Databricks-DA-Assoc Understanding the Databricks Platform Practice Question
A data analyst is querying a Unity Catalog managed table named sales in the analytics catalog and the marketing schema. A query fails with an error indicating the table cannot be found, even though the analyst can see the table in Catalog Explorer. The analyst is connected to a SQL Warehouse in the same workspace. Which action is most likely to resolve the access issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating visibility in Catalog Explorer with query access, when Unity Catalog still requires the full USE CATALOG, USE SCHEMA, and SELECT chain.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Verify that the analyst has USE CATALOG on analytics, USE SCHEMA on marketing, and SELECT on the sales table
Unity Catalog enforces a privilege hierarchy: USE CATALOG on the catalog, USE SCHEMA on the schema, and SELECT on the table. Visibility in Catalog Explorer does not imply these grants. Restarting the warehouse, converting the table to external, or enabling legacy cluster table access control do not address missing Unity Catalog privileges.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Restart the SQL Warehouse so it picks up the latest Unity Catalog metadata
Why it's wrong here
SQL Warehouses do not need to be restarted to see Unity Catalog metadata changes; metadata is resolved at query time from the metastore. A restart would not grant missing privileges and would interrupt other users. The symptom of a visible table that cannot be queried points to privileges, not stale metadata, so restarting is not the right fix.
- ✓
Verify that the analyst has USE CATALOG on analytics, USE SCHEMA on marketing, and SELECT on the sales table
Why this is correct
In Unity Catalog, accessing a table requires a chain of privileges: USE CATALOG on the catalog, USE SCHEMA on the schema, and SELECT on the table. Seeing the table in Catalog Explorer does not guarantee these privileges are granted to the user. If any link in the chain is missing, the query fails even though the object is visible, making this the most likely resolution.
- ✗
Ask a workspace administrator to enable table access control on the all-purpose cluster
Why it's wrong here
Table access control on all-purpose clusters is a legacy mechanism and does not govern Unity Catalog tables queried through a SQL Warehouse. Enabling it would not grant the required Unity Catalog privileges and could cause confusion. The correct approach is to grant USE CATALOG, USE SCHEMA, and SELECT in Unity Catalog, not to toggle cluster-level table access control.
- ✗
Convert the managed table to an external table so the analyst can read the underlying files
Why it's wrong here
Converting a managed table to external does not change Unity Catalog privilege requirements, and it would not grant the analyst access. It also changes data governance and lifecycle behavior, which is a significant and unnecessary change. The issue is missing privileges on the catalog, schema, or table, not the table's managed versus external status.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Databricks exam blueprint
This Databricks-DA-Assoc practice question is part of Courseiva's free Databricks certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the Databricks-DA-Assoc exam.