- (Topic 1)
The analytics team has been asked to determine if the organization should launch their highest revenue generating product into the North American market. To date, this has only been available in Eastern Europe. To answer this, the team formulates several research questions, including:

Correct Answer:D
One of the steps in identifying the research questions for business data analytics is to assess the feasibility and desirability of the proposed solution or change1. This involves understanding the needs, preferences, and satisfaction of the existing and potential customers. Therefore, asking whether the existing customers really like the product is a relevant research question for the analytics team. References: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 22.

- (Topic 1)
An analyst at a supermarket chain has been asked to extract data from multiple data sources to complete a study on customer spending habits. The analyst is going to query data from various databases. Which statement is true about database querying?

Correct Answer:D
Querying is a technique that allows analysts to access, filter, join, aggregate, and transform data from various databases using a specific syntax and logic1. Querying can be used for different purposes, such as data exploration, data preparation, data analysis, and data visualization2. Querying is not limited to creating predictive data models, nor does it always produce tabular results. Moreover, querying languages may vary depending on the type and structure of the database, such as relational, hierarchical, or document-based3. References: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 552: Data Analysis Using SQL and Excel, Gordon S. Linoff, 2016, p. 33: Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, Carlos Coronel and Steven Morris, 2019, p. 17.

- (Topic 2)
What is the relationship between a Customer entity and an Order entity, where a customer entry will be present in the Customer entity regardless of whether an order was made?

Correct Answer:C
A zero-to-many relationship between two entities means that one instance of the first entity can be associated with zero or more instances of the second entity, and one instance of the second entity can be associated with only one instance of the first entity1. In this case, a customer entry will be present in the Customer entity regardless of whether an order was made, which means that a customer can have zero or more orders, but an order can only belong to one customer. Therefore, the relationship between Customer and Order is zero-to-many.
References:1: Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) Tutorial - Part 1

- (Topic 1)
A company wants to gauge the thoughts of their employees towards a new company product. On the 25th of March the interviewer makes a list of all employees who were at work on that day and then chooses a subset of those employees to interview. Which term describes the list of all employees present on March 25th?

Correct Answer:C
The sampling frame is the term that describes the list of all employees present on March 25th, because it is a technique that defines the set of elements from which a sample is drawn. The sampling frame should ideally match the population of interest, which is the group of elements that the researcher wants to study or make inferences about. In this case, the population of interest is the employees of the company, and the sampling frame is the subset of employees who were at work on a specific day. The survey sample is the technique that selects a portion of the sampling frame to participate in the survey. The sample weights are the technique that assigns different values or importance to each element in the sample, based on their representation in the population. References:
•Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 2: Source Data
•Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 14
•CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA®, page 8, CBDA Exam Sample Questions and Self-Assessment, Question 14

- (Topic 1)
The analytics team has been asked to provide an estimate of the number of customers they expect to have in 12 months. They debated how accurate that figure needs to be and determined that based on the availability of good data, they could predict within + or - 10%. This is an example of a:

Correct Answer:A
A ROM estimate is a rough order of magnitude estimate that provides a quick and approximate estimate of the cost, time, or effort required for a project or a task. A ROM estimate is based on expert opinion or experience from past projects, and it usually has a large range of variation, such as + or - 10%. A ROM estimate is useful when there is limited information or data available, or when a high-level estimate is needed for planning or budgeting purposes. However, a ROM estimate also has a high degree of uncertainty and variability, and it should be refined as more details become available12 References: 1: Project Estimation Techniques Business Analysts Should Know About 2: Estimation techniques for business analysts – The Functional BA

- (Topic 2)
An analytics team is sourcing data for a new analytics initiative and is deciding between two comparable data sources. One source being considered is a very large dataset and another consists of three smaller sources. What advantage will the larger dataset provide over the three smaller sources?

Correct Answer:A
A larger dataset may provide more significant results than three smaller sources, as it may have more statistical power to detect differences or relationships among variables1. Statistical power is the probability of finding a statistically significant result when there is a true effect in the population2. A larger dataset may have more power because it may have more variability, less sampling error, and higher precision than smaller datasets3. More significant results may lead to more confident and valid conclusions and recommendations for the analytics initiative.
Higher validity, more reproducibility, and higher reliability are not necessarily advantages of a larger dataset over three smaller sources, as they depend on other factors besides the size of the data. Validity is the degree to which the data and the analysis measure what they are intended to measure4. Reproducibility is the degree to which the data and the analysis can be replicated by another analyst using the same methods and data sources. Reliability is the degree to which the data and the analysis produce consistent results under the same conditions. These qualities may be affected by the quality, accuracy, completeness, and relevance of the data, as well as the appropriateness, transparency, and rigor of the analysis methods. A larger dataset may not be valid, reproducible, or reliable if it has errors, biases, missing values, or irrelevant variables, or if the analysis methods are not suitable, documented, or verified.
References:1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 542: Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View, IIBA, 2019, p. 233: Data Analysis: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, 4: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 26. : Introduction to Business Data Analytics: A Practitioner View, IIBA, 2019, p. 25. : Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 26. : Introduction to Business Data Analytics: An Organizational View, IIBA, 2019, p. 13.