Databricks-DE-Pro Data Security and Compliance Practice Question
A data engineer is designing a solution to share a Delta table with an external partner organization. The partner uses a different Databricks account and must be able to read the table, but the data must not be copied outside the provider's cloud storage. The provider uses Unity Catalog and wants to minimize operational overhead while ensuring the partner sees only the shared table. Which Unity Catalog feature should the engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse Delta Sharing with cloning or foreign tables; only Delta Sharing allows reading data in place across accounts without copying.
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
✓
Delta Sharing
Delta Sharing is designed for cross-organization data sharing without copying data. The provider defines a share, adds the table, and grants the recipient access. The recipient can then read the shared data using their own Databricks workspace or other compatible clients. The data stays in the provider's storage, and the provider retains control over access. This meets the requirements with minimal overhead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A foreign table that points to the partner's storage location.
Why it's wrong here
A foreign table is used to access data that resides outside the provider's Unity Catalog metastore, often in the partner's storage. This is the opposite of the requirement: the data must remain in the provider's storage. A foreign table would not prevent copying and would not share the provider's table with the partner in a controlled way.
- ✗
Grant SELECT on the table to the partner's service principal and configure cross-account IAM access.
Why it's wrong here
Granting SELECT to a service principal in another Databricks account is not possible directly because Unity Catalog privileges are scoped to the account. Cross-account IAM access would allow access to storage but not provide a governed way to share the table with the partner's Databricks account. This approach would require significant custom configuration and would not provide a clean sharing interface.
- ✓
Delta Sharing
Why this is correct
Delta Sharing is a secure data sharing protocol that allows sharing data across organizations without copying it. The provider creates a share containing the table and grants the recipient access. The recipient reads the data using their own compute, and the data remains in the provider's storage. This minimizes operational overhead and meets the requirement of not copying data outside the provider's storage.
- ✗
A deep clone of the table into a storage location accessible by the partner.
Why it's wrong here
A deep clone copies both data and metadata to a new location. This would create a duplicate of the data, potentially outside the provider's controlled storage if the partner's location is used, and it requires ongoing synchronization. It increases operational overhead and does not meet the requirement that data not be copied outside the provider's storage.
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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-Pro 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-Pro exam.