Data Engineering Associate with Databricks Practice Exam

Which command allows for incremental updates to existing tables?

1. INSERT INTO

2. UPDATE TABLE

3. APPEND TO

4. OVERWRITE

The correct answer is: INSERT INTO

The command that allows for incremental updates to existing tables is the INSERT INTO command. This command is typically used to add new rows to a table without replacing the existing data. By executing an INSERT INTO operation, users can efficiently update tables by appending new data while retaining the previously stored information. This method enables incremental data management, allowing for seamless integration of new insights or records into a dataset without disrupting the existing structure. The other options do not serve the same purpose as INSERT INTO. For instance, the UPDATE TABLE command generally modifies existing records based on specified criteria rather than adding new entries. APPEND TO, while similar to INSERT INTO in adding data, is not commonly recognized as a standard SQL command; rather, it may refer to a style of inserting without properly differentiating from INSERT INTO. The OVERWRITE command replaces the entire contents of a table with new data, removing any existing records rather than allowing for incremental updates.