CDS Automation & Scripting 3

Question 1

A data steward needs to automate the detection of duplicate records in a large dataset. Which Python library is best suited for this at scale?

Accepted Answer

pandas

Answer

pandas provides efficient DataFrame operations including drop_duplicates() and duplicated() methods for large-scale deduplication.

Question 2

When writing an automation script that processes sensitive PII, which practice is most critical for compliance?

Accepted Answer

Mask or tokenize PII before logging or displaying

Answer

Masking or tokenizing PII in logs and outputs prevents accidental exposure while still allowing debugging.

Question 3

Which approach best ensures that an automated data quality script fails safely when it cannot connect to the database?

Accepted Answer

Use try/except blocks with specific exception types and send an alert

Answer

Specific exception handling combined with alerting ensures errors are caught precisely and the team is notified.

Question 4

A data steward is automating data lineage tracking. Which metadata should the script capture at minimum for each transformation step?

Accepted Answer

Source, transformation logic, timestamp, and output dataset

Answer

Complete lineage requires capturing source, transformation, output, and timing to reconstruct the data's journey.

Question 5

In automated ETL pipelines, what is the main advantage of using parameterized SQL queries over string concatenation?

Accepted Answer

They prevent SQL injection attacks

Answer

Parameterized queries separate SQL code from data inputs, preventing injection attacks entirely.

(CDS) Certified Data Steward Practice Test