IIBA CBDA IIBA - CBDA Exam Questions Instant Access

Question 1

To gain traction on online sales, a retailer initiated a marketing campaign using banner ads. The company has requested their analytics team to evaluate the performance of the campaign. During the presentation, the analyst confirmed that the campaign did bring in a large number of net new customers to the website and met the target sales conversion rate. They also noted that there was a high number of repeat visitors not completing a sale. What decision would help the retailer improve sales conversion rates for repeat visitors?

AIncrease investment in banner ads

BIncentivize customers to subscribe to promotional notifications

CAdd additional new products to attract customers

DEnsure the sales checkout process is streamlined

Answer : D

According to the Business Data Analytics: A Decision-Making Paradigm1, one of the key steps in the analytics process is to communicate insights and recommendations to stakeholders. The analyst should present the findings in a clear and concise manner, and provide actionable suggestions to improve the business outcomes. In this case, the analyst has identified that repeat visitors are not completing a sale, which indicates a possible issue with the sales checkout process. Therefore, the analyst should recommend the retailer to streamline the sales checkout process, which could reduce friction, increase customer satisfaction, and boost sales conversion rates for repeat visitors. Reference: Business Data Analytics: A Decision-Making Paradigm

Question 2

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 answer: "How effective is our marketing

spend?" This question is:

AAlready answered in the sales data

BDifficult to analyze because its narrowly focused

CSufficient to begin initial analysis

DToo broadly scoped to be effectively answered

Answer : D

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 16

Question 3

A Data Dictionary is being developed for an employee database. When reviewing the data dictionary, the analyst recommends adding another primitive data element. Which element would be suggested?

AStreet address

BFirst name

CCustomer name

DWork phone number

Answer : A

A street address is a primitive data element, because it is a basic unit of data that cannot be further decomposed into smaller components. A primitive data element has a distinct name, definition, format, and value domain. A street address can be used to identify the location of an employee or a customer, and it can be stored as a string or a combination of numbers and characters. Options B, C, and D are not primitive data elements, because they can be further broken down into smaller components. For example, a first name can be divided into a prefix, a given name, and a suffix. A customer name can be composed of a first name and a last name. A work phone number can be split into a country code, an area code, and a local number. Reference:

* Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA, CBDA Competencies, Domain 2: Source Data

* Business analysis data dictionary -- The Functional BA

* CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA, page 8, CBDA Exam Sample Questions and Self-Assessment, Question 15

Question 4

An analytics team has been asked to answer the following question: "Given that you're a customer, would you work at our company?" The team is concerned about answering this question because it is:

AInsignificant

BShort

CUnethical

DUnclear

Answer : D

The question ''Given that you're a customer, would you work at our company?'' is unclear, because it is a hypothetical and subjective question that does not specify the purpose, scope, or context of the analysis. The question also does not define what constitutes a customer, or how the customer's experience or satisfaction relates to the employee's motivation or performance. 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 customer satisfaction score affect the employee retention rate in our company?'' 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 16

Question 5

Interested in experimenting with analytics, a manufacturing company hires an analyst to see how the capability can be developed within its organization. The analyst is getting started and recognizes the need to show value from the onset of their work to gain upper management's trust and future funding. What action will accomplish these objectives?

ASolve the biggest problem the organization has first to quickly grab the support and
attention of senior management

BDevelop a question that can be answered quickly regardless of alignment to strategy, just
to get started

CDevelop a meaningful question that can be answered with data the company already has in
its possession

DPerform a market analysis to understand how competitors are using analytics and then
launch a similar initiative

Answer : C

The best action for the analyst to show value from the onset of their work is to develop a meaningful question that can be answered with data the company already has in its possession. This way, the analyst can demonstrate the potential of analytics to solve relevant business problems, without spending too much time or resources on data collection or market research. The question should also be aligned with the organization's strategy and goals, and provide actionable insights for decision making12. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 202: Data Science for Business, Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, 2013, p. 14.

Question 6

A toy manufacturing company wants to improve operational efficiencies as a means of reducing costs. The Operational Manager wants an analytics study to identify areas of improvement within their operational processes. During a meeting with the analyst, the Operational Manager mentions concerns about old machinery and suggests this be the area of focus for the study. They can have a touchpoint in three weeks to assess progress. Has the Operational Manager limited the potential of this study?

ABy providing the focus area of the study, the Operational Manager has limited the scope of the study with their biased opinion

BThe Operational Manager is the expert, so there is no problem in the manager providing guidance to the analyst

CThe Operational Manager has limited the scope of the budget by providing a timeline of three weeks

DSince the study is being funded by the Operational Manager, providing the focus areas helps the analyst stay on track with time and budget
Explanation:
According to the Guide to Business Data Analytics, one of the key competencies of a business data analyst is to identify the research questions that guide the analytics work1.The research questions should be based on the business problem or opportunity, the stakeholder needs, and the data availability and quality2. By providing the focus area of the study, the Operational Manager has limited the scope of the study with their biased opinion, as they have not considered other possible factors that might affect the operational efficiencies, such as demand, inventory, quality, labor, or customer satisfaction. The Operational Manager has also not involved other stakeholders who might have different perspectives or interests in the study. This could lead to a narrow or incomplete analysis that might miss some important insights or recommendations.The Operational Manager should instead collaborate with the analyst to define the research questions that are relevant, specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound3.
The other options are not correct, as they do not address the issue of defining the research questions. The Operational Manager is not necessarily the expert on the operational processes, as they might have a limited or biased view of the situation. The Operational Manager has not limited the scope of the budget by providing a timeline of three weeks, as this is a reasonable time frame for an analytics study, depending on the complexity and availability of the dat
a.The Operational Manager has not helped the analyst stay on track with time and budget by providing the focus areas, as this might actually waste time and resources if the focus areas are not aligned with the actual business problem or opportunity.

Answer : A

Question 7

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 surprised when they received word that the organization wasn't ready to move forward. What did they overlook?

AStakeholders need to hear the same information multiple times

BStakeholders never make quick decisions

CCommunicating information requires a written report

DCommunicating information is bi-directional and iterative

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. Reference:

* Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9

* Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA, CBDA Competencies, Domain 4: Interpret and Report Results

* CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA, page 5, Step 3 -- Schedule and Take The Exam

IIBA Certification in Business Data Analytics CBDA IIBA - CBDA Exam Questions