Primary driver for data architecture — judge the statement: “The most important reason for data architecture is reliability.” Indicate correct or incorrect and consider competing primary drivers such as integration, quality, and business alignment.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Incorrect

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Data architecture defines how data is structured, integrated, governed, and accessed across an organization. Reliability (availability and fault tolerance) is important, but architecture’s primary mission is to enable trustworthy, shareable, and usable data aligned to business objectives. This question asks whether reliability is the single “most important” reason.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Data architecture spans models (conceptual, logical, physical), integration patterns, metadata, governance, and platforms.
  • Key quality dimensions include accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency, security, and yes, reliability/availability.
  • Architectural goals are driven by business capabilities (analytics, operations, compliance, customer 360, AI/ML).


Concept / Approach:
While reliability matters, calling it “the most important” is too narrow. Without integration and quality, reliable systems just deliver consistently wrong or siloed data. Architecture ensures that data is modeled, governed, and accessible so the business can make decisions, comply, and innovate. Reliability is one pillar among many (scalability, performance, interoperability, and security).



Step-by-Step Solution:

Identify business outcomes requiring data sharing and insight (for example, real-time personalization, regulatory reporting).Define canonical models and integration patterns (for example, event streaming, APIs, MDM) that ensure consistency.Design for quality, lineage, and governance; add reliability and resilience patterns (replication, failover) appropriate to criticality.Prioritize trade-offs based on value, risk, and cost—not reliability alone.


Verification / Alternative check:
Assess initiatives where data architecture focused only on uptime but failed at integration or correctness; business value suffered despite “reliability.” Conversely, good architecture improves reusability, agility, and decision quality along with reliability.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • “Correct” overstates one quality attribute at the expense of others.
  • Limiting to OLTP or regulated contexts still requires integration and data quality.
  • SLAs measure availability, not purpose; they do not define architecture’s raison d’être.


Common Pitfalls:
Confusing infrastructure reliability with data architecture; ignoring semantics and governance; treating data architecture as a one-time documentation exercise.



Final Answer:
Incorrect

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