Differentiate Between Managed and External Tables in Unity Catalog and Perform Basic Operations (create, Modify, Delete, and Convert Between Managed and External Tables) on Them. DATA-ENGINEER-ASSOCIATE Practice Questions (Page 1)

Questions 1–5

1. 1foundation · easy

   Which SQL statement correctly adds a comment to a table in Unity Catalog?

   • AUPDATE TABLE table_name SET comment = 'comment text';
   • BALTER TABLE table_name ADD COMMENT 'comment text';
   • CALTER TABLE table_name SET COMMENT = 'comment text';
   • DCOMMENT ON TABLE table_name IS 'comment text';
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2. 2foundation · easy

   In Unity Catalog, what is the key difference between a managed table and an external table?

   • AManaged tables store data in a cloud object storage location that you specify, while external tables store data in the Databricks-managed storage location.
   • BManaged tables can only be created in the hive_metastore, while external tables can only be created in Unity Catalog.
   • CManaged tables store data in Delta format only, while external tables can store data in any format.
   • DManaged tables are stored in Databricks-managed storage and are fully managed by Databricks, while external tables store data in a location you specify and are not fully managed by Databricks.
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4. 3expert · hard

   A data engineer needs to drop a table that is no longer needed, but they want to preserve the data files for future use. The table was created without a LOCATION clause. What should they do?

   • AUse DROP TABLE with the PRESERVE DATA option.
   • BConvert the table to external using ALTER TABLE SET TBLPROPERTIES ('external' = 'true') before dropping it.
   • CCopy the data files to a different location before dropping.
   • DDrop the table; the data files will be preserved automatically.
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5. 4expert · hard

   A data engineer has a managed table in Unity Catalog that is critical for production. They need to convert it to an external table to allow another team to access the data files directly from cloud storage. The conversion must not cause downtime or data loss. Which approach should they take?

   • ARun ALTER TABLE table SET TBLPROPERTIES ('external' = 'true')
   • BUse ALTER TABLE table SET LOCATION 'path'
   • CDrop the table and recreate it with LOCATION
   • DCreate a new external table and copy data
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6. 5foundation · easy

   Which statement correctly describes the ownership of data files for a managed table in Unity Catalog?

   • ADatabricks owns the data files and manages their lifecycle, including deletion when the table is dropped.
   • BThe data files are owned by the table owner and must be manually deleted when the table is dropped.
   • CThe data files are owned by the external storage account and are not managed by Databricks.
   • DThe user who creates the table owns the data files and is responsible for deleting them when the table is dropped.
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