CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002)Data MiningHard
A data team is setting up a new data acquisition process for customer feedback forms. The forms are submitted through a web portal, generating JSON payloads. The team needs to ensure that, before any transformations or loading, the incoming JSON data consistently adheres to a predefined structure, including specific fields and data types. Which data acquisition step is primarily focused on verifying this structural consistency?
- AData profiling
- BSchema validation
- CData storage
- DData enrichment
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Schema validation
Schema validation is the process of checking whether incoming data conforms to a predefined schema (structure, data types, constraints). For JSON payloads, this involves ensuring that the received data has all expected fields, and that their values are of the correct type, which is crucial early in the acquisition process.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Data profiling analyzes the content and quality of data (e.g., unique values, min/max, distribution) but does not *enforce* a schema; it describes existing data.
- C. Data storage is where the data is kept, not an active process for verifying its structure.
- D. Data enrichment involves adding external data to enhance existing data, which occurs after initial acquisition and validation.
Schema Validation
The process of verifying that a dataset's structure, data types, and constraints conform to a predefined schema or data model.
- Crucial for maintaining data integrity at the point of ingestion.
- Prevents malformed data from entering downstream systems.
- Often uses tools like JSON Schema or XML Schema Definition (XSD).
Memory trick: Incoming data: check the map, then check the contents.