Databricks-Certified-Data-Analyst-Associate Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate Exam Questions and Answers

The approach that cannot be used to share the dashboard and meet the security requirement is D. Generating a Personal Access Token that is good for 1 day and sharing it with the client. This approach would give the client access to the Databricks workspace using the token owner’s identity and permissions, which could expose other information, resources, or artifacts in the database1. The other approaches can be used to share the dashboard and meet the security requirement because:

A. Downloading the Dashboard as a PDF and sharing it with the client would only provide a static snapshot of the dashboard without any interactive features or access to the underlying data2.

B. Setting a refresh schedule for the dashboard and entering the client’s email address in the “Subscribers” box would send the client an email with the latest dashboard results as an attachment or a link to a secure web page3. The client would not be able to access the Databricks workspace or the dashboard itself.

C. Taking a screenshot of the dashboard and sharing it with the client would also only provide a static snapshot of the dashboard without any interactive features or access to the underlying data4.

E. Downloading a PNG file of the visualizations in the dashboard and sharing them with the client would also only provide a static snapshot of the visualizations without any interactive features or access to the underlying data5. References:

1: Personal access tokens

2: Download as PDF

3: Automatically refresh a dashboard

4: Take a screenshot

5: Download a PNG file

Databricks SQL uses ANSI SQL as its standard SQL dialect, which means it follows the SQL specifications defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This makes it easier to migrate existing SQL queries from other data warehouses or platforms that also use ANSI SQL or a similar dialect, such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, or Teradata. By using ANSI SQL, Databricks SQL avoids surprises in behavior or unfamiliar syntax that may arise from using a non-standard SQL dialect, such as Spark SQL or Hive SQL12. Moreover, Databricks SQL also adds compatibility features to support common SQL constructs that are widely used in other data warehouses, such as QUALIFY, FILTER, and user-defined functions2. References: ANSI compliance in Databricks Runtime, Evolution of the SQL language at Databricks: ANSI standard by default and easier migrations from data warehouses

Data enhancement is the process of adding or enriching data with additional information to improve its quality, accuracy, and usefulness. Data enhancement can be used to augment existing data sources with new data sources, such as external datasets, synthetic data, or machine learning models. Data enhancement can help data analysts to gain deeper insights, discover new patterns, and solve complex problems. Data enhancement is one of the applications of generative AI, which can leverage machine learning to generate synthetic data for better models or safer data sharing1.

In the context of the question, the data analyst is working with gold-layer tables, which are curated business-level tables that are typically organized in consumption-ready project-specific databases234. The gold-layer tables are the final layer of data transformations and data quality rules in the medallion lakehouse architecture, which is a data design pattern used to logically organize data in a lakehouse2. The stakeholder has provided the analyst with an additional dataset that can be used to augment the gold-layer tables already in use. This means that the analyst can use the additional dataset to enhance the existing gold-layer tables with more information, such as new features, attributes, or metrics. This data augmentation can help the analyst to complete the ad-hoc project more effectively and efficiently.

In this scenario, the data engineering team has configured a Structured Streaming pipeline that updates the gold-level tables every 10 minutes. To ensure that the dashboard reflects the most recent data, it is essential to set the dashboard's refresh schedule to an interval of 10 minutes or less. This synchronization ensures that stakeholders view the latest information shortly after it becomes available in the gold-level tables. Options B, C, and D do not directly address the requirement of aligning the dashboard refresh frequency with the data update interval.

In Databricks SQL, when creating a dashboard that includes multiple data visualizations and counters, it is imperative that each visualization and counter is based on a query. The process involves the following steps:​

Develop Queries:

For each desired visualization or counter, write a SQL query that retrieves the necessary data.​

Create Visualizations and Counters:

After executing each query, utilize the results to create corresponding visualizations or counters. Databricks SQL offers a variety of visualization types to represent data effectively.​

Assemble the Dashboard:

Add the created visualizations and counters to your dashboard, arranging them as needed to convey the desired insights.​

By ensuring that all components of the dashboard are derived from queries, you maintain consistency, accuracy, and the ability to refresh data as needed. This approach also facilitates easier maintenance and updates to the dashboard elements.​

The Owner field in the table page shows the current owner of the table and allows the owner to change it to another user or group. To change the ownership of the table, the owner can click on the Owner field and select the new owner from the drop-down list. This will transfer the ownership of the table to the selected user or group and remove the previous owner from the list of table access control entries1. The other options are incorrect because:

A. Removing the owner’s account from the Owner field will not change the ownership of the table, but will make the table ownerless2.

B. Selecting All Users from the Owner field will not change the ownership of the table, but will grant all users access to the table3.

D. Selecting the Admins group from the Owner field will not change the ownership of the table, but will grant the Admins group access to the table3.

E. Removing all access from the Owner field will not change the ownership of the table, but will revoke all access to the table4. References:

1: Change table ownership

2: Ownerless tables

3: Table access control

4: Revoke access to a table

In the Databricks Lakehouse Platform,business analystsprimarily utilize Databricks SQL as their main service. Databricks SQL provides an environment tailored for executing SQL queries, creating visualizations, and developing dashboards, which aligns with the typical responsibilities of business analysts who focus on interpreting data to inform business decisions. While data scientists and data engineers also interact with the Databricks platform, their primary tools and services differ; data scientists often engage with machine learning frameworks and notebooks, whereas data engineers focus on data pipelines and ETL processes. Platform architects are involved in designing and overseeing the infrastructure and architecture of the platform. Therefore, among the roles listed, business analysts are the primary users of Databricks SQL.​

Databricks SQL offers a unified platform where computations, data storage, and analytical tools coexist seamlessly. This integration allows business intelligence (BI) analytics projects to be executed more efficiently, as users can perform data processing and analysis without the need to transfer data between disparate systems. By consolidating these components, Databricks SQL streamlines workflows, reduces latency, and enhances data governance. While third-party BI tools may offer advanced dashboarding capabilities, simultaneous multi-user support, and automated alerting systems, they often require integration with separate data processing platforms, which can introduce complexity and potential inefficiencies.​

The result set provided shows a combination of grouping by two columns (group_1andgroup_2) with subtotals for each level of grouping and a grand total. This pattern is typical of aGROUP BY ... WITH ROLLUPoperation in SQL, which provides subtotal rows and a grand total row in the result set.

Considering the query options:

A)Option A:GROUP BY group_1, group_2 INCLUDING NULL- This is not a standard SQL clause and would not result in subtotals and a grand total.

B)Option B:GROUP BY group_1, group_2 WITH ROLLUP- This would create subtotals for each uniquegroup_1, each combination ofgroup_1andgroup_2, and a grand total, which matches the result set provided.

C)Option C:GROUP BY group_1, group 2- This is a simpleGROUP BYand would not include subtotals or a grand total.

D)Option D:GROUP BY group_1, group_2, (group_1, group_2)- This syntax is not standard and would likely result in an error or be interpreted as a simpleGROUP BY, not providing the subtotals and grand total.

E)Option E:GROUP BY group_1, group_2 WITH CUBE- TheWITH CUBEoperation produces subtotals for all combinations of the selected columns and a grand total, which is more than what is shown in the result set.

The correct answer isOption B, which usesWITH ROLLUPto generate the subtotals for each level of grouping as well as a grand total. This matches the result set where we have subtotals for eachgroup_1, each combination ofgroup_1andgroup_2, and the grand total where bothgroup_1andgroup_2areNULL.

Partner Connect is a feature that allows you to easily connect your Databricks workspace to Fivetran and other ingestion partners using an automated workflow. You can select a SQL warehouse or a cluster as the destination for your data replication, and the connection details are sent to Fivetran. You can then choose from over 200 data sources that Fivetran supports and start ingesting data into Delta Lake. References: Connect to Fivetran using Partner Connect, Use Databricks with Fivetran

 A Dashboard Parameter is a parameter that is configured for one or more visualizations within a dashboard and appears at the top of the dashboard. The parameter values specified for a Dashboard Parameter apply to all visualizations reusing that particular Dashboard Parameter1. Therefore, if the analyst chooses “Dashboard Parameter” for the query parameter associated with the area chart, the area chart will use whatever is selected in the Dashboard Parameter along with all of the other visualizations in the dashboard that use the same parameter. This allows the user to filter the data across multiple visualizations using a single parameter widget2. References: Databricks SQL dashboards, Query parameters

The gold layer of the medallion architecture contains data that is highly refined and aggregated, and powers analytics, machine learning, and production applications. Data analysts typically use the gold layer to access data that has been transformed into knowledge, rather than just information. The gold layer represents the final stage of data quality and optimization in the lakehouse. References: What is the medallion lakehouse architecture?

 Databricks SQL is a service that allows users to query data in the lakehouse using SQL and create visualizations and dashboards1. One of the common use cases for Databricks SQL is to combine data from different sources and formats into a single, comprehensive dataset that can be used for further analysis or reporting2. For example, a data analyst can use Databricks SQL to join data from a CSV file and a Parquet file, or from a Delta table and a JDBC table, and create a new table or view that contains the combined data3. This can help simplify the data management and governance, as well as improve the data quality and consistency. References:

Databricks SQL overview

Databricks SQL use cases

Joining data sources

In Databricks, aviewis a saved SQL query definition that references existing tables or other views. Once created, a view remains persisted in themetastore(such as Unity Catalog or Hive Metastore) until it is explicitly dropped.

Key points:

Views donot store datathemselves but reference data from underlying tables.

Logging out or being inactive doesnotdelete or alter views.

Unless a user or admin explicitlydropsthe view or the underlying data/table is deleted, the view continues to function as expected.

Therefore, after logging back in—even days later—a user can still run SELECT * FROM stakeholders.eur_customers, and it will return the same data (provided the underlying table hasn’t changed).