- (Topic 1)
An organization's customers are categorized based on the amount of purchases completed over the last 12 months. The analytics team would like to ensure the accuracy of their survey results and decide to randomly select 500 customers to participate in a survey from this large pool of customers. This is an example of:
Correct Answer:
A
Stratified sampling is a technique that divides the population into homogeneous subgroups (strata) based on a relevant characteristic, such as the amount of purchases, and then randomly selects a proportional number of elements from each subgroup to form the sample. Stratified sampling ensures that the sample is representative of the population and reduces the sampling error and bias12. References: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 312: Statistics for Business and Economics, David R. Anderson et al., 2014, p. 262.
- (Topic 2)
The CustomerOrder entity will include information on all customer orders. Applying database normalization rules, which set of attributes will need to be normalized to avoid redundancies?
•Customerld
•CustomerPhone
•Orderld
•OrderDate
•ProductName
•ProductQuantity
•OrderTotal
Correct Answer:
B
Database normalization is the process of organizing the data in a database to reduce redundancy and improve integrity, consistency, and performance1. Database normalization rules are based on the concept of normal forms, which are levels of database design that meet certain criteria2. One of the most common normal forms is the third normal form (3NF), which states that a table should not have any transitive dependencies, meaning that a non-key attribute should not depend on another non-key attribute3. In the CustomerOrder entity, the set of attributes that will need to be normalized to avoid redundancies are ProductName and ProductQuantity, as they are non-key attributes that depend on another non-key attribute, Orderld. This means that the same product information may be repeated for different orders, which could lead to data inconsistency, duplication, or update anomalies. To normalize this set of attributes, a separate table should be created for the OrderDetails entity, which would have Orderld, ProductName, and ProductQuantity as its attributes, and Orderld and ProductName as its composite primary key.
The other sets of attributes do not need to be normalized to avoid redundancies, as they do not violate the 3NF. CustomerPhone and ProductName are non-key attributes that depend on the primary key, Customerld and Orderld respectively, which is allowed by the 3NF. Orderld and ProductName are part of the composite primary key of the OrderDetails entity, which is also allowed by the 3NF. Customerld and OrderDate are both primary keys of the Customer and Order entities respectively, which are also allowed by the 3NF. References:1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 442: Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View, IIBA, 2019, p. 93: Database Normalization: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, . : Database Normalization: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, .
: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 44. : Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View, IIBA, 2019, p. 9. : Database Normalization: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, . : Database Normalization: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, .
- (Topic 2)
To ensure their recommendation can be acted upon, the business analysis professional on the analytics team helps the team complete financial analysis to support their recommendation. As part of the financial analysis that's completed, the cost-benefit analysis shows positive net benefits starting in the 2nd year. The team feels this is sufficient to proceed with their strong endorsement of the recommendation.The business analysis professional:
Correct Answer:
D
According to the Guide to Business Data Analytics, a cost-benefit analysis is a technique that compares the costs and benefits of a project or decision over a period of time. The net benefit is the difference between the total benefits and the total costs. A positive net benefit indicates that the benefits outweigh the costs. However, a positive net benefit in one year does not necessarily mean that the project or decision is financially viable. The business analysis professional should also consider the cumulative net benefit, which is the sum of the net benefits over the entire time horizon. The cumulative net benefit reflects the overall value of the project or decision, taking into account the time value of money and the opportunity cost of capital. A project or decision is only financially feasible if the cumulative net benefit is positive at the end of the time horizon. Therefore, the business analysis professional should disagree with the team and suggest that they review the cumulative net benefit before endorsing the recommendation.
References: Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 55-56; CBDA Exam Blueprint, page 7; [Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View], page 19.
- (Topic 1)
What is the relationship between a Customer entity and an Order entity, where a customer entry will be present in the Customer entity only if they have made an order?
Correct Answer:
D
The relationship between a Customer entity and an Order entity, where a customer entry will be present in the Customer entity only if they have made an order, is a zero-to-one relationship. This means that for each record in the Order entity, there can be either zero or one record in the Customer entity that is related to it. This implies that the Order entity is optional for the Customer entity, and the Customer entity is mandatory for the Order entity12 References: 1: A Guide to the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) - Database Star 2: Developing an Application - Oracle
- (Topic 2)
To support their recommendation, the analytics team has identified investment and resources required to implement. The team has also identified key activities and events that are required to transition the organization through various stages to the future state.This information is clearly articulated in the:
Correct Answer:
C
According to the Guide to Business Data Analytics, a change strategy is a document that outlines the approach and plan for managing the change resulting from the data analysis and the proposed solution. A change strategy should include the following elements: the vision and objectives of the change, the scope and impact of the change, the stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities, the communication and engagement plan, the training and development plan, the transition and implementation plan, the risk and issue management plan, and the evaluation and measurement plan. A change strategy can help ensure that the change is aligned with the business goals, that the stakeholders are informed and involved, that the risks and issues are identified and mitigated, and that the benefits and outcomes are realized and sustained.
References:Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 84-85;CBDA Exam Blueprint, page 8; [Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View], page 26.
