Databricks Data Engineer Professional Question 23
Single answerA data engineering team wants to create a copy of a Delta table to use for testing purposes without impacting the source table. They want to ensure the copy is created as quickly as possible and uses minimal storage space. Which Delta clone type should they use?
- A
Shallow clone
- B
Deep clone
- C
Full table export and import
- D
Streaming replication
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Shallow clone is the best choice for creating a test copy of a Delta table because it references the source table's data files without duplicating them, making the process faster and more storage-efficient. This is particularly useful when the copied table is only needed for temporary or non-destructive testing.
- A. Correct.
Shallow clone creates a quick, space-efficient copy of the Delta table by referencing the original table's data files instead of duplicating them. This is ideal for testing scenarios where the original table's data integrity must be preserved.
- B. Incorrect.
Deep clone creates a full copy of the Delta table, including all data files and metadata. While this ensures complete independence from the source table, it is slower and uses more storage compared to a shallow clone.
- C. Incorrect.
Full table export and import involves manually exporting and re-importing the data, which is time-consuming and inefficient compared to Delta clone operations.
- D. Incorrect.
Streaming replication is used for replicating data between systems in real-time and is not relevant for quickly creating a copy of a table for testing purposes.