Databricks Certified Data Engineer - Associate

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

CREATE STREAMING LIVE TABLE (formerly CREATE INCREMENTAL LIVE TABLE) should be used when data needs to be processed incrementally. This syntax is specifically designed for streaming or incremental data processing scenarios in Delta Live Tables (DLT).

Why this is correct:

1. Incremental Processing: CREATE STREAMING LIVE TABLE is designed to handle data that arrives continuously or in batches, processing only new or changed data rather than reprocessing the entire dataset.
2. Streaming Use Cases: This syntax is ideal for real-time data ingestion, change data capture (CDC), and other scenarios where data needs to be processed as it arrives.
3. Efficiency: It enables more efficient processing by avoiding full table scans and only processing new data.

Why other options are incorrect:

• A: Incorrect - The subsequent step being static doesn't determine whether to use streaming tables. The decision is based on how the current table processes data.
• C: Incorrect - CREATE STREAMING LIVE TABLE is not redundant; it serves a specific purpose for incremental/streaming data processing.
• D: Incorrect - Complicated aggregations can be performed in both static and streaming tables. The choice depends on whether data arrives incrementally, not on the complexity of transformations.
• E: Incorrect - The previous step being static doesn't determine whether to use streaming tables. A streaming table can process data from static sources incrementally.

Key Takeaway: Use CREATE STREAMING LIVE TABLE when you need to process data incrementally (streaming data, CDC, or batch updates), and use CREATE LIVE TABLE for static, batch-oriented processing where the entire dataset is processed at once.