DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question
A university is designing a data platform. It must store the following: (1) a fixed set of student enrollment records with StudentID, CourseID, and Grade; (2) lecture transcripts as free-form text files with no predefined fields. The architects need to classify each dataset correctly before choosing storage. Which two statements correctly classify these datasets? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating variation in data values, or simply storing data in a database or in Azure, with semi-structured classification, when classification depends on whether the records share a predefined schema.
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
✓
The enrollment records are structured data because they conform to a predefined schema of rows and columns.
Enrollment data with a uniform set of columns is structured, while free-form transcripts lacking any field model are unstructured. Value variability within a fixed column does not change a dataset's classification, storage location in Azure is irrelevant to the classification, and the ability to place text in a table does not give that text an internal schema.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Both datasets should be classified as semi-structured because both will be stored in Azure.
Why it's wrong here
The choice of cloud vendor or storage location does not determine a dataset's structural classification. Structure is about whether records share a predefined schema, and the two datasets differ sharply on that point: one is uniform, the other has no field model. Grouping both as semi-structured ignores that distinction and would lead to inappropriate storage choices.
- ✗
The lecture transcripts are structured data because text files can be stored in a database table.
Why it's wrong here
The ability to store text in a database column does not make the text structured. Structured data requires a defined schema of fields that describe the content, whereas a transcript is one undifferentiated block of text. Placing it in a table row would still leave its internal content unqueryable by field, so the classification is wrong.
- ✓
The enrollment records are structured data because they conform to a predefined schema of rows and columns.
Why this is correct
The enrollment records have a fixed set of fields, StudentID, CourseID, and Grade, applied uniformly to every record. That predefined, uniform schema is the defining trait of structured data. It enables efficient joins, constraints, and aggregate queries in a relational engine such as Azure SQL Database, which is why this classification is correct for the enrollment dataset.
- ✗
The enrollment records are semi-structured data because grades can vary between students.
Why it's wrong here
Variation in the values a field holds, such as different grades, does not make data semi-structured. Semi-structured means the structure itself varies between records, not the values within a fixed column. The enrollment records share the same three columns for every row, so they remain structured regardless of how many distinct grade values appear.
- ✓
The lecture transcripts are unstructured data because they contain free-form text without a predefined field model.
Why this is correct
Free-form lecture transcripts have no predefined fields, keys, or tags that a query engine can use to address specific attributes. That absence of an internal, machine-queryable data model is the hallmark of unstructured data. Storing them as text files in Azure Blob Storage is appropriate, with any searchable attributes captured separately as metadata.
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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
Column
A column is a vertical set of values in a database table that stores one specific type of attribute for every row.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.