DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
A retail company maintains a database of customer information including CustomerID, Name, Address, and Phone. Each record follows the same fixed schema. This type of data is best described as:
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'relational data' (a storage model) with 'structured data' (a data type), leading them to select Option D, but the DP-900 exam categorizes data by its structure, not by the database system used to store it.
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
Structured data conforms to a fixed schema where each record has the same fields (CustomerID, Name, Address, Phone) and data types, making it ideal for relational database storage. This rigid, tabular format allows efficient querying using SQL and enforces consistency across all rows.
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 adheres to a predefined schema, with each record consisting of named columns that enforce specific data types and constraints. In a retail customer database, tables store fields such as CustomerID, FirstName, LastName, and Email, making the data easily queryable using SQL. This fixed, tabular arrangement is precisely what classifies it as structured data.
- ✗
Semi-structured data
Why it's wrong here
Semi-structured data has some organizational properties—such as tags, keys, or nesting—but does not conform to a fixed relational schema. Formats like JSON or XML are self-describing and allow varying fields per record. Customer information maintained in a database is typically normalized into well-defined columns and rows with strict data types, which is a fixed schema rather than the flexible, tag-based structure of semi-structured data.
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Unstructured data
Why it's wrong here
Unstructured data lacks a predefined data model or schema, so it cannot be organized into rows and columns without additional interpretation. Examples include free-text comments, images, videos, and audio files. A retail customer information database contains discrete fields such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, which are inherently organized, so the data is not unstructured.
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Relational data
Why it's wrong here
Relational data is a storage model—not a data type category—that organizes data into tables with primary and foreign keys to handle relationships. While a customer database is often stored in a relational system and the data within it is structured, 'relational' describes how the data is stored and queried, not the inherent format of the data itself. The correct classification of the data's format remains structured data.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Roles and Core Concepts
Key term
Schema
A schema is a blueprint or logical structure that defines how data is organized, stored, and accessed in a database or information system.
Key term
Relational database
A relational database organizes data into tables with rows and columns, where each table relates to others using unique keys, allowing efficient storage, retrieval, and manipulation of structured information.
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