DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 ride-sharing company processes trip requests from customers. Each trip is recorded as a single transaction that updates the driver's status, calculates the fare, and logs the ride. At the end of each month, the company runs reports that aggregate millions of trips to determine average wait times and revenue per driver. Which pair of terms best describes these two distinct workloads?
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.
Correct. OLTP handles the individual trip transactions, while OLAP handles the monthly reporting and aggregation.
B
Batch processing and stream processing
Why wrong: Incorrect. Batch processing processes data in large chunks at scheduled times, and stream processing handles continuous data in real-time. Here, trip requests are processed immediately (like OLTP), not as a stream, and monthly reports are batch-like but the term OLAP is more precise.
C
ETL and ELT
Why wrong: Incorrect. ETL and ELT refer to data pipeline patterns for moving and transforming data, not the nature of the workloads themselves.
D
Relational and non-relational
Why wrong: Incorrect. Relational and non-relational refer to data storage models, not workload types.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
OLTP and OLAP
The first workload (trip request processing) is a classic OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) system because each trip is a single, atomic transaction that updates driver status, calculates fare, and logs the ride in real time. The second workload (monthly aggregation reports) is OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) because it queries millions of historical trip records to compute averages and revenue summaries. These two patterns have fundamentally different data storage and query optimization requirements, making OLTP and OLAP the correct pair.
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.
✓
OLTP and OLAP
Why this is correct
Correct. OLTP handles the individual trip transactions, while OLAP handles the monthly reporting and aggregation.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Batch processing and stream processing
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Batch processing processes data in large chunks at scheduled times, and stream processing handles continuous data in real-time. Here, trip requests are processed immediately (like OLTP), not as a stream, and monthly reports are batch-like but the term OLAP is more precise.
✗
ETL and ELT
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. ETL and ELT refer to data pipeline patterns for moving and transforming data, not the nature of the workloads themselves.
✗
Relational and non-relational
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Relational and non-relational refer to data storage models, not workload types.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the processing method (batch/stream) with the workload type (OLTP/OLAP), but the question specifically asks for the pair that best describes the distinct workloads—transactional updates vs. analytical reporting—which is the classic OLTP vs. OLAP distinction.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
OLTP systems typically use row-oriented storage (e.g., InnoDB in MySQL) to optimize for fast inserts and point lookups, while OLAP systems use columnar storage (e.g., Azure Synapse, Snowflake) to compress and scan large ranges of data efficiently. The monthly aggregation query would likely involve a full table scan of millions of rows, which columnar storage accelerates by reading only the relevant columns (e.g., wait_time, revenue) rather than entire rows. A subtle behavior: OLTP systems often use B-tree indexes for single-row access, whereas OLAP systems use zone maps or min-max statistics to skip irrelevant data blocks during scans.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: OLTP and OLAP — The first workload (trip request processing) is a classic OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) system because each trip is a single, atomic transaction that updates driver status, calculates fare, and logs the ride in real time. The second workload (monthly aggregation reports) is OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) because it queries millions of historical trip records to compute averages and revenue summaries. These two patterns have fundamentally different data storage and query optimization requirements, making OLTP and OLAP the correct pair.
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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