Answer-first summary for fast verification
Answer: Only the metadata of the table will be removed from the catalog, leaving the data files intact in storage.
External (unmanaged) tables, such as the one created with a `LOCATION` clause, store their data in an external storage path. When you execute a `DROP TABLE` command on an external table, only the table's metadata is deleted from the catalog. The underlying data files remain in the storage location. Reference: [Databricks Documentation on Unmanaged Tables](https://docs.databricks.com/lakehouse/data-objects.html#what-is-an-unmanaged-table).
Author: LeetQuiz Editorial Team
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A data engineering team has created a Delta Lake table named customers_clone using the following query: CREATE TABLE customers_clone LOCATION 'dbfs:/mnt/backup' AS SELECT * FROM customers. If a data engineer attempts to drop this table with the command DROP TABLE customers_clone, what will be the outcome?
A
An error will be thrown because the table is a deep clone of the customers table.
B
An error will be thrown because the table is a shallow clone of the customers table.
C
Only the metadata of the table will be removed from the catalog, leaving the data files intact in storage.
D
Both the metadata and the data files of the table will be permanently deleted.
E
The table will not be dropped until a VACUUM command is executed.
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