Databricks-DA-Assoc Understanding the Databricks Platform Practice Question
Exhibit
{
"cluster_config": {
"cluster_name": "prod_cluster",
"autoscale": {
"min_workers": 2,
"max_workers": 8
},
"autotermination_minutes": 30,
"runtime_version": "11.3.x-scala2.12",
"node_type_id": "i3.xlarge"
}
}Refer to the exhibit. An analyst is reviewing a cluster configuration JSON. If the cluster is currently idle, what happens after 40 minutes of inactivity?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the cluster stays active for the full duration or wait for a manual shutdown, forgetting that auto-termination initiates the shutdown process immediately upon reaching the inactivity threshold.
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
✓
The cluster terminates.
Databricks clusters with auto-termination enabled will shut down after the specified inactivity threshold is met. In this configuration, the 'autotermination_minutes' is set to 30. Therefore, once the cluster remains idle for 30 minutes, it will automatically terminate. By the 40-minute mark, the cluster has already completed the termination sequence, ensuring no additional costs are incurred for idle resources beyond the defined grace period.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The cluster scales down to 2 workers.
Why it's wrong here
The cluster would have already attempted to scale down to the minimum worker count during the initial idle period. However, since the inactivity persists beyond the termination threshold, the cluster will proceed to fully shut down rather than maintaining the minimum worker count at the 40-minute mark.
- ✗
The cluster remains idle at 2 workers.
Why it's wrong here
The cluster does not remain idle indefinitely. With an 'autotermination_minutes' value of 30, the cluster will automatically shut down after 30 minutes of inactivity. By the 40-minute mark, the cluster will have been fully terminated, meaning it will not be running or holding its minimum worker count.
- ✓
The cluster terminates.
Why this is correct
The configuration sets 'autotermination_minutes' to 30. This parameter dictates that the cluster will shut down after 30 minutes of inactivity. Since 40 minutes is greater than 30, the cluster will have successfully terminated, stopping the compute costs associated with the idle nodes in the environment.
- ✗
The cluster scales up to 8 workers.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up to 8 workers occurs only when there is an increased workload or pending tasks. Idle inactivity does not trigger a scale-up event; instead, it triggers cost-management mechanisms such as auto-termination, which would have already occurred by the 40-minute mark in this specific scenario.
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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.