What does the term 'observation' represent in a dataset?

The term 'observation' in a dataset refers to a specific instance or record represented by a single row of data. Each observation typically contains various attributes, which are the columns in the dataset. For instance, in a dataset regarding employees, each row (or observation) might contain the employee's name, age, role, and salary. Therefore, option B accurately captures the essence of what an observation represents—it is the set of attributes associated with a particular data entry.

The other options refer to different data concepts. A collection of metadata typically includes information about the dataset itself, such as data types, source, and structure, rather than individual observations. A summary of all data points suggests an aggregation or descriptive statistics, which do not represent single observations. A method for tracking changes over time relates to time series data analysis, which is structured around observations but is not what the term "observation" specifically designates within a dataset.