What are three typical data sources you would request at the start of a case, and what criteria determine which to use?

What are three typical data sources you would request at the start of a case, and what criteria determine which to use?

• A. Internal financials, customer data, and market data; criteria include relevance, quality, timeliness, and access permissions.
• B. Employee bios, supplier contracts, and weather reports; criteria include popularity and length.
• C. Social media posts, press releases, and annual reports; criteria include color scheme.
• D. Product catalogs, legal filings, and training manuals; criteria include geographic coverage.

Answer: (A)

When you start a case, you want data that directly informs the business problem across different angles. Internal financials show profitability, costs, and cash flow—the numbers around how the business actually performs. Customer data reveals behavior, segmentation, and value drivers, helping you understand demand, retention, and the customer experience. Market data provides context on size, growth, trends, and what competitors are doing, so your recommendations fit the broader landscape. The criteria—relevance, quality, timeliness, and access permissions—are the right filters because they ensure the data will actually address the questions at hand, be accurate and trustworthy, reflect the current situation, and be legally and practically obtainable for your analysis. Other options mix sources that aren’t typically central at the outset (like employee bios, weather, or training manuals) and use weak filters (popularity, color scheme, or geographic coverage alone) that don’t meaningfully distinguish useful data.

When you start a case, you want data that directly informs the business problem across different angles. Internal financials show profitability, costs, and cash flow—the numbers around how the business actually performs. Customer data reveals behavior, segmentation, and value drivers, helping you understand demand, retention, and the customer experience. Market data provides context on size, growth, trends, and what competitors are doing, so your recommendations fit the broader landscape. The criteria—relevance, quality, timeliness, and access permissions—are the right filters because they ensure the data will actually address the questions at hand, be accurate and trustworthy, reflect the current situation, and be legally and practically obtainable for your analysis.

Other options mix sources that aren’t typically central at the outset (like employee bios, weather, or training manuals) and use weak filters (popularity, color scheme, or geographic coverage alone) that don’t meaningfully distinguish useful data.