Databricks-DA-Assoc Securing Data Practice Question
A data analyst needs to grant a colleague read access to a specific table named 'quarterly_sales' within Unity Catalog without exposing other tables in the same schema. Which SQL command should the analyst execute?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse object-level privileges with administrative commands or forget that parent containers like schemas and catalogs require traversal permissions (USAGE) in addition to the table-level SELECT privilege.
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
✓
GRANT SELECT ON TABLE quarterly_sales TO `colleague@company.com`;
Granting granular access in Unity Catalog is performed using standard SQL GRANT syntax. To allow a user to read data from a specific table, the SELECT privilege must be granted directly on that table securable object while ensuring parent container traversal permissions are present.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
GRANT SELECT ON TABLE quarterly_sales TO `colleague@company.com`;
Why this is correct
Granting the SELECT privilege directly on a specific table provides precise access control. This ensures the recipient can query only the targeted dataset while adhering strictly to the principle of least privilege across the schema.
- ✗
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON SCHEMA sales_schema TO `colleague@company.com`;
Why it's wrong here
Granting ALL PRIVILEGES on sales_schema gives read, write and manage rights over every table in that schema, not just quarterly_sales. It tempts because schema-level grants are the standard way to give a team access to a whole subject area.
- ✗
GRANT READ ACCESS ON CATALOG main TO `colleague@company.com`;
Why it's wrong here
Granting READ ACCESS on the catalog main confers read rights across every schema and table within it, exposing far more than quarterly_sales. The tempting appeal is breadth: catalog-level grants suit onboarding analysts who legitimately need the whole catalog, not a single table.
- ✗
GRANT USE TABLE ON quarterly_sales TO `colleague@company.com`;
Why it's wrong here
Unity Catalog has no USE TABLE privilege; table access is granted via SELECT, and USE TABLE is not valid syntax. It is tempting because USE SCHEMA and USE CATALOG exist, and would be correct when granting a user the ability to reference a schema or catalog.
About these practice questions
This Databricks-DA-Assoc question is part of Courseiva's 291-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.