Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate · Free Practice Question Medium
Question 5
A data analyst is attempting to drop a table named sales_data. The analyst wants to delete both the table’s metadata and its data files. They execute the following command:
- DROP TABLE IF EXISTS sales_data;
After running this command, the table no longer appears in the result of the SHOW TABLES command, but the data files still exist in the storage location.
Which of the following explains why the data files still exist while the metadata was deleted?
-
A
The table was unmanaged (external)
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B
The table's data exceeded the storage limit
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C
The table was replicated across multiple storage locations
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D
The table was managed
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E
The table had no defined schema
Reveal correct answer
Correct answer: A
Explanation
In Delta Lake, tables can be either managed or unmanaged. For a managed table, both the metadata and data files are deleted when the table is dropped. However, for an unmanaged (external) table, only the metadata is removed, and the data files remain in their original location. This distinction is why the data files for sales_data still exist after the table was dropped.
References:
Discussion
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