DA0-002 Data Acquisition and Preparation Practice Question
An organization needs to acquire data from a third-party vendor. The data will be used for regulatory reporting. Which of the following should be the primary consideration before acquiring the data?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates prioritize technical or cost factors (volume, format, price) over the foundational legal and compliance gate, mistakenly assuming any data can be adapted later without verifying regulatory fitness first.
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
✓
Legal and compliance requirements
When acquiring data for regulatory reporting, legal and compliance requirements must be the primary consideration because the data must adhere to specific laws (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SOX) and industry regulations. Failing to ensure compliance can result in legal penalties, fines, or rejection of the report by regulatory bodies. This overrides technical or cost concerns, as non-compliant data is unusable for its intended purpose.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Legal and compliance requirements
Why this is correct
Legal and compliance requirements determine whether the vendor's data may lawfully be acquired and used for regulatory reporting, covering licensing, privacy and provenance. This satisfies the stem's primary-consideration constraint because non-compliant data invalidates the report regardless of its quality.
- ✗
Volume of data
Why it's wrong here
Volume alone says nothing about whether the vendor's data is fit for regulatory reporting; accuracy, completeness, provenance and permitted use govern that. Volume is tempting because large datasets feel valuable for analytics, but the correct consideration here is data quality and lineage, which regulators audit.
- ✗
Data format
Why it's wrong here
Format affects parsing effort, not whether the vendor's data is fit for regulatory submission; a convenient format cannot supply the required lineage, completeness or permitted-use rights. Format is the deciding factor when integrating feeds into an existing pipeline whose schema must match.
- ✗
Cost of the data
Why it's wrong here
Regulatory reporting demands data whose provenance, accuracy and permitted use satisfy the regulator; cost is a commercial factor that cannot remedy non-compliant or unverifiable source data. Cost becomes primary when acquiring discretionary analytics data with no mandated lineage or audit obligations.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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