Databricks-DE-Assoc Governance and Security Practice Question
A data engineer is configuring Unity Catalog to allow a service principal to run a Databricks job that writes to a Delta table in an external location. The service principal has been granted USAGE on the catalog and schema, and MODIFY on the table. However, the job fails with an error indicating that the service principal cannot access the external location. What is the most likely missing privilege?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that table-level MODIFY is sufficient for writes, overlooking the need for file-level privileges on the external location.
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 service principal needs WRITE FILES on the external location.
For an external table, writing data requires both MODIFY on the table and WRITE FILES on the external location. The service principal has MODIFY but lacks WRITE FILES, causing the access error. Granting WRITE FILES on the external location will allow the job to write the underlying data files. Other privileges like SELECT, READ FILES, or CREATE do not address the write requirement.
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 service principal needs SELECT on the table.
Why it's wrong here
SELECT is required for reading data, but the job is writing to the table. While SELECT might be needed for certain operations like merges, the error specifically mentions inability to access the external location, which points to a missing privilege on the external location itself, not on the table. MODIFY alone does not grant access to the underlying storage.
- ✗
The service principal needs READ FILES on the external location.
Why it's wrong here
READ FILES allows reading files directly, but the job needs to write. WRITE FILES is the privilege required for writing to an external location. READ FILES would not resolve the write failure and is not the missing privilege. The error indicates a lack of access to the external location, so the write-related privilege is needed.
- ✗
The service principal needs CREATE on the external location.
Why it's wrong here
CREATE on an external location allows creating new external tables or volumes at that location, but it does not grant the ability to write data files for an existing table. The job is writing to an existing Delta table, so WRITE FILES is the relevant privilege. CREATE would be needed if the job were creating a new external table.
- ✓
The service principal needs WRITE FILES on the external location.
Why this is correct
When a table is stored in an external location, writing to it requires WRITE FILES on that external location, in addition to MODIFY on the table. Without WRITE FILES, the service principal cannot write the data files, resulting in an access error. This privilege is often overlooked when granting table-level permissions.
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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-DE-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-DE-Assoc exam.