Databricks Data Analyst cheat sheet
Last-minute reference for the Databricks Data Analyst Associate exam.
Exam facts
| Questions | 45 scored |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Fee | 200 USD |
| Language | English only |
| Passing score | Not published by Databricks |
Section weights
| Section | Weight |
|---|---|
| Executing queries using Databricks SQL and SQL Warehouses | 20% |
| Creating Dashboards and Visualizations | 16% |
| Analyzing Queries | 15% |
| Genie spaces | 12% |
| Databricks Data + AI Platform | 11% |
| Managing Data | 8% |
| Securing Data | 8% |
| Importing Data | 5% |
Warehouse behaviour
| Serverless | Starts in seconds; suits intermittent interactive work |
| Classic | Slower start; same SQL and results |
| Auto-stop | Shuts down during idle gaps — the main cost control |
| Query profile | Where time and data volume actually go; always look here first |
Performance quick answers
- Slow dashboard scanning a huge table → filter on the partitioned date column so file skipping applies
- Large shuffle joining a 50-row dimension → broadcast the small table
- Query slow after many small writes → compact small files
- Same query, different results between analysts → different catalog, schema or table version
- Need the result as of last Tuesday → Delta time travel by timestamp or version
Security and modelling
- Region-restricted rows, one shared table → row filter keyed to the user’s group
- Sensitive column hidden from most analysts → column mask
- Reusable, always-current result without a copy → a view
- Recurring CSV drops → incremental ingestion tracking processed files
- Numbers landing as strings → explicit schema or cast on read
Concepts
- Medallion — bronze raw, silver cleansed, gold business-level
- Delta Lake — ACID transactions and schema enforcement over object storage
- Genie space quality comes from table and column comments, instructions and example queries
The published-score trap
Databricks publishes no passing score. Any percentage quoted elsewhere is a guess. Use a weighted practice test as your only calibration.
Night-before checklist
- Eight sections; SQL and warehouses is the largest at 20%
- Query profile as the first troubleshooting move
- Row filter versus column mask
- Check ID and proctoring rules — see exam day
Take the 20-question practice test.