DA0-002 Data Acquisition and Preparation Practice Question
A data quality assessment reveals that a column named 'email' contains values like 'user@example' (missing domain extension). Which data profiling technique would best identify such pattern violations?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing 'data type' with 'data format' — candidates see a string column and assume type verification suffices, but format violations require pattern analysis, not type checks.
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
✓
Pattern analysis
Pattern analysis examines the format and structure of values against an expected pattern (e.g., a regex for valid emails), making it the right technique to detect values like 'user@example' that violate the expected email format. It surfaces format inconsistencies, not just missing or duplicate values.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Pattern analysis
Why this is correct
Pattern analysis validates values against an expected format such as a regular expression for email addresses, flagging entries missing the domain extension. Range, uniqueness or completeness checks would not detect a malformed structure within an otherwise populated field.
- ✗
Cardinality analysis
Why it's wrong here
Cardinality analysis counts distinct values to reveal uniqueness and duplication, not format conformance, so malformed emails pass unnoticed. It is tempting because profiling often starts with cardinality, and it would be correct when assessing whether a column is a candidate key.
- ✗
Referential integrity check
Why it's wrong here
Referential integrity checks confirm that foreign key values exist in the referenced parent table; they cannot detect malformed strings within a single column. It is tempting because it validates data consistency across related tables, and would be the right choice when child records reference non-existent parent keys.
- ✗
Data type verification
Why it's wrong here
Data type verification checks whether values conform to a declared type such as string or integer; 'user@example' is still a valid string, so no violation is flagged. It is tempting because type checks catch malformed values, and it would be correct when numeric columns contain text.
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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.