Databricks-GenAI-Assoc Governance Practice Question
A data engineer wants to track who accessed a specific table in Unity Catalog. Which tool should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates commonly suggest standard Spark logs or cluster event logs instead of utilizing the specialized audit capabilities found in Unity Catalog system tables.
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
✓
Unity Catalog system tables
The System Tables (specifically the access_logs table) in Unity Catalog provide detailed audit logs of all interactions with data objects. By querying these tables using SQL, administrators can monitor data access patterns, identify unauthorized attempts to view sensitive data, and fulfill audit requirements. This centralized logging is a cornerstone of the governance transparency provided by Unity Catalog.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Databricks cluster logs
Why it's wrong here
Cluster logs track the health and operation of individual compute resources. While they show which commands were run on a cluster, they are not the correct mechanism for auditing data access at the catalog level across the entire organization, as they are ephemeral and compute-bound.
- ✓
Unity Catalog system tables
Why this is correct
Unity Catalog system tables (like 'system.access.audit') store comprehensive logs of all data access events. These tables are the standardized way to query historical audit information across the entire metastore, enabling engineers to perform detailed analysis of who accessed specific tables and when.
- ✗
Cloud provider logs
Why it's wrong here
While cloud provider logs (like S3 access logs) record requests to the storage layer, they do not correlate those requests with Unity Catalog identities or SQL queries. They provide low-level information that is difficult to audit against specific business-level data governance policies.
- ✗
Workspace activity console
Why it's wrong here
The workspace activity console is limited to the local environment and provides only basic, surface-level information about user activity. It is not designed to provide the structured, long-term, and cross-workspace auditing capabilities required for Unity Catalog governance and compliance monitoring.
About these practice questions
This Databricks-GenAI-Assoc question is part of Courseiva's 330-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-GenAI-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-GenAI-Assoc exam.