DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company receives data from a point-of-sale system. Each row contains TransactionID, ProductID, Quantity, and Price. The data has a fixed schema and is stored in a table. How should this data be classified?
Correct. The data has a fixed schema (columns TransactionID, ProductID, Quantity, Price) and is stored in a table, which is the definition of structured data.
B
Semi-structured data
Why wrong: Incorrect. Semi-structured data has some organizational properties but does not require a rigid schema. Examples include JSON and XML files.
C
Unstructured data
Why wrong: Incorrect. Unstructured data has no predefined schema and is typically stored as files like images, videos, or free-text documents.
D
Transactional data
Why wrong: Incorrect. 'Transactional data' describes the purpose of the data (recording transactions), not its structural classification. The question asks about data type based on structure.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Structured data
The data has a fixed schema with clearly defined columns (TransactionID, ProductID, Quantity, Price) and each row follows the same structure, which is the definition of structured data. In Azure, this would map directly to a table in Azure SQL Database or a fixed-schema table in Azure Synapse Analytics. The rigid schema and consistent data types make it ideal for relational storage and querying.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Structured data
Why this is correct
Correct. The data has a fixed schema (columns TransactionID, ProductID, Quantity, Price) and is stored in a table, which is the definition of structured data.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Semi-structured data
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Semi-structured data has some organizational properties but does not require a rigid schema. Examples include JSON and XML files.
✗
Unstructured data
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Unstructured data has no predefined schema and is typically stored as files like images, videos, or free-text documents.
✗
Transactional data
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 'Transactional data' describes the purpose of the data (recording transactions), not its structural classification. The question asks about data type based on structure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'transactional data' (a workload pattern) with 'structured data' (a data classification), leading them to pick Option D because the data comes from a point-of-sale system, but the question explicitly asks about data structure, not data source or usage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Structured data is typically stored in relational database management systems (RDBMS) like SQL Server, where schema-on-write enforces data types and constraints before insertion. In Azure, this aligns with PaaS offerings such as Azure SQL Database, where tables are defined with explicit columns and indexes. A real-world scenario is a retail company using Azure SQL Database to store POS transactions, enabling ACID-compliant queries for inventory and sales reporting.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-900 question in full detail.
Describe core data concepts — This question tests Describe core data concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Structured data — The data has a fixed schema with clearly defined columns (TransactionID, ProductID, Quantity, Price) and each row follows the same structure, which is the definition of structured data. In Azure, this would map directly to a table in Azure SQL Database or a fixed-schema table in Azure Synapse Analytics. The rigid schema and consistent data types make it ideal for relational storage and querying.
What should I do if I get this DP-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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