BSAN 160 Exam Questions and
Answers
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems - Answer-a software system that
integrates information from across the entire company and facilitates sharing of the data
throughout the firm
Structured Data - Answer-easier for computers: categorial or numerical
Categorial Data - Answer-classify information into categories; nominal and ordinal
Numerical Data - Answer-if meaningful arithmetic can be performed on it; interval, ratio
Nominal Data - Answer-categorial data classified into exclusive categories within a
variable
Ordinal Data - Answer-categorial data that groups variables into ordered categories
Interval Data - Answer-numerical data measured along a scale with equal distances
from another
Ratio Data - Answer-numerical data measured on a continuous scale with equal
distances and a true zero
Unstructured Data - Answer-easier for humans: textual, multimedia (image, audio,
visual), XML/JSON
Semi-structured Data - Answer-XML, HTML, Log files, etc.
Variables - Answer-aspects of data; columns
Observations - Answer-what is observed in variable (rows)
Values - Answer-specific datum
Mean - Answer-add all values and divide by number of values (average)
Median - Answer-middle value
Mode - Answer-most frequent data value
Quartiles - Answer-data divided into four groups, each with a quarter of all observations
, Variance (σ²) - Answer-measure that quantifies the amount of variability in numerical
data
σ² = (Σ (x-μ)² ) / N
Standard Deviation (σ) - Answer-measure of variability easier to interpret than variance
One Standard Deviation - Answer-either side of the mean ( X + σ); 68% of observations
Two Standard Deviations - Answer-either side of the mean ( X + 2σ); 95% of
observations
Three Standard Deviations - Answer-either side of the mean ( X + 3σ); 99.7% of
observations
Positive Skew - Answer-peak on left side, tail on right
Negative skew - Answer-peak on right side, tail on left
Line Graph - Answer-good for progression of variable over time
Bar Chart - Answer-good for depicting nominal or numerical
Pie Chart - Answer-good for depicting proportions
Business Intelligence - Answer-managing and using complex, multidimensional data to
support business decisions and improve performance
Four Components of BI - Answer-1. Data Warehouse
2. Business Analytics
3. Business Performance Management
4. User Interface
Data Warehouse - Answer-a place where data are organized, standardized, and stored
so that they are available when needed
Business Analytics - Answer-the process of transforming data into insight for making
better decisions
Business Performance Management - Answer-the process used by businesses to
measure, monitor, and manage business performance
Data Visualization - Answer-facilitates the generation and presentation of insights to
support decisions
Answers
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems - Answer-a software system that
integrates information from across the entire company and facilitates sharing of the data
throughout the firm
Structured Data - Answer-easier for computers: categorial or numerical
Categorial Data - Answer-classify information into categories; nominal and ordinal
Numerical Data - Answer-if meaningful arithmetic can be performed on it; interval, ratio
Nominal Data - Answer-categorial data classified into exclusive categories within a
variable
Ordinal Data - Answer-categorial data that groups variables into ordered categories
Interval Data - Answer-numerical data measured along a scale with equal distances
from another
Ratio Data - Answer-numerical data measured on a continuous scale with equal
distances and a true zero
Unstructured Data - Answer-easier for humans: textual, multimedia (image, audio,
visual), XML/JSON
Semi-structured Data - Answer-XML, HTML, Log files, etc.
Variables - Answer-aspects of data; columns
Observations - Answer-what is observed in variable (rows)
Values - Answer-specific datum
Mean - Answer-add all values and divide by number of values (average)
Median - Answer-middle value
Mode - Answer-most frequent data value
Quartiles - Answer-data divided into four groups, each with a quarter of all observations
, Variance (σ²) - Answer-measure that quantifies the amount of variability in numerical
data
σ² = (Σ (x-μ)² ) / N
Standard Deviation (σ) - Answer-measure of variability easier to interpret than variance
One Standard Deviation - Answer-either side of the mean ( X + σ); 68% of observations
Two Standard Deviations - Answer-either side of the mean ( X + 2σ); 95% of
observations
Three Standard Deviations - Answer-either side of the mean ( X + 3σ); 99.7% of
observations
Positive Skew - Answer-peak on left side, tail on right
Negative skew - Answer-peak on right side, tail on left
Line Graph - Answer-good for progression of variable over time
Bar Chart - Answer-good for depicting nominal or numerical
Pie Chart - Answer-good for depicting proportions
Business Intelligence - Answer-managing and using complex, multidimensional data to
support business decisions and improve performance
Four Components of BI - Answer-1. Data Warehouse
2. Business Analytics
3. Business Performance Management
4. User Interface
Data Warehouse - Answer-a place where data are organized, standardized, and stored
so that they are available when needed
Business Analytics - Answer-the process of transforming data into insight for making
better decisions
Business Performance Management - Answer-the process used by businesses to
measure, monitor, and manage business performance
Data Visualization - Answer-facilitates the generation and presentation of insights to
support decisions
