Databricks-DA-Assoc Managing Data Practice Question
An analyst needs to create a new table in a Unity Catalog schema to store aggregated results, and the table should be managed by Unity Catalog so that storage lifecycle and access are handled by the platform. Which SQL statement correctly creates a managed Delta table named `summary` in the `analytics` schema of the `reporting` catalog?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is inventing a MANAGED keyword or adding a LOCATION, when managed versus external is determined by whether a location is specified.
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
✓
CREATE TABLE reporting.analytics.summary (id INT, total DOUBLE);
In Unity Catalog, a table created with CREATE TABLE and a three-part name but no LOCATION is managed by Unity Catalog, which controls its storage and lifecycle. External tables require a LOCATION and are not managed by the platform. The MANAGED keyword is not part of the syntax, and legacy dbfs paths are not the Unity Catalog managed pattern.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
CREATE TABLE reporting.analytics.summary (id INT, total DOUBLE);
Why this is correct
In Unity Catalog, CREATE TABLE with a three-part name creates a managed table by default when no LOCATION is specified. Unity Catalog manages the storage location and lifecycle, which matches the requirement. The statement is syntactically valid and uses the correct catalog.schema.table namespace for the reporting catalog and analytics schema.
- ✗
CREATE MANAGED TABLE reporting.analytics.summary (id INT, total DOUBLE);
Why it's wrong here
CREATE MANAGED TABLE is not valid Databricks SQL syntax. Managed tables are created with CREATE TABLE when no LOCATION is supplied; there is no MANAGED keyword in the CREATE TABLE grammar. The statement would fail to parse, so it cannot satisfy the requirement despite the intent to create a managed table.
- ✗
CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE reporting.analytics.summary (id INT, total DOUBLE) LOCATION '/mnt/data/summary';
Why it's wrong here
CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE with an explicit LOCATION creates an external table whose data lifecycle is not managed by Unity Catalog; dropping the table does not remove the underlying files. The scenario explicitly asks for a managed table, so specifying an external location contradicts the requirement. The path '/mnt/data/summary' also references a mount style that is not the Unity Catalog external location pattern.
- ✗
CREATE TABLE reporting.analytics.summary USING DELTA LOCATION 'dbfs:/user/hive/warehouse/summary';
Why it's wrong here
Providing an explicit LOCATION creates an external table rather than a managed one, and the dbfs:/user/hive/warehouse path is associated with the legacy Hive metastore, not Unity Catalog managed storage. This conflicts with the requirement that Unity Catalog manage the table, and the path style is not the correct Unity Catalog pattern for a managed table.
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.