Databricks Data Engineer Professional Question 141
Select 3A data engineering team is working on a Delta Lake table named 'transactions' in their production environment. To test a new data processing pipeline, they want to create a clone of this table in their development environment. The team is unsure whether to use a shallow or deep clone. They need a shallow clone to avoid duplicating data, but they are concerned about potential issues if the source table is modified or deleted. Which of the following statements are true about shallow and deep clones in this scenario?
- A
A shallow clone references the original data files of the source table, so it will fail if the source table is deleted.
- B
A shallow clone creates independent copies of the source data files, so it is not affected by modifications to the source table.
- C
A deep clone creates a full, independent copy of the source table, including its data files, and is unaffected by changes to the source table.
- D
If the source table is modified, a shallow clone will reflect the updated data because it references the same data files.
- E
Deep cloning is faster than shallow cloning because it does not need to reference the original table.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, C, D
Explanation
Shallow clones are lightweight and reference the original data files of the source table, making them faster to create but dependent on the source table's existence and integrity. Deep clones, on the other hand, create a fully independent copy of the table, ensuring no dependency on the source table but requiring more time and storage. In this scenario, the team must understand the trade-offs between the two types of clones to make an informed decision.
- A. Correct.
Correct: A shallow clone references the original data files of the source table. If the source table is deleted, the shallow clone will lose access to the original data files and fail.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect: A shallow clone does not create independent copies of the data files; it only references the original files. Thus, it is directly impacted by modifications or deletions of the source table.
- C. Correct.
Correct: A deep clone creates a complete, independent copy of the source table and its data files. This ensures that the deep clone is unaffected by any changes or deletions in the source table.
- D. Correct.
Correct: Since a shallow clone references the same data files as the source table, any modifications to the source table will be reflected in the shallow clone.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect: Deep cloning is slower than shallow cloning because it involves copying all the data files to create an independent table, while shallow cloning simply creates metadata that references the original data files.