DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
A retail company processes historical sales data in a nightly batch job that loads aggregated reports into a data warehouse. Additionally, the company analyzes live customer interactions from their website to provide real-time product recommendations. Which pair of terms correctly describes these two data processing approaches?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse OLTP/OLAP (which describe transactional vs. analytical workloads) with processing methods (batch vs. streaming), leading them to incorrectly select Option A.
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
✓
Batch processing and streaming processing
The nightly batch job that loads aggregated reports into a data warehouse is a classic example of batch processing, where data is processed in large, scheduled chunks. The real-time analysis of live customer interactions for product recommendations is streaming processing, which handles data continuously as it arrives. Option B correctly pairs these two distinct processing paradigms.
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 and OLAP
Why it's wrong here
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) classify workload types, not processing timing. OLTP handles high-frequency, short transactions like placing orders; OLAP executes complex aggregate queries on historical data for business intelligence. These terms describe the nature of the operations and data access, but they do not distinguish between a scheduled nightly job and a continuous real-time event stream. Thus, this pair is incorrect for identifying batch and streaming processing.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'A company uses a database for processing customer orders and a separate system for analyzing sales trends. Which pair of terms describes these two systems?' Then OLTP (for orders) and OLAP (for analytics) would be correct.
- ✓
Batch processing and streaming processing
Why this is correct
Batch processing and streaming processing correctly pair the two fundamentally different data processing approaches. Batch processing operates on data in fixed, scheduled intervals—like the nightly job that ingests historical sales data—making it ideal for high-volume, non-urgent workloads. Streaming processing handles data continuously and incrementally as it arrives, enabling low-latency use cases such as real-time recommendation engines. Together, this pair properly addresses the nightly batch requirement and the real-time recommendation need.
- ✗
Structured data and unstructured data
Why it's wrong here
Structured data and unstructured data describe data format, not the processing methodology. Structured data adheres to a predefined schema (e.g., CSV or relational tables), while unstructured data lacks a formal structure (e.g., images, free text). Both structured and unstructured data can be processed using either batch or streaming techniques, so this classification is orthogonal to the question. It incorrectly focuses on the data's shape rather than the temporal pattern of processing.
When this WOULD be correct
A question that asks: 'A company stores customer records in a SQL database and also collects social media posts. Which pair of terms describes these two data types?' would make 'Structured data and unstructured data' correct.
- ✗
Relational and NoSQL
Why it's wrong here
Relational and NoSQL are database management system categories, not data processing methods. Relational databases (e.g., SQL Server) enforce rigid schemas and ACID transactions, while NoSQL databases (e.g., Cosmos DB, MongoDB) offer flexible schemas for scale and speed. Neither term describes when or how data is processed in a pipeline. The question asks about batch versus streaming—a temporal execution pattern—not about how data is stored or queried.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'A company uses a SQL database for transactional data and a document database for product catalogs. Which pair of terms describes these two data storage technologies?'
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The DP-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Batch processing and streaming processingCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Batch processing and streaming processing correctly pair the two fundamentally different data processing approaches. Batch processing operates on data in fixed, scheduled intervals—like the nightly job that ingests historical sales data—making it ideal for high-volume, non-urgent workloads. Streaming processing handles data continuously and incrementally as it arrives, enabling low-latency use cases such as real-time recommendation engines. Together, this pair properly addresses the nightly batch requirement and the real-time recommendation need.
✗OLTP and OLAPWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) describe system architectures for transaction handling vs. analytics, not the data processing methods (batch vs. streaming) used in the scenario.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'A company uses a database for processing customer orders and a separate system for analyzing sales trends. Which pair of terms describes these two systems?' Then OLTP (for orders) and OLAP (for analytics) would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates confuse the batch/streaming distinction with the OLTP/OLAP dichotomy, as both involve different processing types, but OLTP/OLAP focus on system purpose rather than processing timing.
✗Structured data and unstructured dataWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question asks about data processing approaches (batch vs. streaming), not data types. 'Structured data and unstructured data' describe data formats, not how data is processed.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question that asks: 'A company stores customer records in a SQL database and also collects social media posts. Which pair of terms describes these two data types?' would make 'Structured data and unstructured data' correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse data processing methods with data types, especially when the scenario involves both historical (structured) and real-time (potentially unstructured) data.
✗Relational and NoSQLWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question contrasts batch processing (nightly job) with streaming processing (real-time), not database types. Relational and NoSQL refer to data storage models, not processing approaches.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'A company uses a SQL database for transactional data and a document database for product catalogs. Which pair of terms describes these two data storage technologies?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse data processing approaches with data storage technologies, especially when terms like 'data warehouse' (often relational) appear in the question.
Analysis generated from the official DP-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Data Roles and Core Concepts
Key term
Data
Data is raw, unprocessed information, like numbers, words, or measurements, that can be stored, processed, and analyzed by computers.
Key term
Batch processing
Batch processing is a method of running high-volume, repetitive data jobs where a group of transactions is collected, processed together automatically, and then results are produced without real-time user interaction.
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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.