seem helpful, excessively lengthy names can make it cumbersome for users to navigate and understand the data source efficiently. Thus, creating meaningful binned fields stands out as the best practice in this context.