Databricks-DE-Assoc Governance and Security Practice Question
A data engineer is designing an access control model in Unity Catalog for a new catalog `finance`. The team wants to follow the principle of least privilege while still enabling collaboration. Which TWO of the following practices best align with Unity Catalog's privilege model? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating `USE CATALOG` with data access, when it only enables navigation and must be paired with object-level privileges to read data.
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
✓
Use account-level groups as principals for grants rather than individual users, so membership changes automatically update effective permissions.
Least privilege in Unity Catalog is achieved by granting `USE CATALOG` broadly only where navigation is needed, limiting `USE SCHEMA` to required schemas, and using account-level groups as principals so membership changes propagate automatically. Broad grants such as `ALL PRIVILEGES`, `SELECT` to `public`, or `MANAGE` to large groups violate least privilege and should be avoided.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use account-level groups as principals for grants rather than individual users, so membership changes automatically update effective permissions.
Why this is correct
Unity Catalog supports account-level groups as principals. Granting privileges to groups means that when users are added or removed from the group, their effective permissions change without re-issuing grants. This simplifies administration and aligns with least privilege by managing access at the group level rather than per user.
- ✗
Grant `SELECT` on all tables in `finance` to the `public` group to ensure no one is blocked during onboarding.
Why it's wrong here
Granting `SELECT` to `public` exposes all data to every user in the account, directly violating least privilege. Onboarding convenience does not justify broad data exposure. A better approach is to grant access to specific groups or schemas as needed.
- ✗
Grant `ALL PRIVILEGES` on the `finance` catalog to the engineering group to simplify administration.
Why it's wrong here
`ALL PRIVILEGES` on a catalog grants broad capabilities including creating schemas and managing objects, which violates least privilege. It also does not automatically grant privileges on existing schemas and tables in the same way a superuser might expect, creating both over-permission and confusion. This is not a recommended practice.
- ✓
Grant `USE CATALOG` on `finance` to all users who need to query any table in that catalog, and grant `USE SCHEMA` only on the specific schemas they need.
Why this is correct
`USE CATALOG` is required to interact with any object in the catalog, and `USE SCHEMA` is required for the specific schema. Granting `USE CATALOG` broadly while limiting `USE SCHEMA` to needed schemas follows least privilege because it does not expose data by itself; it only enables navigation to objects the user is separately authorized to access.
- ✗
Grant `MANAGE` on the `finance` catalog to the data engineering group so they can delegate privileges to others.
Why it's wrong here
`MANAGE` allows managing privileges and ownership on the catalog, which is a powerful administrative capability. Granting it broadly to the engineering group exceeds least privilege. Delegation should be limited to a small set of administrators, not the entire engineering team.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
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-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.