Date datatype cannot be a column input for predictive model?

[edmund_chan]

I have a date column that I hope to use as input for Predictive model to predict sales of a product, but i can’t select the date column. Is date datatype a not a valid input for a predictive model? I think it is very useful to consider date as an input for prediction.

[tony1]

Hi @edmund_chan . That’s correct - dates are not currently supported as predictive model inputs. I agree it would be useful - I’ll change this to a feature request.

In the mean time, you might consider “manually” converting your date to a number or enum via a virtual column, and then using that virtual column as an input.

For example, if you think the day of the week is important, you could create a virtual column with an app formula like WEEKDAY([Your Date Column]) and set the column type to Enum.

[tony1]

@Philip_Stephens FYI

[edmund_chan]

Ok! Thank you for the confirmation appreciate it very much!

Edmund Chan