If a master data record is modified, what is the likely impact on dependent records?

• A. Dependent records always update automatically without any checks.
• B. Dependent records are archived and cannot be used.
• C. Dependent records do not reflect changes unless reprocessed.
• D. They may reflect changes via lookups; some changes require revalidation or may impact transactions.

Answer: (D)

When a master data record is modified, dependent records don’t simply rewrite themselves in place. In many systems, dependent records resolve current master values at read time through lookups, so the updated information becomes visible the next time those dependents are accessed. At the same time, some changes require revalidation or reprocessing because those dependent records may have captured master data values at the time they were created or during a transaction. Open transactions or calculations that used the old master value could be affected, potentially needing review or batch reprocessing to maintain data integrity. So dependent records can reflect changes via lookups, but certain modifications may require revalidation or reprocessing, and not all changes propagate automatically.