CMA Data Architecture & Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a data governance framework in enterprise architecture?
- To ensure data quality, security, and proper stewardship across the organization (Correct answer)
- To replace the need for a database administrator
- To limit data access to senior management only
- To automate all data processing workflows
Correct answer: To ensure data quality, security, and proper stewardship across the organization
Data governance frameworks establish policies, roles, and processes to ensure data is accurate, secure, and managed as a strategic asset across the enterprise.
Question 2: Which data modeling approach uses entities, attributes, and relationships to represent business concepts at the logical level?
- Dimensional modeling
- Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling (Correct answer)
- Object-oriented modeling
- Star schema modeling
Correct answer: Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling
Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling represents data using entities (business objects), their attributes, and the relationships between them, forming the foundation of relational database design.
Question 3: In a data warehouse architecture, what distinguishes an Operational Data Store (ODS) from a data warehouse?
- An ODS stores historical data while a data warehouse stores only current data
- An ODS is updated in near real-time while a data warehouse contains historical snapshots (Correct answer)
- An ODS uses dimensional modeling while a data warehouse uses ER modeling
- An ODS is read-only while a data warehouse supports write operations
Correct answer: An ODS is updated in near real-time while a data warehouse contains historical snapshots
An ODS is designed for near real-time operational reporting with current data, while a data warehouse integrates historical data across subjects for analytical and strategic reporting.
Question 4: What does the 'single source of truth' principle mean in enterprise data architecture?
- All data must be stored in a single monolithic database instance
- Each data element has one authoritative source from which all other systems derive their data (Correct answer)
- Only one user can modify data at a time to prevent conflicts
- All reports must use the same business intelligence visualization tool
Correct answer: Each data element has one authoritative source from which all other systems derive their data
The single source of truth principle designates one authoritative system of record for each data element, reducing inconsistencies and conflicting versions of data across enterprise systems.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes Master Data Management (MDM)?
- The process of backing up critical business data on a nightly schedule
- A discipline for ensuring a consistent, accurate view of key business entities across enterprise systems (Correct answer)
- A method for encrypting sensitive personally identifiable information at rest
- A technique for compressing large datasets to reduce storage infrastructure costs
Correct answer: A discipline for ensuring a consistent, accurate view of key business entities across enterprise systems
MDM creates and maintains a single, consistent, accurate view of critical business entities such as customers, products, and employees across all enterprise systems.
Question 6: In dimensional data modeling, what is the purpose of a Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD)?
- To handle time-sensitive transactional data in OLTP systems
- To manage and track changes to dimension attributes over time in a data warehouse (Correct answer)
- To improve query performance by horizontally partitioning large fact tables
- To reduce the storage footprint of rarely accessed historical records
Correct answer: To manage and track changes to dimension attributes over time in a data warehouse
Slowly Changing Dimensions define strategies (Type 1, 2, 3, etc.) for tracking changes to dimension attributes over time, preserving historical context appropriate to each business scenario.
Question 7: What is a data lineage map used for in enterprise data architecture?
- Organizing data assets by business domain for catalog and discovery purposes
- Tracking the origin, movement, and transformation of data as it flows across systems (Correct answer)
- Mapping database indexes to query execution plans to improve performance
- Assigning data ownership and stewardship roles to business users
Correct answer: Tracking the origin, movement, and transformation of data as it flows across systems
Data lineage maps document where data originates, how it flows through systems, and what transformations it undergoes, supporting impact analysis, debugging, and regulatory compliance.
CMA Data Architecture & Management 1
What is the primary purpose of a data governance framework in enterprise architecture?