IIBA IIBA Certifications CBDA Questions & Answers

• Question 91:

  Which attributes from the Order entity will need to be normalized to avoid redundancies?

  1.

  Orderld

  2.

  OrderDate

  3.

  Itemld

  4.

  ItemName

  5.

  Quantity

  6.

  ItemPrice

  A. OrderDate ItemPrice

  B. ItemName ItemPrice

  C. OrderDate ItemName

  D. Item Name Quantity

  Correct Answer: B

  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 references them through a foreign key

• Question 92:

  Interested in building out the analytics capability based on the positive results obtained by past analytics efforts, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) pitches the idea of using analytics to guide future decision making across the enterprise.Before allocating budget to build up an enterprise analytics practice, the decision makers should:

  A. Request that a small team be assembled to brainstorm a list of capabilities to develop with any approved monies

  B. Identify the sponsor and a project manager who can collaborate on the development of the project charter

  C. Oversee the completion of up-front analysis to determine how value can be achieved through an enterprise-wide analytics practice

  D. Determine if the company has the sufficient resources to build up the analytics practice

  Correct Answer: C

  Before investing in an enterprise analytics practice, the decision makers should have a clear understanding of the expected value and benefits of such a practice. This requires conducting an up-front analysis that identifies the business problems or opportunities that can be addressed by analytics, the data sources and technologies that are needed, the analytical models and methods that are appropriate, and the metrics and indicators that will measure the impact and outcomes of the analytics solutions12. This analysis will help to define the scope, objectives, and requirements of the enterprise analytics practice, as well as the resources, roles, and governance structures that are necessary to support it34. An up-front analysis will also help to prioritize the analytics initiatives based on their feasibility, alignment with the business strategy, and potential value creation

• Question 93:

  The outcome from an analytics initiative has resulted in key stakeholders wanting to move forward with a project to redesign the company's website. The business analyst has called a meeting to work on drafting a plan to assess the level of effort required to complete this work. Many of the invited participants redesigned the website before and were invited so they could provide estimates using their knowledge and experience from the past. The business analyst is using which method to estimate this work?

  A. Rolling wave

  B. PERT

  C. Parametric

  D. Rough order of magnitude

  Correct Answer: D

  The business analyst is using the rough order of magnitude method to estimate this work. This method is based on expert opinion or experience from past projects, and it provides a quick and approximate estimate of the cost, time, or effort required for a project or a task. This method is useful when there is limited information or data available, or when a high-level estimate is needed for planning or budgeting purposes. However, this method also has a high degree of uncertainty and variability, and it should be refined as more details become available

• Question 94:

  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?

  A. Normality

  B. Heteroskedacity

  C. Linearity

  D. Variation

  Correct Answer: D

  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 findings

• Question 95:

  The results of the data analytics work led to some clear and strongly supported outcomes and the analytics team is very confident in their recommendations; particularly given that the payback on the required changes are a short 3 months. However, there is concern because the organization operates in a highly regulated environment and some new regulatory changes are being considered with announcements and implementation in the next 6 months. Under these conditions the team decides to:

  A. Recommend no action be taken at this time and revisit in 6 months

  B. Reassess their results to ensure their validity and then decide what to do

  C. Identify and carefully document assumptions for their recommendation

  D. Postpone recommendations for 6 months until the announcements are made

  Correct Answer: C

  The best option for the team under these conditions is to identify and carefully document theassumptions for their recommendation, such as the expected impact of the regulatory changes, the risks and benefits of implementing the changes before or after the announcements, and the sensitivity of the results to different scenarios. This way, the team can communicate their findings and recommendations clearly and transparently, while also acknowledging the uncertainty and limitations of their analysis. This can help the decision makers to evaluate the trade-offs and make informed choices

• Question 96:

  The analytics team scheduled a meeting with key stakeholders to present their recommendations. The team envisioned this as the final step of their work and fully expected complete acceptance of those recommendations, particularly given that very few questions were asked. They were surprisedwhen they received word that the organization wasn't ready to move forward. What did they overlook?

  A. Stakeholders need to hear the same information multiple times

  B. Stakeholders never make quick decisions

  C. Communicating information requires a written report

  D. Communicating information is bi-directional and iterative

  Correct Answer: D

  The analytics team overlooked the fact that communicating information is not a one-way or one-time process, but rather a bi-directional and iterative one. This means that the team should not only present their recommendations, but also solicit feedback, address concerns, clarify doubts, and confirm understanding from the stakeholders. By doing so, the team can ensure that the stakeholders are fully engaged, informed, and aligned with the recommendations, and that any potential barriers or risks are identified and mitigated before moving forward.

• Question 97:

  The analytics team is identifying research questions to address a business problem. The business analysis professional reminds the team that the most important dimension to consider is the:

  A. Sources of data

  B. Quality of the data

  C. Timeframe of analysis

  D. Measurement scale

  Correct Answer: B

  The quality of the data is the most important dimension to consider when identifying research questions, as it affects the validity, reliability, and accuracy of the analysis and the results. Data quality refers to the degree to which the data meets the requirements and expectations of the stakeholders and the purpose of the analysis12. Poor data quality can lead to erroneous conclusions, ineffective decisions, and wasted resources

• Question 98:

  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?

  A. Predictive

  B. Descriptive

  C. Prescriptive

  D. Diagnostic

  Correct Answer: B

  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.

• Question 99:

  An analyst at a bank is trying to identify research questions for an analytical study on top customer issues across branches. During an interview with a branch manager, the analyst asks the manager what their top customer concerns are relating to this branch?

  After the manager's reply, the analyst asks a follow up question on how their top customer concerns compare against the top customer concerns across all branches? Was the analyst's follow-up question valid?

  A. No, there is no value comparing the results of a single branch with results across all branches

  B. Yes, it builds on the previous question and allows the analyst to identify branch-specific concerns

  C. No, the question is not valid in this particular scenario

  D. Yes, only for the purpose of ensuring that the manager is aware of the company-wide reports

  Correct Answer: B

  The analyst's follow-up question is valid because it helps to refine the scope and context of the research questions for the analytical study. By comparing the top customer concerns across branches, the analyst can identify the common and unique issues that affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. This can also help to prioritize the most critical or urgent problems that need to be addressed by the bank

• Question 100:

  The analytics team has established two equally strong potential recommendations which will deliver the desired outcomes with similar benefits to be derived from each one. On the surface there is no discernable difference in costs or schedule for either option. To help the analytics team reach arecommendation the business analysis professional recommends the team:

  A. Complete market research

  B. Assess risks for each option

  C. Vote to choose the recommendation

  D. Seek management guidance

  Correct Answer: B

  Assessing risks for each option is the recommendation that the business analysis professional should make to the analytics team, because it is a technique that involves identifying, analyzing, and evaluating the potential positive or negative impacts of each option on the project, the organization, or the stakeholders. Assessing risks can help the team compare the pros and cons of each option, and determine which one has the highest expected value or the lowest expected loss. Assessing risks can also help the team prepare contingency plans or mitigation strategies for the chosen option, and communicate the rationale and assumptions behind their recommendation