Data Engineering Associate with Databricks Practice Exam

What advantage does Delta Live Tables provide for ELT pipelines?

1. Automatic table optimization

2. Ability to declare data table dependencies

3. Faster ingestion speeds

4. Visual data lineage tracking

The correct answer is: Ability to declare data table dependencies

The choice highlighting the ability to declare data table dependencies stands out as a key advantage of Delta Live Tables in the context of ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) pipelines. Delta Live Tables allows data engineers to define the dependencies between tables in a declarative manner. This means that data pipelines can be constructed with a clear understanding of how data flows and is transformed across various tables. By establishing these dependencies, the system can automatically manage the order of table processing, ensuring that tables are refreshed and transformed in a sequence that minimizes errors and respects the logical flow of data. This feature significantly enhances maintainability and reduces the complexity involved in managing pipeline execution, making it more straightforward to handle changes in schema or processing logic over time. While other options may also highlight important features of Delta Live Tables, the ability to declare data table dependencies is particularly vital in ensuring that ELT operations occur seamlessly and coherently, ultimately leading to improved data quality and reliability in analytics.