Choose the CORRECT second step in the ML lifecycle?

The correct answer is B. Data understanding . In the machine learning lifecycle, after the initial data acquisition or data collection stage, the next major activity is to understand the available data. Data understanding involves exploring the dataset, reviewing data sources, identifying variables, checking patterns, finding missing values, detecting outliers, and understanding whether the data is suitable for the business or operational problem being solved.

Data acquisition is usually an earlier step because the data must first be collected or accessed before it can be analyzed. Data preparation comes after data understanding because teams need to know the data’s structure, quality, gaps, and relevance before cleaning, transforming, engineering features, or formatting it for model training. Options D and E are not correct because the question asks for the single second step, not a combination of lifecycle activities. Therefore, the correct second step in the ML lifecycle is B. Data understanding .