DA0-002 Data Acquisition and Preparation Practice Question
A data analyst needs to collect customer sentiment data from social media platforms. Which data acquisition method is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between primary data collection (surveys, focus groups) and secondary data acquisition (web scraping, APIs), where candidates mistakenly choose a primary method for a task that requires large-scale, unsolicited external data.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use web scraping
Web scraping is the most appropriate method because it allows the data analyst to programmatically extract unstructured customer sentiment data (e.g., posts, comments, reviews) directly from social media platforms using HTTP requests and HTML parsing. Unlike surveys or focus groups, scraping can collect large volumes of real-time, publicly available data without relying on self-reported or curated responses.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conduct a survey
Why it's wrong here
A survey collects responses only from people who choose to answer, so it captures no unsolicited social media posts. It is tempting because surveys directly measure opinion, and would be correct when the analyst needs structured sentiment from a defined sample rather than organic platform data.
- ✗
Organize focus groups
Why it's wrong here
Focus groups generate new opinions through facilitated discussion, not sentiment already expressed on social platforms. It is tempting because focus groups probe attitudes in depth, and would be the right choice when the analyst needs qualitative reactions to a specific product concept rather than existing public posts.
- ✓
Use web scraping
Why this is correct
Web scraping extracts publicly posted comments and posts from social platforms at scale, which is the only listed method that directly captures sentiment text. This satisfies the stem's constraint of collecting sentiment data from social media rather than structured internal sources.
- ✗
Query the internal CRM
Why it's wrong here
The CRM holds records of existing customers' interactions, not public social media posts, so it cannot yield sentiment from those platforms. It is tempting because CRM data is a genuine customer-feedback source, and querying it would suit analysing sentiment of known clients' support tickets or survey responses.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on DA0-002
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO are valid data acquisition methods? (Select two.)
medium- ✓ A.Web scraping
- B.Data normalization
- ✓ C.API calls
- D.Data encryption
- E.Data profiling
Why A: Web scraping (A) is a valid data acquisition method because it programmatically extracts data from web pages, typically via HTTP requests and HTML parsing (e.g., using libraries like BeautifulSoup or Scrapy), making it a recognized way to collect data from sources that lack a formal data feed. API calls (C) are also a valid acquisition method, since they retrieve structured data directly from a service's application programming interface using protocols such as REST/HTTP or SOAP, often returning JSON or XML payloads. In contrast, data normalization (B) is a data preparation/transformation step that scales or restructures values, not a way to obtain data. Data encryption (D) is a security control that protects data confidentiality, and data profiling (E) is an analysis technique that examines data quality and structure — neither acquires new data.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DA0-002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DA0-002 exam.