Project Management Institute (PMI) Professional in Business Analysis Practice Exam

What is cardinality in the context of business data objects?

1. The timeframe within which the project must be completed

2. The quantity relationship between related business data objects

3. The total cost estimate of a project

4. The quality attributes of a business data object

The correct answer is: The quantity relationship between related business data objects

Cardinality in the context of business data objects refers to the quantity relationship between related data entities. It defines how many instances of one data object can or must be associated with instances of another data object. This concept is essential in database design and data modeling, where establishing clear relationships between data objects helps to ensure data integrity and supports accurate data retrieval. For example, in a relational database, cardinality can indicate whether one customer can have many orders (one-to-many relationship) or if each order belongs to exactly one customer (many-to-one relationship). Understanding cardinality allows analysts and developers to structure data in a way that reflects real-world business scenarios accurately. Other options, such as timeframe and cost estimate, do not relate to the relationships between data objects but rather to project management parameters, while quality attributes concern the characteristics of data rather than its relational aspects. Thus, the correct focus on quantity relationships makes the chosen answer appropriate in the context of business data objects.