Free Sample — 15 Practice Questions
Preview 15 of 57 questions from the Data Analyst Associate exam.
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Question 19
A data analyst has created a Query in Databricks SQL, and now they want to create two data visualizations from that Query and add both of those data visualizations to the same Databricks SQL Dashboard.
Which of the following steps will they need to take when creating and adding both data visualizations to the Databricks SQL Dashboard?
A. They will need to alter the Query to return two separate sets of results.
B. They will need to add two separate visualizations to the dashboard based on the same Query.
C. They will need to create two separate dashboards.
D. They will need to decide on a single data visualization to add to the dashboard.
E. They will need to copy the Query and create one data visualization per query.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
In Databricks SQL, a single query can support multiple visualizations. You can create multiple visualizations from the same query result and add each visualization individually to the same dashboard without modifying or duplicating the query.
Question 47
A data analyst has a managed table table_name in database database_name. They would now like to remove the table from the database and all of the data files associated with the table. The rest of the tables in the database must continue to exist.
Which of the following commands can the analyst use to complete the task without producing an error?
A. DROP DATABASE database_name;
B. DROP TABLE database_name.table_name;
C. DELETE TABLE database_name.table_name;
D. DELETE TABLE table_name FROM database_name;
E. DROP TABLE table_name FROM database_name;
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
For a managed table, using `DROP TABLE database_name.table_name;` removes the table metadata from the metastore and also deletes all underlying data files, while leaving the rest of the database and its tables intact. `DROP DATABASE` would remove the entire database, and the `DELETE TABLE` / `FROM` syntaxes are not valid SQL commands for dropping tables.
Question 37
A data analyst has been asked to configure an alert for a query that returns the income in the accounts_receivable table for a date range. The date range is configurable using a Date query parameter.
The Alert does not work.
Which of the following describes why the Alert does not work?
A. Alerts don't work with queries that access tables.
B. Queries that return results based on dates cannot be used with Alerts.
C. The wrong query parameter is being used. Alerts only work with Date and Time query parameters.
D. Queries that use query parameters cannot be used with Alerts.
E. The wrong query parameter is being used. Alerts only work with dropdown list query parameters, not dates.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Databricks SQL Alerts do not support dynamic user input. If a query uses query parameters (including Date parameters), the alert runs only with the parameter’s default value defined in the SQL editor. As a result, parameterized queries are not suitable for alerts that need dynamic date ranges, causing the alert to not work as intended.
Question 54
Which of the following describes how Databricks SQL should be used in relation to other business intelligence (BI) tools like Tableau, Power BI, and looker?
A. As an exact substitute with the same level of functionality
B. As a substitute with less functionality
C. As a complete replacement with additional functionality
D. As a complementary tool for professional-grade presentations
E. As a complementary tool for quick in-platform BI work
Show Answer
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
Databricks SQL is not intended to fully replace dedicated BI platforms like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker. Instead, it complements them by enabling fast, in-platform querying, dashboards, and exploratory analytics directly on Databricks data, while professional-grade reporting and presentation are typically handled by external BI tools.
Question 32
Which of the following is an advantage of using a Delta Lake-based data lakehouse over common data lake solutions?
A. ACID transactions
B. Flexible schemas
C. Data deletion
D. Scalable storage
E. Open-source formats
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Delta Lake’s key advantage over traditional data lake solutions is support for ACID transactions, which ensures reliable reads/writes, consistency, and concurrency control. The other options (flexible schemas, data deletion, scalable storage, and open-source formats) are generally available in common data lake solutions and are not unique advantages of Delta Lake.
Question 50
Delta Lake stores table data as a series of data files, but it also stores a lot of other information.
Which of the following is stored alongside data files when using Delta Lake?
A. None of these
B. Table metadata, data summary visualizations, and owner account information
C. Table metadata
D. Data summary visualizations
E. Owner account information
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Delta Lake stores transaction logs and table metadata (schema, versions, commits) alongside the data files. It does not store data summary visualizations or owner account information as part of the table storage.
Question 24
Which of the following statements describes descriptive statistics?
A. A branch of statistics that uses summary statistics to quantitatively describe and summarize data.
B. A branch of statistics that uses a variety of data analysis techniques to infer properties of an underlying distribution of probability.
C. A branch of statistics that uses quantitative variables that must take on a finite or countably infinite set of values.
D. A branch of statistics that uses summary statistics to categorically describe and summarize data.
E. A branch of statistics that uses quantitative variables that must take on an uncountable set of values.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Descriptive statistics focuses on using summary measures such as mean, median, mode, variance, and graphs to quantitatively describe and summarize the main features of a dataset. It does not involve making inferences about a population, which distinguishes it from inferential statistics.
Question 17
A data analyst is processing a complex aggregation on a table with zero null values and the query returns the following result:
Which query did the analyst execute in order to get this result?
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
The result set lacks rows where group_1 is NULL but group_2 has individual values (e.g., (NULL, Y), (NULL, Z)). A CUBE would produce all combinations, including those missing rows. The pattern shown matches a ROLLUP, which aggregates hierarchically and produces totals for group_1 and the grand total, but not per–group_2 totals when group_1 is NULL. Therefore, option C (ROLLUP) is correct.
Question 56
A data analyst has recently joined a new team that uses Databricks SQL, but the analyst has never used Databricks before. The analyst wants to know where in Databricks SQL they can write and execute SQL queries.
On which of the following pages can the analyst write and execute SQL queries?
A. Data page
B. Dashboards page
C. Queries page
D. Alerts page
E. SQL Editor page
Show Answer
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
In Databricks SQL, users write and execute SQL queries in the SQL Editor. Other pages serve different purposes: Data is for browsing objects, Dashboards for visualization, Queries for managing saved queries, and Alerts for notifications—not for interactive query authoring.
Question 8
Where in the Databricks SQL workspace can a data analyst configure a refresh schedule for a query when the query is not attached to a dashboard or alert?
A. Data Explorer
B. The Visualization Editor
C. The Query Editor
D. The Dashboard Editor
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
In Databricks SQL, when a query is not attached to a dashboard or an alert, its refresh schedule is configured directly within the Query Editor. The scheduling option is available at the query level for standalone queries, whereas dashboards and alerts have their own separate scheduling mechanisms.
Question 48
A data analyst created and is the owner of the managed table my_ table. They now want to change ownership of the table to a single other user using Data Explorer.
Which of the following approaches can the analyst use to complete the task?
A. Edit the Owner field in the table page by removing their own account
B. Edit the Owner field in the table page by selecting All Users
C. Edit the Owner field in the table page by selecting the new owner's account
D. Edit the Owner field in the table page by selecting the Admins group
E. Edit the Owner field in the table page by removing all access
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
In Data Explorer, changing ownership of a managed table to a single user is done by editing the Owner field and explicitly selecting the new owner’s user account. The other options either assign ownership to groups, remove access, or do not correctly transfer ownership to one specific user.
Question 25
A data analyst creates a Databricks SQL Query where the result set has the following schema: region STRING number_of_customer INT
When the analyst clicks on the "Add visualization" button on the SQL Editor page, which of the following types of visualizations will be selected by default?
A. Violin Chart
B. Line Chart
C. Bar Chart
D. Histogram
E. There is no default. The user must choose a visualization type.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
With a result set consisting of a categorical dimension (region STRING) and a single numeric measure (number_of_customer INT), Databricks SQL automatically selects a Bar Chart when clicking "Add visualization." Bar charts are the default for dimension–measure query results, making option C correct.
Question 6
A data analyst is working with a nested array column products in table transactions. The analyst wants to return the first item in the array for each row.
The data analyst is using the following incomplete command:
Which lines of code should the data analyst use to fill in the blank in the above code block so that it successfully completes the task?
A. products.1
B. products.0
C. products[0]
D. products[1]
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
In SQL engines that support arrays (such as Spark SQL/Databricks SQL), arrays are zero-indexed and accessed with square brackets. The first element is therefore returned with products[0]. Dot notation like products.0 or products.1 is invalid, and products[1] would return the second element.
Question 41
A data analyst has been asked to count the number of customers in each region and has written the following query:
If there is a mistake in the query, which of the following describes the mistake?
A. The query is using count(*), which will count all the customers in the customers table, no matter the region.
B. The query is missing a GROUP BY region clause.
C. The query is using ORDER BY, which is not allowed in an aggregation.
D. There are no mistakes in the query.
E. The query is selecting region, but region should only occur in the ORDER BY clause.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
When an aggregate function like COUNT(*) is used together with a non-aggregated column such as region, SQL requires a GROUP BY clause for that column. Without GROUP BY region, the query is invalid or does not produce counts per region.
Question 34
Data professionals with varying titles use the Databricks SQL service as the primary touchpoint with the Databricks Lakehouse Platform. However, some users will use other services like Databricks Machine Learning or Databricks Data Science and Engineering.
Which of the following roles uses Databricks SQL as a secondary service while primarily using one of the other services?
A. Business analyst
B. SQL analyst
C. Data engineer
D. Business intelligence analyst
E. Data analyst
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Data engineers primarily work in Databricks Data Science and Engineering for building pipelines, ETL, and data infrastructure, and may use Databricks SQL only secondarily for validation or querying. The other roles (business analyst, SQL analyst, BI analyst, data analyst) typically use Databricks SQL as their primary service.