Data Engineering Associate with Databricks Practice Exam

Which SQL command would you use to see the structure of a table?

1. DESCRIBE table

2. SHOW TABLE

3. INFO table

4. EXPLAIN table

The correct answer is: DESCRIBE table

The SQL command used to view the structure of a table is "DESCRIBE table". This command provides a detailed overview of the table's schema, which includes information such as the column names, data types, and any associated constraints like primary keys or nullability. It is specifically designed to give users insights into how the table is organized and can be crucial for understanding how to query or manipulate the data contained within it. In various SQL dialects, other commands like "SHOW TABLE", "INFO table", and "EXPLAIN table" have different functionalities. "SHOW TABLE" typically returns a list of all tables in a database rather than their structure. "INFO table" is not standard SQL syntax and would not yield the intended result. Similarly, "EXPLAIN table" is generally used for understanding how a SQL query will be executed rather than detailing the structure of a table. Therefore, "DESCRIBE table" is the appropriate command when looking to understand the schema at a granular level.