CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002)Data Governance, Quality and ControlsMedium
A logistics company's dashboard shows delivery status information that refreshes only once every 24 hours, but drivers and customers need up-to-the-minute updates to make real-time routing decisions. Which data quality dimension does this scenario illustrate?
- ACompleteness
- BAccuracy
- CValidity
- DTimeliness
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Timeliness
Timeliness measures whether data is available and current enough to support the intended use. Data that is correct and complete but updated too infrequently for the business need fails on timeliness, not validity, accuracy, or completeness.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Completeness concerns whether required fields are populated, not how current the data is.
- B. Accuracy concerns whether values are correct, and nothing suggests the values themselves are wrong.
- C. Validity concerns whether values conform to defined formats or business rules, not refresh frequency.
Timeliness (Data Quality Dimension)
The degree to which data is up to date and available within the timeframe required for its intended use.
- Data can be accurate and complete yet still fail timeliness if it's stale
- Common issue in real-time dashboards fed by batch updates
- Improved via streaming/real-time data pipelines instead of nightly batches
Memory trick: 'CACTUS' - Completeness, Accuracy, Consistency, Timeliness, Uniqueness, Validity Standards