What do data contracts define to help ensure compatibility in Foundry Aware?

• A. Data contracts are optional notes that have no enforcement.
• B. Data contracts define expected schema, data types, and constraints for datasets, enabling automated validation, versioning, and compatibility checks across producers and consumers.
• C. Data contracts specify only who can view or modify datasets.
• D. Data contracts are used to schedule dataset updates.

Answer: (B)

Data contracts define the expected schema, data types, and constraints for datasets, enabling automated validation, versioning, and compatibility checks across producers and consumers. By codifying what data should look like, they let Foundry Aware automatically verify that published data adheres to the contract and manage changes over time, so downstream consumers can rely on a stable data shape. This cross-producer/consumer alignment prevents mismatches that could cause errors or misinterpretations when datasets are used. Other ideas like notes without enforcement, access control, or scheduling updates describe separate concerns and do not establish the rules governing data format and compatibility.