Question 1

An alternative to the data warehouse concept is a lower-cost, scaled-down version referred to as a:

Accepted Answer

A data mart is a scaled-down version of a data warehouse, designed for a specific line of business or department, offering a cost-effective alternative for smaller data storage and analysis needs.

Question 2

Which of the following is not true of a data mart?

Accepted Answer

The data mart is not inherently more efficient than a fully-developed data warehouse. Efficiency depends on the specific use case, scale, and implementation. Data marts are smaller, subject-specific warehouses, but this does not automatically make them more efficient than larger, comprehensive data warehouses.

Question 3

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a data warehouse?

Accepted Answer

Data warehouses are designed to be non-volatile, meaning that data is not frequently changed or deleted once it has been entered. This contrasts with operational databases where data is regularly updated.

Question 4

The essence of the data warehouse environment is that the data contained within the boundaries of the warehouse are _____________

Accepted Answer

The essence of the data warehouse environment is that the data contained within the boundaries of the warehouse are integrated. This means that the data is brought together from multiple sources and is consistent, accurate, and streamlined.

Question 5

The concept of time variant data implies which of the following statements?

Accepted Answer

Time variant data implies that the data are considered accurate as of a specific moment in time, which could be when they were loaded into the data warehouse or another defined moment, but not necessarily the current moment. This encompasses both the ideas in options A and B.

Question 6

Which of the following activities would not normally be associated with a data warehouse?

Accepted Answer

Data warehouses are typically used for querying and analysis, not for frequent updates. They are optimized for read-heavy operations rather than write-heavy operations like updating.

Question 7

The _______________________ represents the source data for the DW. This layer is comprised, primarily, of operational transaction processing systems and external secondary databases.

Accepted Answer

The operational and external layer represents the source data for the Data Warehouse (DW). This layer includes the operational transaction processing systems and external secondary databases that provide the raw data for the DW.

Question 8

Which layer of the data warehouse architecture does the end user deal directly with?

Accepted Answer

The Information access layer is the layer of the data warehouse architecture that end users interact with directly to access processed and organized data for analysis, reporting, and business intelligence.

Question 9

The ______________ serves as a sort of interface or middleman between the operational and information access layers and the data warehouse itself. This layer spans the various databases contained within the DW and facilitates common access by the DW users.

Accepted Answer

The data access layer serves as the interface or middleman between the operational and information access layers and the data warehouse, facilitating common access by DW users.

Question 10

Which of the following would not be a good example of metadata?

Accepted Answer

Metadata is essentially data about data, which includes information like the directory of where the data is stored, the rules used for summarization and scrubbing, and the source of operational data. Therefore, all the options listed are examples of metadata.

Question 11

Which layer within the data warehouse architecture focuses on scheduling tasks that must be accomplished to build and maintain the data warehouse and data directory information?

Accepted Answer

The process management layer is responsible for scheduling tasks necessary for building and maintaining the data warehouse, including managing the data directory information. This layer oversees the execution of various processes that ensure the data warehouse is updated and maintained correctly.

Question 12

Which of the following is a valid data warehouse configuration?

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed are valid configurations for a data warehouse. A centralized data warehouse consolidates data into a single location, a virtual data warehouse provides an integrated view of data without centralizing it, and a distributed data warehouse stores data across multiple physical locations.

Question 13

The _____________________ has to do with transporting information around the enterprise computing network. This layer is also referred to as the "middleware," but it can typically involve more that just networking protocols and request routing.

Accepted Answer

The application messaging layer is responsible for transporting information around the enterprise computing network. It acts as a middleware, facilitating communication and data exchange between different software applications, which often involves more than just networking protocols and request routing.

Question 14

The ____________________ is where the actual data used for decision support throughout the organization are located.

Accepted Answer

The physical data warehouse layer is where the actual data used for decision support throughout the organization are located. This layer serves as the central repository of integrated data from one or more disparate sources, organized to facilitate reporting and analysis.

Question 15

The final component of the DWA is the __________________. This layer includes all of the processes necessary to select, edit, summarize, combine and load data warehouse and information access data from operational and/or external databases.

Accepted Answer

The final component of the Data Warehouse Architecture (DWA) is the data staging layer. This layer is responsible for the processes involved in preparing data for analysis, including extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) from operational and external databases into the data warehouse.

Question 16

The process that records how data from operational data stores and external sources are transformed on the way into the warehouse is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Transformation mapping is the correct term because it describes the process of documenting how data is transformed and loaded from operational data stores and external sources into a data warehouse. This includes details on data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes.

Question 17

The _____________________ applied to the detail data are of importance to any decision maker analyzing or interpreting the meaning of the summaries. These metadata can also save time by making it easier to decide which level of summarization is most appropriate for a given analysis context.

Accepted Answer

Summarization algorithms are crucial for decision makers as they help in understanding and interpreting the summarized data, and they assist in determining the appropriate level of summarization needed for analysis.

Question 18

Whenever historical information is analyzed, meticulous update records must be kept. Often a decision maker will begin the process of constructing a time-based report by reviewing the ________________ because any changes to the business rules must be ascertained in order to apply the right rules to the right data.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D) extraction history. This is because when constructing a time-based report, it's crucial to understand any changes that have occurred over time, including changes to business rules. The extraction history provides a record of the data as it was extracted from its sources, including any transformations or rules applied at the time of extraction. This allows the decision maker to ascertain any changes to business rules and ensure that the correct rules are applied to the right data.

Quiz 10: The Data Warehouse