Databricks Certified Data Engineer - Associate

Explanation

The correct answer is C. They can turn on the Auto Stop feature for the SQL endpoint.

Why this is correct:

1. Auto Stop Feature: In Databricks, the Auto Stop feature automatically stops a SQL endpoint after a period of inactivity. This is specifically designed to minimize costs and running time when the endpoint is not actively being used.
2. Dashboard Refresh Schedule: Since the dashboard only needs to refresh once per day, the SQL endpoint will only be active during that refresh period and can be automatically stopped afterward.
3. Cost Optimization: This approach ensures the SQL endpoint is only running when necessary, minimizing compute costs and resource usage.

Why other options are incorrect:

• A: Ensuring the dashboard's SQL endpoint matches each query's SQL endpoint doesn't minimize running time - it just ensures consistency but doesn't control when the endpoint runs.
• B: Setting up the SQL endpoint to be serverless doesn't directly minimize running time. Serverless endpoints still run and incur costs when active, though they may have different billing models.
• D: Ensuring the dashboard's SQL endpoint is not one of the included query's SQL endpoint would actually increase complexity and potentially running time, as multiple endpoints might need to run.

Key Takeaway:

The Auto Stop feature is specifically designed for this use case - automatically stopping SQL endpoints during periods of inactivity to optimize costs and resource utilization when dashboards only need periodic refreshing.