DP-900 Describe core data concepts Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Data uses tags or markers to separate elements

  Why it's wrong here

  Using tags or markers to separate elements is the defining characteristic of semi-structured data, such as JSON or XML documents. Although such data may have some internal organization, each record can contain different fields, and the schema is often embedded with the data itself. Structured data does not rely on tags; it is stored in a rigid tabular format where every row shares the same set of columns.

• ✓

  Data is organized in rows and columns

  Why this is correct

  Structured data is organized into tables with rows and columns, where each column represents a specific attribute or field and each row contains a single record's values for those attributes. This tabular arrangement makes it straightforward to query with SQL, enforce relationships through keys, and perform aggregations across records. The row-and-column format is the most fundamental and recognizable characteristic of structured data.

• ✗

  Data is stored in Azure Cosmos DB

  Why it's wrong here

  The fact that data is stored in Azure Cosmos DB does not by itself indicate that the data is structured, because Cosmos DB is a multi-model database that supports document, key-value, graph, and column-family data models. Cosmos DB is commonly associated with semi-structured JSON documents that have flexible schemas, whereas structured data is typically managed in relational database systems such as Azure SQL Database or SQL Server. Therefore, naming a particular storage service cannot be a defining characteristic of structured data.

• ✓

  Data conforms to a fixed schema

  Why this is correct

  Structured data conforms to a fixed, predefined schema, meaning the attributes, data types, and constraints are defined before any data is written. This schema-on-write approach ensures consistency and data integrity, because every record must satisfy the same structure and each column has a strictly enforced data type. Changing the schema, such as adding a column, requires an intentional alteration to the table definition and often an explicit data migration process.

• ✗

  Data has no predefined schema

  Why it's wrong here

  A lack of predefined schema is the hallmark of unstructured data, such as free-form text documents, images, audio, and video, where the content has no predictable structure for direct table-based storage and analysis. In contrast, structured data requires an explicit schema so that records can be consistently stored, queried, and joined across tables. Without a predefined schema, reliable SQL-based analysis and relational operations would be impossible, making this option incompatible with structured data.

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