Question 1

A data scientist at a consumer goods company, has been asked to do a detailed analysis on customer
profiles. The Data Scientist has identified an external data source that carries valuable additional
information on their customers. The data scientist also identifies the address column as the most
reliable column to join the internal data source with the external data source. Addresses may appear
in different formats for example:
File A = "13 Smith St"
File B = "Unit 7, 13 Smith Street"
Which of the following techniques would be useful in this situation?

Accepted Answer

B

Explanation: Probabilistic linkage is a technique that uses statistical methods to match records from different data sources based on the similarity of key variables, such as name, address, date of birth, etc1. Probabilistic linkage can handle variations, errors, or missing values in the data, and assign a score or probability to each potential match2. Probabilistic linkage would be useful in this situation, as the address column may have different formats, spellings, or abbreviations in the internal and external data sources, and a deterministic linkage (which requires exact matches) might miss some valid matches or create false matches. Deterministic linkage is a technique that uses predefined rules or criteria to match records from different data sources based on the exact agreement of key variables, such as identifiers, codes, or hashes3. Deterministic linkage would not be useful in this situation, as the address column may not have consistent or unique values in the internal and external data sources, and a probabilistic linkage (which allows for some variation or uncertainty) might find more accurate matches or avoid false matches. Genetic linkage is a term used in genetics to describe the tendency of genes or DNA sequences that are located close together on a chromosome to be inherited together4. Genetic linkage is not relevant to this situation, as it has nothing to do with matching records from different data sources based on the address column. Cuff linkage is a term used in sewing to describe the process of attaching a cuff to a sleeve by stitching or fastening. Cuff linkage is not relevant to this situation, as it has nothing to do with matching records from different data sources based on the address column. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 452: Data Linkage: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, 3: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 454: Genetic Linkage, National Human Genome Research Institute, . : Cuff Linkage, Sewing Dictionary, . : Data Linkage: The Definitive Guide, Tableau, . : Genetic Linkage, National Human Genome Research Institute, . : Cuff Linkage, Sewing Dictionary, .

Question 2

The analytics team has completed analyzing a dataset and unfortunately the data didn't deliver the kinds of insights that the team was hoping for. After much contemplation, they decide to:

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The analytics team should restart the work with formation of a new research question, because the existing one may not be well-defined, relevant, or feasible. A well-formed research question is the first step of the business data analytics cycle, and it guides the subsequent steps of sourcing, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting data. If the data analysis does not yield meaningful insights, the team should revisit the research question and refine it based on the business problem, stakeholder needs, data availability, and analytical methods. Reference: • Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 10-11 • Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 1: Identify the Research Questions • CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA®, page 8, CBDA Exam Sample Questions and Self-Assessment,

Question 3

The analytics team is assessing the results of their analysis. They are surprised to find that their data
indicates two events seem to
be strongly related even though the general belief in the organization is that they are independent of
each other. Knowing that
this information will be used for decision making, they are concerned about presenting this dat
a. At an impasse, the business
analysis professional reminds them that the data can be presented as long as the team has:

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The ability to rerun the data analysis and the results are the same is the condition that the team should have before presenting the data, because it is a technique that ensures the validity, reliability, and reproducibility of the data analysis. By rerunning the data analysis, the team can verify that the results are consistent and not affected by random errors, biases, or anomalies. The team can also confirm that the data analysis process is well-documented, transparent, and traceable, and that the results can be replicated by other analysts or stakeholders. This can minimize the risk of acting on the data, and increase the confidence and trust in the data analysis. Reference: • Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 4: Interpret and Report Results • Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9 • Business Data Analytics (IIBA®-CBDA Exam preparation) | Udemy, Section 4: Interpret and Report Results, Lecture 20: Data Validation and Verification

Question 4

A Human Resource manager recently learned that their competitor reduced employee attrition rates
by 20% after implementing personality tests as part of their screening process. Intrigued by the idea,
the manager suggests collecting data on personality tests and attrition rates over the next year. The
data from this year is then analyzed to explore possible relationships. What type of analytics has the
team been asked to perform?

Accepted Answer

B

Explanation: Descriptive analytics is a type of analytics that summarizes and visualizes the data to provide an overview of what has happened or is happening, such as the attrition rates and the personality test scores of the employees12. The team has been asked to perform descriptive analytics to explore possible relationships between the data variables, without making any predictions or prescriptions for the future. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 182: Business Analytics: Data Analysis & Decision Making, S. Christian Albright and Wayne L. Winston, 2015, p. 5.

Question 5

The analytics team is struggling with which recommendation to make. Their challenge is that they
have five good options and this indecision is stopping them from moving forward. To help the team
finalize their recommendation, the BA professional on the team recommends they complete:

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: Acceptance and evaluation criteria are the techniques that the BA professional on the team should recommend they complete, because they are the standards or measures that are used to evaluate the suitability and value of each option. Acceptance and evaluation criteria can help the team compare the benefits, costs, risks, and impacts of each option, and determine which one best meets the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. Acceptance and evaluation criteria can also help the team communicate the rationale and evidence behind their recommendation, and ensure that the recommendation is aligned with the business goals and objectives. Reference: • Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 5: Use Results to Influence Business Decision Making • Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9 • Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria | Business Analysis

Question 6

A financial software company has growth and expansion as one of their top strategic priorities for the
year. The senior executive team would like to assess their sales performance over the last 3 years to
help set sales objectives. In discussion with the business analytics manager, for a comprehensive
sales report, the sales lead recommends looking into the number of contracts signed over the past 3
years and the dollar value for the signed contracts. Which other question is important to consider
when evaluating sales performance?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The average time for conversion is the average number of days it takes to convert a lead into a customer. This is an important question to consider when evaluating sales performance, because it indicates the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales process. A shorter time for conversion means that the sales team can close more deals in less time, and thus increase the revenue and profitability of the company. A longer time for conversion may indicate that there are bottlenecks, challenges, or inefficiencies in the sales process that need to be addressed. Reference: • Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 5: Use Results to Influence Business Decision Making • Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9 • Business Data Analytics (IIBA®-CBDA Exam preparation) | Udemy, Section 4: Interpret and Report Results, Lecture 19: Sales Performance Metrics

Question 7

Which attributes from the Order entity will need to be normalized to avoid redundancies? . Orderld . OrderDate . Itemld . ItemName . Quantity . ItemPrice

Accepted Answer

B

Explanation: The attributes ItemName and ItemPrice need to be normalized to avoid redundancies because they depend on the attribute ItemId, which is not part of the primary key of the Order entity. This is a case of partial dependency, which violates the second normal form (2NF) of database normalization. To achieve 2NF, the Order entity should be split into two entities: Order and Item, where Item contains the attributes ItemId, ItemName, and ItemPrice, and Order contains the attributes OrderId, OrderDate, ItemId, and Quantity. This way, the ItemName and ItemPrice are stored only once for each ItemId, and the Order entity

Question 8

The marketing department for a major restaurant chain is interested in testing a Kids Eat Free
campaign to determine if it will help to increase sales. They are interested in piloting the campaign
to determine which day of the week will improve sales the most.
The campaign is launched across 7 cities with each city promoting a different day of the week. The
sales data is collected and provided to a team for analysis. What concern might the analytics team
have regarding data quality across cities?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: Variation is the degree to which the data values differ from each other or from a central tendency measure, such as the mean or median. Variation can affect the data quality across cities, as it can indicate the presence of outliers, errors, noise, or inconsistency in the data collection or processing methods. Variation can also influence the statistical analysis and interpretation of the results, as it can affect the significance, confidence, and validity of the findings12. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 302: Statistics for Business and Economics, David R. Anderson et al., 2014, p. 83.

Question 9

An online retailer of men's athletic apparel is seeking to become the market leader in the industry. To
deliver on this strategy, the analytics team continuously collects data on the prices of competitor
products and uses this information to adjust the retailer's prices. What type of analytics is the retailer
using to maintain their pricing structure?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: Prescriptive analytics is the type of analytics that the retailer is using to maintain their pricing structure, because it is a technique that uses data and models to recommend the best course of action for a given situation. Prescriptive analytics can help the retailer optimize their prices based on the data collected from the competitors, the market conditions, and the customer p

Question 10

A colleague proposes measuring job satisfaction by asking the question "What is your salary?". What is the concerning factor about this question?

Accepted Answer

A

Explanation: Validity is the extent to which a measure or a question accurately captures the intended concept or construct1. The question “What is your salary?” is not a valid measure of job satisfaction, as it does not reflect the various aspects of job satisfaction, such as work environment, recognition, autonomy, growth, etc. Salary is only one possible factor that may influence job satisfaction, but it is not a direct or comprehensive indicator of it23. Therefore, the question is not valid for measuring job satisfaction. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 302: Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences, Paul E. Spector, 1997, p. 23: Job Satisfaction Survey, 1.

Question 11

An online retailer has been successful utilizing analytics to guide decisions on product placement and
marketing spend.
Management has requested a task force be assembled to make recommendations on how to further
develop their analytics capabilities. To begin this work, the task force builds a model to develop a
shared understanding about customer segments, customer relationships, key partnerships, and the
company's value proposition. The team has leveraged the following model to facilitate this
discussion?

Accepted Answer

C

Explanation: The business model canvas is the model that the task force has leveraged to facilitate the discussion, because it is a technique that describes the logic of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value. The business model canvas consists of nine building blocks that cover the key aspects of a business: customer segments, value proposition, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure. The business model canvas can help the task force develop a shared understanding of the current state of the online retailer, and identify the opportunities and challenges for developing their analytics capabilities. Reference: • Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 6: Guide Organization-level Strategy for Business Analytics • Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9 • 10.8 Business Model Canvas | IIBA®

Question 12

A job satisfaction survey is being developed. Half of the employees will be asked the question "Do
you enjoy working in your workplace?" The other half will be asked "Do you like the current work
benefits?". The business analyst raises concern over the survey. What is concerning to the business
analyst?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The business analyst is concerned about the validity of the survey. Validity is the extent to which a survey measures what it intends to measure. In this case, the survey is supposed to measure job satisfaction, but the two questions asked to different groups of employees are not equivalent or relevant to this construct. The question “Do you enjoy working in your workplace?” is more directly related to job satisfaction than the question “Do you like the current work benefits?”. The latter question may capture only one aspect of job satisfaction, and may not reflect the overall level of contentment or happiness with the job. Therefore, the survey results may not be valid or accurate in measuring job satisfaction12 Reference: 1: Survey and questionnaires in business analysis - The Functional BA 2: Job Satisfaction Survey - Paul Spector

Question 13

A business analyst is conducting a series of interviews to understand the research questions that will be explored within a new analytics project. Which of the following is true about interviews?

Accepted Answer

C

Explanation: Interviews are a technique to elicit information from stakeholders and subject matter experts. Interviews can be planned or unplanned, structured or unstructured, depending on the context and purpose of the interview. However, regardless of the type of interview, it is important to have clear goals for the interview, such as what information is needed, what questions will be asked, and how the information will be used. Having clear goals for the interview helps the interviewer to prepare, conduct, and follow up the interview effectively, and also helps the interviewee to understand the expectations and provide relevant and accurate information. Reference: Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 25; Certification in Business Data Analytics Handbook, page 9; How to Ace Your Next Business Analysis Job Interview

Question 14

Senior executives in a large organization receive numerous sales reports of every sale through a
corporate dashboard on a weekly basis. The executives are considering budget increases for various
functions but would like to know if they are obtaining good returns for current budget allocations.
They ask the analytics team to research and

Accepted Answer

Explanation: The question “How effective is our marketing spend?” is too broadly scoped to be effectively answered, because it is a vague and ambiguous question that does not specify the criteria, scope, or timeframe for measuring the effectiveness of the marketing spend. The question also does not define what constitutes marketing spend, or how it relates to the sales data or the budget allocations. The question needs to be refined and clarified to make it more focused, relevant, and feasible for the analytics team to answer. For example, the question could be rephrased as “How does the marketing spend per channel affect the sales revenue and customer retention rate in the last quarter?” Reference: • Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA®, CBDA Competencies, Domain 1: Identify the Research Questions • Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 10-11 • CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA®, page 8, CBDA Exam Sample Questions and Self-Assessment,

Question 15

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?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: 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. Reference: 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.

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