CDS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CDS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A data steward discovers that a dataset scheduled for deletion under the retention policy is subject to a legal hold. What is the correct action? → Suspend the retention schedule and preserve the data until the hold is lifted
2. When a company acquires another firm, the FIRST MDM priority should typically be: → Mapping and reconciling entity keys across both company's master data domains
3. What does a data steward typically do? → Oversee data standards and quality
4. What is the COST OF POOR DATA QUALITY (CPDQ) model primarily used for? → Quantifying the financial impact of data defects to justify DQ investments
5. When should an issue be escalated to a higher support level? → When the issue exceeds your technical expertise or authorization level
6. What is the first step in a systematic troubleshooting approach? → Identify and clearly define the problem symptoms
7. When should architectural decisions be reviewed and potentially revised? → When requirements change significantly or performance targets are not met
8. What makes a report effective for stakeholder communication? → Clear visualization of relevant metrics aligned with business objectives
9. What is a metadata repository? → A centralized store that captures, manages, and provides access to metadata across systems
10. Which metadata type describes the rules, constraints, and definitions that govern how data should be structured and used? → Business metadata
11. Which indicator signals that a reporting tool's metadata is out of sync with the actual data warehouse schema? → Column names in reports no longer match source table column names
12. What is the primary benefit of automating repetitive tasks? → Reduced human error and increased consistency of results
13. What is 'data standardization' in the context of data quality improvement? → Transforming data into consistent formats, codes, and representations across systems
14. Why is regular security training important for all staff? → Employees are often the weakest link in security and training reduces human error
15. Which monitoring technique compares today's record count against the trailing 30-day average to detect anomalies? → Volume-based trend monitoring
16. What distinguishes 'reactive' data quality management from 'proactive' data quality management? → Reactive DQ fixes defects after they occur; proactive DQ prevents defects from arising
17. What is the role of a 'data quality issue log' in an ongoing DQ program? → It tracks identified issues, root causes, owners, and remediation status
18. Which practice ensures that data quality rules remain aligned with evolving business requirements over time? → Continuous rule review cycles tied to business process change management
19. How does poor data quality affect business intelligence? → It results in inaccurate analytics and poor decisions
20. Which approach to data classification uses automated scanning tools that inspect content and assign categories based on predefined patterns or keywords? → Content-based classification
21. How should configuration changes be tracked? → Through version control systems with documented change rationale
22. Why is trend analysis valuable in monitoring? → It reveals patterns that predict future issues before they become critical
23. When rolling out a new data classification policy, which training approach best ensures consistent adoption across distributed teams? → Role-based training modules with practical examples, job aids, and competency checks
24. Which regulation is known for setting strict data protection rules in the European Union? → GDPR
25. When integrating systems, what is an API contract? → A formal agreement on data formats, endpoints, and expected behaviors
26. Which of the following is a key component of a data governance framework? → Roles and responsibilities
27. What is metadata in the context of data management? → Information about data such as its source, format, and usage
28. Which technique uses statistical process control (SPC) charts to monitor data quality metrics over time? → Control charting
29. Which standard framework is most widely referenced for classifying and managing enterprise metadata? → DAMA-DMBOK
30. Which of the following best describes 'data lineage' in the context of metadata management? → The documented path data travels from origin through transformations to consumption