Databricks-DE-Pro Data Sharing and Federation Practice Question
A Data Engineer is using Lakehouse Federation to query an external PostgreSQL database from Databricks. The engineer creates a foreign catalog named 'pg_catalog' using a connection that specifies the host, port, and credentials. Users report that queries against the foreign catalog fail with a permission error, even though the connection works when tested. The engineer confirms that the connection has the correct credentials and that the PostgreSQL user has SELECT privileges on the required tables. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that if the connection works and the external user has SELECT, end users can query without additional Unity Catalog privileges.
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 users have not been granted USE on the foreign catalog and SELECT on the tables.
In Lakehouse Federation, the connection stores credentials to access the external database, but end users must still have Unity Catalog privileges to query the foreign catalog. Specifically, they need USE on the foreign catalog and SELECT on the tables. Without these, queries fail with permission errors. The connection test succeeds because it uses the stored credentials directly, bypassing user-level Unity Catalog checks. The correct answer addresses the missing Unity Catalog grants.
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 PostgreSQL database is not in the same region as the Databricks workspace.
Why it's wrong here
Lakehouse Federation can connect to external databases across regions, provided network connectivity is available. Region mismatch does not cause permission errors; it might cause latency or connectivity issues. The error is specifically a permission error, so the cause is likely related to Unity Catalog privileges.
- ✓
The users have not been granted USE on the foreign catalog and SELECT on the tables.
Why this is correct
In Lakehouse Federation, after creating a foreign catalog, users must be granted USE on the catalog and SELECT on the tables within it. Without these Unity Catalog privileges, queries will fail with permission errors, even if the underlying PostgreSQL user has access. The connection credentials are used by Databricks to access the external database, but users still need Unity Catalog permissions.
- ✗
The connection uses a service principal instead of a user account.
Why it's wrong here
Lakehouse Federation connections can use either user accounts or service principals. The choice of credential type does not inherently cause permission errors for end users. The issue is that users lack Unity Catalog privileges on the foreign catalog and tables, not the type of credential used for the connection.
- ✗
The foreign catalog was created without specifying the 'postgresql' database type.
Why it's wrong here
When creating a foreign catalog for PostgreSQL, the database type must be specified as 'postgresql'. If omitted or incorrect, the catalog creation would fail. Since the connection works when tested, the database type is likely correct. The permission error suggests a different issue.
About these practice questions
This Databricks-DE-Pro question is part of Courseiva's 267-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.