Databricks Data Engineer Associate Question 271
Single answerYou are working on a Delta Lake table in Databricks, and you need to identify who made changes to previous versions of the table. Which of the following actions would help you achieve this?
- A
Use the DESCRIBE HISTORY command to retrieve the table's version history
- B
Query the _delta_log directory directly to view the log files
- C
Run the SHOW GRANTS command to view user access to the table
- D
Use the DESCRIBE EXTENDED command to get metadata information about the table
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
To identify who has written previous versions of a Delta Lake table, the DESCRIBE HISTORY command is the most appropriate option. It provides a detailed history of changes made to the table, including the timestamp, operation type, and user identity (if available). Other commands, such as SHOW GRANTS and DESCRIBE EXTENDED, do not provide this information.
- A. Correct.
This is correct. The DESCRIBE HISTORY command provides a history of changes to a Delta Lake table, including information about who performed the changes.
- B. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. While you can access the _delta_log directory to review raw log files, it is not an efficient or recommended method for identifying who made changes to previous table versions.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. The SHOW GRANTS command only displays information about user access and permissions, not details about changes made to the table.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. The DESCRIBE EXTENDED command provides metadata about the table, such as schema and properties, but does not include information about previous table versions or the users who modified the table.