DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
A company has a database that processes millions of small credit card transactions per second for payment authorization. They also need to run complex reports that aggregate transaction data over months to detect fraud patterns. Which type of workload describes the payment authorization process?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates see 'complex reports' and 'aggregate transaction data' in the same question and assume the entire workload is analytical, but the question explicitly asks only about the payment authorization process, which is purely transactional.
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
✓
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing)
The payment authorization process involves high-volume, low-latency transactions that read, insert, and update individual records in real time. This is the classic definition of OLTP (Online Transaction Processing), which is optimized for ACID-compliant, row-based operations on current data. The scenario explicitly states 'millions of small credit card transactions per second,' which aligns with OLTP workloads like order entry or banking.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing)
Why this is correct
OLTP is the correct workload for credit card processing because it is optimized for high-volume, low-latency transaction handling, such as authorization requests that must complete in milliseconds. It relies on row-based storage, indexes, and ACID transactions to ensure that millions of concurrent small writes and reads remain consistent and durable, even under heavy load.
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OLAP (Online Analytical Processing)
Why it's wrong here
OLAP is incorrect because it is designed for complex analytical queries that scan and aggregate large volumes of historical data, often using columnar storage and dimensional schemas. It sacrifices write performance and transactional isolation to optimize for high-throughput reporting, making it unsuitable for sub-second credit card authorizations that require immediate, consistent state changes.
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HTAP (Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing)
Why it's wrong here
HTAP is incorrect because, while it combines transactional and analytical processing in one engine, a pure credit card authorization pipeline is strictly transactional and has no concurrent analytical workload. Adding OLAP capabilities introduces extra complexity and overhead—such as maintaining analytic indexes or replicas—without benefiting the simple, high-frequency insert/update pattern, so OLTP alone is the appropriate choice.
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ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
Why it's wrong here
ETL is incorrect because it is a data integration process, not a database workload or processing model. ETL extracts data from sources, transforms it, and loads it into a target system (like a data warehouse) in batches, which is fundamentally different from the interactive, real-time transaction processing required to authorize millions of credit card payments.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Roles and Core Concepts
Key term
OLTP
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) is a data processing system designed to manage and record high volumes of real-time transactions, such as bank deposits or online purchases, quickly and reliably.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DP-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 DP-900 exam.