Question 1

A company maintains a centralized repository of information from internal sources, competitor information, census reports, metadata from documents and multimedia, and other information. This is known as a ________.

Accepted Answer

A centralized repository of information from various sources is called a data warehouse. A data dictionary is a database containing metadata, while a data model is a visual representation of data structures and relationships. Data load refers to the process of transferring data from source systems to a target system.

Question 2

The operational database is not a good candidate for high-level management reporting because it is not equipped to ________.

Accepted Answer

The operational database is designed to handle day-to-day transactional activities and is not optimized for complex queries required for strategic planning and high-level management reporting. It lacks the analytical capabilities needed to draw insights from the data and present it in a format that can be easily applied to what-if type questioning. Therefore, it is not a good candidate for high-level management reporting.

Question 3

A database administrator adds demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau to the company's customer records with zip codes before loading it into the data warehouse. This process is called the ________.

Accepted Answer

The process of adding demographic data from the US Census Bureau to the company's customer records with zip codes involves transforming the data by merging it with the customer records. This is known as the transformation process in ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) data integration. The extraction process involves gathering data from multiple sources, assimilation refers to integrating data into a single repository, and normalization is a data modeling technique to organize data in a structured way.

Question 4

Which of the following is a type of intelligence gathering that uses statistical techniques to explore records in a data warehouse, hunting for hidden patterns and relationships that are undetectable in routine reports?

Accepted Answer

Data mining is a type of intelligence gathering that uses statistical techniques to explore records in a data warehouse, hunting for hidden patterns and relationships that are undetectable in routine reports. Data extracting, scaling, and normalizing are related but distinct data management techniques.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of databases without boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Craigslist is a platform where users from any location can post and view classified ads, without any geographical or other boundaries. Therefore, it is an example of a database without boundaries. The other options (U.S. Census Bureau, Gartner Groups, and American Idol) are all specific and limited databases, either related to a particular region, industry or competition.

Question 6

Which of the following is a good master data management strategy?

Accepted Answer

Focusing on limited, key entities is a good MDM strategy as it allows for a more targeted approach to managing and maintaining data. By prioritizing important entities, organizations can ensure that their data is accurate, consistent, and complete, which can in turn improve decision-making and operational efficiency. Upgrading technology, creating shadow systems, and creating a database schema are all important components of an MDM strategy, but they are not necessarily the most effective or efficient ways to ensure high-quality master data.

Question 7

Trekking blindly into terabytes of data to sniff out meaningless relationships that occur just by accident is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Data dredging is a term used to describe the practice of sifting through large data sets to identify spurious correlations. This involves analyzing data without a preconceived hypothesis, searching for patterns that may emerge by chance. It can lead to inaccurate or misleading results. Data mining, on the other hand, involves using statistical and machine learning techniques to extract insights from data and is typically done with a specific goal or hypothesis in mind. Data sharding is the process of breaking up a large database into smaller, more manageable pieces. Normalizing is the process of organizing data in a database to minimize redundancy and dependency.

Question 8

A person who ensures that people adhere to the definitions for the master data in their organizational units is called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A data steward is responsible for ensuring that master data within an organization is defined and used correctly. They also ensure the accuracy and quality of the data. A database administrator manages the organization's databases and ensures their availability, security, and performance. An information systems educator teaches people how to use information systems. A management analyst is responsible for analyzing an organization's operations and making recommendations for improvement.

Question 9

In Astec Limited, the HR department did not include interns as employees in their database, while the finance department included them. Such inconsistencies can be avoided through ________.

Accepted Answer

Master data management refers to a process of creating a single master or reference copy of data that is shared across an organization, ensuring that all departments and individuals have access to consistent, accurate, and up-to-date information. By including interns in the master data management system, the HR and finance departments can ensure that they are both using the same data and reduce the risk of inconsistencies. Shadow systems, normalization, and database schema are all important considerations in database management but may not directly address the issue of inconsistent data between different departments.

Question 10

Making changes to an integrated database is considered a challenge because ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Making changes to an integrated database is...

Question 11

Databases in which people outside the enterprise enter and manage most of the records are called ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Databases in which people outside the enterprise...

Question 12

Which of the following is used to spot trends, identify patterns, generate reports for compliance purposes, do research, and plan strategies?

Accepted Answer

A data warehouse is specifically designed to support business intelligence activities such as spotting trends, identifying patterns, generating reports for compliance purposes, researching, and planning strategies. Operational databases, data dictionaries, and shadow systems serve different purposes and may not have the same capabilities as a data warehouse when it comes to business intelligence activities.

Question 13

Retrieval is very fast through data cubes because ________.

Accepted Answer

Data cubes are pre-aggregated and organized by logical dimensions such as time, location, and product. This makes it easy to retrieve specific information quickly, without having to query raw data.

Question 14

A credit card company wants to spot elusive patterns in credit card transaction records to be able to block fraudulent transactions. This company should use ________.

Accepted Answer

Data mining involves using statistical and machine learning techniques to analyze large amounts of data and identify patterns, anomalies, and correlations that can then be used to make decisions or predictions. In this case, the credit card company wants to use data mining to identify patterns in transaction records that may indicate fraud. The other options are less relevant: a data warehouse appliance is a hardware and software system used to store and manage large amounts of data, but it is not specifically designed for analyzing data; data dredging is a term used to describe a process of analyzing data without a specific hypothesis or research question in mind, which is not appropriate for fraud detection; and a database schema is a way of organizing data within a database, but it is not a tool or technique for analyzing data.

Question 15

Which of the following database architecture relies on a cooperating collection of existing databases?

Accepted Answer

The virtual federated warehouse architecture relies on a cooperating collection of existing databases to create a single, cohesive view of the data. This allows the organization to access and analyze data from multiple sources without having to create a physical data warehouse. Data mining, data cubes, and data warehouse appliance all refer to different techniques and technologies used within the context of data warehousing, but they do not involve a federated architecture.

Question 16

An approach that addresses the underlying inconsistencies in the way people use data by attempting to achieve consistent and uniform definitions for entities and their attributes across all business units is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Master data management is an approach that aims to ensure consistent and uniform definitions for entities and their attributes across all business units. It involves defining and managing the master data elements that are critical to an organization's operations and decision-making processes. Normalization is a process of designing a database schema to eliminate redundant data and improve data integrity. Database schema is a blueprint that defines the structure and organization of a database system. Shadow system refers to a parallel system used alongside an official system to circumvent data entry or processing constraints of the official system, and is not related to achieving consistent data definitions.

Question 17

Which of the following is an advantage of using shadow systems?

Accepted Answer

Shadow systems allow users to have more control over the data, as they are typically developed and managed by end-users to meet specific needs not addressed by the main IT systems.

Question 18

________ is a prepackaged data warehouse solution offered by vendors that includes the hardware and software, maintenance, and support.

Accepted Answer

A data warehouse appliance is a prepackaged solution that includes hardware and software, maintenance, and support. It is designed to make it easier for organizations to implement a data warehouse solution without having to build it from scratch or piece together different components from different vendors. This can save time and money, and also ensure better performance and reliability.

Question 19

A central data repository containing information drawn from multiple sources that can be used for analysis, intelligence gathering, and strategic planning is called a ________.

Accepted Answer

A data warehouse is a centralized repository of data that is extracted from various sources and transformed into a consistent format for analysis, intelligence gathering, and strategic planning. It allows organizations to store and analyze large amounts of data from different sources, which can provide valuable insights and help with decision-making. A data dictionary contains metadata that describes the structure, content, and relationships between data elements, while a data model is a visual representation of data structures, relationships, and rules used to create databases. Data load refers to the process of transferring data from one system to another.

Question 20

Database architecture which has multidimensional data grouped in logical dimensions such as sales by product, city, region, and country, is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Multidimensional data grouped in logical dimensions is commonly referred to as data cubes. Data cubes are a key component of online analytical processing (OLAP) systems, which are used for complex data analysis and reporting. Operational databases are designed for day-to-day transaction processing, data warehouse appliances are specialized hardware for data warehousing, and data mining is the process of discovering patterns and insights in large data sets.

Quiz 4: Managing Information Resources with Databases