Databricks Certified Data Engineer - Associate
In a scenario where you are managing a Delta Lake table in a Databricks environment and need to perform incremental data processing, you are tasked with identifying the author of a specific version of the table for auditing purposes. The solution must comply with data governance policies and provide detailed transaction logs. Considering these requirements, which of the following commands should you use to accurately identify the author of a specific version of the table, and why is this information significant? Choose the best option from the following:
Simulated
A
Use the DESCRIBE HISTORY command to view the history of table transactions, including the author of each version, timestamp, operation performed, and operation parameters.
B
Use the SHOW VERSIONS command to list all versions of the table and identify the author of each version, along with the size and creation time of each version.
C
Use the GET PREVIOUS VERSION command to retrieve the previous version of the table and identify the author, including the changes made in that version.
D
Use the AUDIT command to track changes made to the table and identify the author of each change, including the IP address from which the change was made.
Explanation:
The DESCRIBE HISTORY command is the correct choice because it provides a comprehensive transaction log for a Delta table, including the version number, timestamp, user/author (if available), operation performed, operation parameters, and notebook or job information (if available). This information is crucial for auditing, debugging, and ensuring data governance compliance by tracking who made changes, when, and why. The other options (SHOW VERSIONS, GET PREVIOUS VERSION, AUDIT) are not valid Delta Lake commands and thus do not provide the required information.