CompTIA Data+ Exam DA0-001: Data Analytics Terminology

A complete vocabulary set based on the CompTIA Data+ Study Guide Glossary, covering database management, statistical analysis, and data governance.

acceptable use agreement

an agreement that describes not only how data can be used, but also for what purpose

accountability

when data governance plans are being followed and there are accountability measures in place

ad hoc report

a report that is generated in response to a one-time request

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

a Federal Information Standards (FIPS)-approved cryptographic algorithm that can be used to protect electronic data

aggregate functions

functions that are written for all or a group of records, as opposed to a single record

aggregated data

data that has already been compiled and summarized for the purposes of analysis and reporting

alternative hypothesis

the assumption that a relationship exists between two variables

append

to combine data from one data set with another data set

appendix

apart of the narrative that provides additional details related to the report or process that is not essential to the main content

application programming interface (API)

a library of programming utilities used, for example, to enable software developers to access functions of the TCP/IP network stack under a particular operating system

application programming interface (API)

a library of programming utilities used, for
example, to enable software developers to access functions of the TCP/IP network stack
under a particular operating system

ascending and descending order

a method of sorting in which fields are sorted with the minimum on top (for ascending) or maximum on top (for descending)

using the power of software to ensure data achieves a validated result

automated validation

a chart that displays information, listing the categories on the y-axis and the discrete values on the x-axis

bar chart

bins / binning

defined intervals or "buckets" used to group continuous numerical data into discrete categories.

Binning (or bucketing/discretization)

is the data preprocessing technique of assigning individual data points into these intervals

which type of graph is binning associated with ?/

histograms

bin size calculation

To determine a good bin size, take the range of the data (largest value minus the smallest value) and divide it by the number of bins, typically between $5$ and $15$: $\frac{\text{largest value} - \text{smallest value}}{\text{number of bins}}$.

bubble chart

a visual that plots points on an x-axis and y-axis similar to a scatter plot, but with the addition of the size of the dot representing a third variable

captioning

designating more meaningful names for fields in a report or dashboard

cardinality

how many possible occurrences of one entity can be associated with the number of occurrences in another

cascade delete

referential integrity setting that deletes all related records when the primary key is deleted

referential integrity setting that updated all related records when the primary key is changed

cascade update

causal relationship

a relationship in which one variable is proven to have an effect on another

chi-square statistic

a value that compares the size of the difference between the expected result and the actual result

chi-square test

a test used to determine if a difference exists between groups; produces the chi-square statistic

a chart that displays information, listing the categories on the x-axis and the discrete values on the y-axis

column chart

conceptual data model

the conceptual view of what should exist in a data system and how it could be related

confidence interval

a calculation of values that describes the certainty or uncertainty of an estimate made on the analysis

continuous data

a characteristic of quantitative data that identifies data that can be measured and can use any value

cross validation

determining whether data collected across different methods is consistent and accurate

custom sorts

sorting when you create the data set to include the value and the sort order you need for your visualization

correlation

the statistical association between two (or more) equal variables that tells us if one variable changes, the other(s) will too

data at rest

data that is being stored

data custodian

the person who manages the system on which the data assets are stored

data dictionary

a document that serves as the authority on all definitions that have been agreed upon for the organization, as well as key metrics

data governance

a large umbrella term for a framework used to govern data in an organization

data in transit

data that is actively being transferred

data in use

data that has been transmitted and is now present in memory or being queried

data lake

a technology for storing large amounts of structured and unstructured types of information in their original format

data lakehouse

a data management system that combines the best of both data warehousing and data lakes

data mart

a subset of the data warehouse that is dedicated to a specific department or group

data owner

the person who holds the ultimate responsibility for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information asset

data steward

the person who is primarily responsible for data quality

data validation

the process of confirming the type, structure, and accurate representation of the data

data verification

the process of confirming that the data is accurate or true

data warehouse

a technology that is dedicated to the store of company data from a wide range of sources for reporting and decision making purposes

discrete data

a characteristic of quantitative value that identifies data that can be counted and can only take on a certain number of values

delimited files

files in which some form of character separates each field of data from the other data fields

delta load

the method of loading new data into a data system and updating any existing data
that has changed since the last load

denormalized data

data that has not gone through a normalization process and contains repetitive data

dependent variable

the variable we are measuring when comparing two groups

dimension table

a table that holds attributes or the categorial information that supports the fact tables

discrete data

a characteristic of quantitative value that identifies data that can be counted and can only take on a certain number of values

domain integrity

the acceptable values for a field

duplicated data

data that is repeated within the same data set

dynamic report

a report that is connected to the data and can be refreshed on demand or regularly updated automatically; also known as real-time report

ELT (Extract, Load, Transform)

the process that occurs when moving data from source systems to data lakes, which holds data in preparation for transformation

empirical rule

the tendency of most data points in normal distribution to fall within three points of the mean either on the positive or negative side of the curve

entity integrity

the unique identifier of a record as defined using a primary key field

ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)

the process that occurs when moving data from source systems to data warehouses by extracting data from the source, transforming the data, and then loading it to the warehouse

exploratory analysis

analysis that determines the main characteristics of a data set

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

a system for structuring documents so that they are human- and machine-readable; information within the document is placed within tags, which describe how information within the document is structured

fact table

a table that holds the "facts" about a particular business process or event and contains keys to relate to the other tables

field definitions

descriptive information about what each field contains, intended to clarify field names that may be ambiguous

flat files

delimited files that are exported out of a system

full load

the method of loading all data into a data system for the very first time

gap analysis

the study of a present state, desired state, and the gaps that exist between the two

goodness of fit

a chi-square test that tests against a single variable to analyze the relationship between variables

hard-coded filters

filters that are coded into the view or the visual

Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)

a system of coded tags that identify the structure of
the document files used for web pages

imputing

replacing data with an estimated value

independent variable

the variable that is different between two groups that we are
comparing

index field

a field that applies a unique number to a record

indexing

a field property setting that tells the database that a field needs to be indexed

infographic

any combination of visuals, artwork, photos, and language that tells the story of
your data in a compelling and graphically appealing way

inline append

an append query that combines data sets until all are combined

intellectual property (IP)

intangible products of human thought and ingenuity

interactive filters

filters that allow the consumer to adjust a slicer or filter option on a dashboard to narrow down the data they want to see

intermediate append

an append query that creates a combined data set but also retains the
separate data sets

JSON

an object-oriented, event-driven programming

language that allows us to interact with websites

key performance indicators (KPls)

measurements/goals that are established to help identify
whether a business is achieving its objectives

key value pair

a type of non-relational structure that establishes a unique identifier or key field and maps it to a value

legend

a labeling element that lets you know which color represents which value in a visual

lifecycle of data

the five stages of the life of data: create, store, use, archive, and destroy

line graph

a graph that consists of either a single horizontal line or a group of multiple lines that represent different data points at different times; also known as run chart

link analysis

analysis that helps us determine how a single data point links to other data
points

logical data model

a more detailed view of the conceptual model that includes data fields
and the relationships between them

logical functions

functions that check if a condition is met and return a result based on
whether or not the condition is met

masking

the act of hiding the original value of data by showing something else in its place;
also known as anonymization

master data management

tools and processes that are used to create the single source of truth or the "golden record" for the data that is considered critical at the organization

mean

the average of a set of numbers, calculated by adding all the values and then dividing that sum by the total number of values: $\frac{\text{Sum of Values}}{\text{Total Number of Values}}$.

measures of central tendency

mathematical functions used to find the center of a data set, including the mean, median, and mode

measures of dispersion

mathematical functions used to determine the distribution of a data set, also known as measures of variability (e.g., standard deviation, variance, range)

median

the middle number within a group of sorted numbers

MOU

an acceptable use agreement that establishes the
rules of engagement between two parties and defines roles and expectations

merge fields function

a function used to combine different fields to create and display a single consolidated field; also known as CONCATENATE function

mockup

to draw out a potential layout

mode

the number that shows up most often in a data set