Data Modeling easy
What is the main risk of storing the same data in two different places (Redundancy)?
- A It consumes excessive CPU cycles as the database engine must struggle to keep multiple copies of the same record perfectly synchronized in memory.
- B It requires significant amounts of additional RAM to store the redundant internal pointers that the database uses to track duplicated data blocks.
- C It creates a risk of Data Inconsistency, where updating a record in one location but failing to update its duplicates leads to conflicting truths.
- D It dramatically slows down the automated background backup process by forcing the system to perform complex deduplication on every binary file.
Answer: C. It creates a risk of Data Inconsistency, where updating a record in one location but failing to update its duplicates leads to conflicting truths.
Data redundancy is the primary cause of 'Update Anomalies'. For example, if a user's email address is stored in both a 'Users' table and an 'Invoices' table, a change to the email must be propagated to both locations. If the second update fails, the system now has two different 'truths' for the same user, leading to confusing bugs and potential business logic failures.
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