DA0-002 Data Concepts and Environments Practice Question
A data architect is designing a storage solution for a healthcare provider. The system must store patient records with varying structures, including unstructured clinical notes and semi-structured JSON data from wearables. The solution must scale horizontally and handle high write throughput. Which storage type is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a data warehouse or relational database can handle unstructured data; however, they require schema-on-write and are not designed for raw, varied data formats.
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
✓
Data lake
The correct answer is Data lake because it can store raw data in any format, scale horizontally, and handle high write throughput. Relational databases, data warehouses, and OLTP databases are optimized for structured data and transactional workloads, making them less suitable for diverse, high-volume healthcare data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data warehouse
Why it's wrong here
Data warehouses are designed for structured, processed data and use schema-on-write. They are not suited for storing raw unstructured or semi-structured data and may not handle high write throughput of varied formats efficiently. Therefore, they are not the best choice here.
- ✓
Data lake
Why this is correct
A data lake stores raw data in any format, including unstructured and semi-structured, and can scale horizontally using distributed storage. It supports high write throughput and schema-on-read, making it ideal for diverse healthcare data like clinical notes and JSON from wearables.
- ✗
OLTP database
Why it's wrong here
OLTP databases are optimized for transactional processing with structured data and high consistency. They are not designed for storing large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data and may not scale horizontally as required. Thus, they are inappropriate for this use case.
- ✗
Relational database
Why it's wrong here
Relational databases enforce a fixed schema and are not optimized for unstructured or semi-structured data. They scale vertically more easily than horizontally and may struggle with high write throughput of diverse data types. Thus, they are not the best fit for this scenario.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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.