DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
A company stores customer data in a SQL Server table with fixed columns (CustomerID, Name, Email, SignupDate). The company also stores application logs as JSON documents and marketing images as JPEG files. Which data type describes the customer data?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse 'relational data' (a storage model) with 'structured data' (a data type category), leading them to pick D instead of A, even though the question explicitly asks for the data type.
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
✓
Structured data
Customer data stored in a SQL Server table with fixed columns (CustomerID, Name, Email, SignupDate) follows a rigid schema where each row has the same set of columns with defined data types. This conforms to the relational model, making it structured data. Structured data is organized into rows and columns with a fixed schema, enabling efficient querying via SQL.
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
Structured data is correct because the data is stored in a SQL Server table with a fixed schema: every row must conform to predefined column names, data types, and constraints. This rigid, table-based organization allows efficient indexing, querying, and integrity enforcement, making it the textbook definition of structured data. The term directly contrasts with semi-structured and unstructured data, both of which lack such a uniform, enforced schema.
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Semi-structured data
Why it's wrong here
Semi-structured data is incorrect because it refers to data that does not require a fixed schema across all records—for example, JSON documents where fields can vary per object or XML with optional elements. A SQL Server table enforces an identical set of columns and data types on every row, preventing the schema flexibility that defines semi-structured data. Even if a table contains a column storing JSON, the table itself is still structured; the JSON within that column is the semi-structured part.
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Unstructured data
Why it's wrong here
Unstructured data is incorrect because it has no predefined data model or inherent structure, such as free-form text, images, audio, or video, where meaning is not represented by columns and data types. A SQL Server table imposes a strict tabular organization with named fields, typed values, and row/column relationships, which is the antithesis of unstructured data. This table's data can be directly queried using SQL predicates, whereas unstructured data typically requires special processing or extraction to interpret.
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Relational data
Why it's wrong here
Relational data is incorrect because, while a SQL Server table is indeed relational—organized into relations (tables) with keys and relationships—'relational' is a specific data model, not a category in the structured/semi-structured/unstructured taxonomy. The correct umbrella term for this table is 'structured data,' which encompasses relational data but also includes non-relational structured sources like CSV files with fixed column definitions. Choosing 'relational' confuses the implementation model with the data classification level the question asks for.
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Related to this question
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Data Roles and Core Concepts
Key term
Structured data
Structured data is information that is organized in a predefined format, typically in rows and columns, making it easy to search, process, and analyze by computers.
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
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