Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Practice Exam

A NoSQL data is classified as what type of data?

1. A Unstructured data

2. B Structured data

3. C Semi-structured data

4. D None of the above

The correct answer is: C Semi-structured data

NoSQL data is primarily classified as semi-structured data. This classification arises because NoSQL databases do not require a fixed schema and allow for a flexible data model. Semi-structured data lacks the rigid structure found in traditional relational databases but still contains some organizational properties that make it easier to analyze compared to completely unstructured data. For example, NoSQL databases, such as document databases, key-value stores, and graph databases, can store data in formats like JSON, XML, or similar structures, which provide a degree of organization without enforcing strict rules. This characteristic is fundamental to NoSQL technologies, enabling them to handle a variety of data types and relationships. In contrast, structured data is highly organized and follows a strict schema, such as rows and columns in a relational database, while unstructured data lacks any internal structure, for example, text documents or multimedia files. Given this, semi-structured is the best fit for NoSQL data, as it captures the flexibility in data representation that characterizes these systems.