DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 marketing company collects data from social media feeds including text posts, images, and videos. The data arrives in various formats with no fixed structure or schema. This type of data is best described as:
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Why wrong: Structured data conforms to a fixed schema (rows and columns). Social media content does not fit a rigid table format.
B
B) Semi-structured data
Why wrong: Semi-structured data (e.g., JSON, XML) has tags or markers but still has some organizational properties. The described data lacks even those properties.
C
C) Unstructured data
Unstructured data has no predefined schema and includes free-form text, images, videos, etc. Social media feeds typically contain this type of data.
D
D) Relational data
Why wrong: Relational data is a subset of structured data stored in tables with relationships. Social media feeds are not relational.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
C) Unstructured data
Unstructured data lacks a predefined data model or schema, making it ideal for storing text posts, images, and videos that arrive in varied formats. Unlike structured or semi-structured data, unstructured data cannot be easily organized into rows and columns or parsed with tags, which is why option C is correct for this scenario.
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.
✗
A) Structured data
Why it's wrong here
Structured data conforms to a fixed schema (rows and columns). Social media content does not fit a rigid table format.
✗
B) Semi-structured data
Why it's wrong here
Semi-structured data (e.g., JSON, XML) has tags or markers but still has some organizational properties. The described data lacks even those properties.
✓
C) Unstructured data
Why this is correct
Unstructured data has no predefined schema and includes free-form text, images, videos, etc. Social media feeds typically contain this type of data.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
D) Relational data
Why it's wrong here
Relational data is a subset of structured data stored in tables with relationships. Social media feeds are not relational.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse semi-structured data (e.g., JSON with tags) with unstructured data, but the key differentiator is the complete absence of any schema or metadata markers in the described social media feeds.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Unstructured data typically accounts for 80% of enterprise data and is stored in systems like Azure Blob Storage or data lakes using formats such as raw text, binary image files (e.g., PNG, JPEG), or video codecs (e.g., H.264). Processing this data often requires AI/ML services like Azure Cognitive Services for text analytics or computer vision, as traditional SQL-based querying is ineffective without schema-on-read approaches.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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: C) Unstructured data — Unstructured data lacks a predefined data model or schema, making it ideal for storing text posts, images, and videos that arrive in varied formats. Unlike structured or semi-structured data, unstructured data cannot be easily organized into rows and columns or parsed with tags, which is why option C is correct for this scenario.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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