Enable and Detail Data Ingestion Patterns, Including Batch, Streaming, and Incremental Loading, and Import Data from Sources Such as Local Files, Lakeflow Connect Standard Connectors, and Lakeflow Connect Managed Connectors. DATA-ENGINEER-ASSOCIATE Practice Questions (Page 1)

Questions 1–5

1. 1foundation · easy

   What is the primary purpose of Lakeflow Connect standard connectors?

   • ATo simplify ingestion from common external data sources into Databricks
   • BTo provide a managed compute environment for running notebooks
   • CTo enable real-time streaming from any source without configuration
   • DTo replace the need for Delta Lake storage
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 2foundation · easy

   A table contains a `last_updated` timestamp column. A data engineer wants to load only rows that were inserted or modified since the previous load. Which ingestion strategy is most appropriate?

   • AStreaming ingestion from the table
   • BManual export and import of the table
   • CIncremental loading using the `last_updated` column as a watermark
   • DFull load of the entire table each time
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 3foundation · easy

   What is the primary benefit of incremental loading compared to full batch loads?

   • AIt guarantees zero data loss in all scenarios.
   • BIt loads data in real-time with sub-second latency.
   • CIt eliminates the need for any scheduling or orchestration.
   • DIt reduces the amount of data processed by loading only new or changed records.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 4application · medium

   A retail company runs a nightly batch job that loads the day's sales transactions from an on-premises SQL Server into a Databricks table. The job currently performs a full refresh, deleting and reloading all historical data. The data volume is growing, and the team wants to reduce processing time and resource usage. Which approach best meets the requirement?

   • ASwitch to a streaming ingestion pipeline using Auto Loader to process transactions as they occur.
   • BUse a Lakeflow Connect managed connector to replicate the entire SQL Server database into Databricks in real time.
   • CIncrease the cluster size for the nightly batch job to handle the growing data volume more quickly.
   • DImplement incremental loading by using a watermark column (e.g., transaction timestamp) to load only new or changed records since the last run.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 5application · easy

   A data engineer needs to upload a large Parquet file from their local machine to Databricks as part of an automated setup script. They want to use a command-line tool. Which tool should they use?

   • ADatabricks CLI with the 'dbfs cp' command.
   • BLakeflow Connect standard connector for local files.
   • CDatabricks UI file upload feature.
   • DDatabricks REST API with a 'PUT /files' endpoint.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first