Databricks-DE-Assoc Databricks Intelligence Platform Practice Question
Which command is used to query the history of a Delta table to perform time travel?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently confuse table metadata inspection commands with data selection queries, mistakenly attempting to use SELECT * FROM history or VERSION AS OF commands directly.
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
✓
DESCRIBE HISTORY table_name
The 'DESCRIBE HISTORY' command provides a detailed log of all transactions performed on a Delta table, including operations like inserts, updates, and deletes. This is essential for auditing and reverting to previous states if data corruption or accidental deletions occur. By understanding the history, engineers can verify the lineage and integrity of their data, which is a core benefit of the Delta Lake storage layer.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SELECT * FROM TABLE_HISTORY
Why it's wrong here
There is no built-in SQL command called 'TABLE_HISTORY' for retrieving transaction logs in Databricks. Using a non-existent command will result in a syntax error. The correct syntax for inspecting the transaction log is the 'DESCRIBE HISTORY' command, which is specific to Delta tables within the Databricks environment.
- ✓
DESCRIBE HISTORY table_name
Why this is correct
The 'DESCRIBE HISTORY' command is the native way to retrieve the transaction log for a Delta table. It returns information such as version, timestamp, operation, and user, which is crucial for time travel operations and auditing the changes made to the data over time in a production environment.
- ✗
SHOW LOGS FROM table_name
Why it's wrong here
The 'SHOW LOGS' command is not a valid Databricks SQL command for inspecting Delta table metadata or transaction history. It does not provide access to the internal transaction logs that enable time travel. Users must use 'DESCRIBE HISTORY' to get the necessary information about table versions and changes.
- ✗
GET_DELTA_VERSIONS(table_name)
Why it's wrong here
There is no function named 'GET_DELTA_VERSIONS' in the Databricks SQL dialect. Attempting to run this will fail as an undefined function. The platform uses SQL syntax like 'DESCRIBE HISTORY' to interact with table metadata and transactional logs, following standard patterns for managing stateful data in the Lakehouse.
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.