DATABRICKS-DE-ASSOCIATE: Certified Data Engineer Associate
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Exam Resources
Official learning paths, exam details, skills measured, and community resources to supplement your study.
About the DATABRICKS-DE-ASSOCIATE Exam
Master the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate exam (May 2026, version as of May 4 2026) — the Data Intelligence Platform and lakehouse architecture, data ingestion and loading, transformation and modeling with PySpark and Spark SQL, Lakeflow Jobs orchestration, CI/CD with Databricks Asset Bundles, troubleshooting and optimization, and Unity Catalog governance and security.
The complete practice exam for the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate certification (current May 2026 exam guide). Covers the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform and lakehouse architecture (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, compute services and cost models), data ingestion and loading (Auto Loader, COPY INTO, Lakeflow Connect standard and managed connectors, JDBC/ODBC, ingesting JSON and semi-structured data into Unity Catalog-governed Delta tables), data transformation and modeling (PySpark and Spark SQL cleaning, joins, deduplication and aggregation, Spark tuning parameters, the bronze/silver/gold medallion architecture, materialized views, views and streaming tables, data-quality checks), Lakeflow Jobs orchestration (control flows and conditional tasks, DAG-based dependencies, scheduled/file-arrival/table-update triggers, parameters, retries and notifications), CI/CD (Databricks Git Folders, Databricks Asset Bundles / DABs variables and targets, the Databricks CLI), troubleshooting, monitoring and optimization (Lakeflow Jobs run history, the Spark UI, data skew and shuffle and spill, Liquid Clustering, predictive optimization, OOM and cluster-startup diagnosis), and Unity Catalog governance and security (managed vs external tables, GRANT/REVOKE/DENY privileges, column masking and row-level security, ABAC policies) — every question a real-world scenario with full explanations.
Who Should Take This Exam?
The Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate is designed for data engineers and data professionals who build and operate data pipelines on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. It validates practical, entry-level data-engineering skills across ingestion, transformation, orchestration with Lakeflow Jobs, CI/CD, and Unity Catalog governance.
Prerequisites: None (course attendance + 6 months hands-on Databricks experience recommended)
Typical study time: 4-8 weeks of focused study
Exam Quick Facts
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Exam Code | DATABRICKS-DE-ASSOCIATE |
| Title | Certified Data Engineer Associate |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Questions | 45 |
| Pass Score | Not officially published (~70%) |
| Cost | $200 USD |
| Provider | Databricks (online or test center, proctored) |
| Validity | 2 years |
| Prerequisites | None (course attendance + 6 months hands-on Databricks experience recommended) |
| Question Types | Multiple choice |
| Official Page | View on Databricks → |
Exam Domains & Weights
The DATABRICKS-DE-ASSOCIATE exam covers 7 domains. Focus your study time based on the weights below — higher-weighted domains have more exam questions.
| Domain | Weight | Practice Qs |
|---|---|---|
| Databricks Intelligence Platform | 6% | 15 |
| Data Ingestion and Loading | 21% | 53 |
| Data Transformation and Modeling | 22% | 55 |
| Working with Lakeflow Jobs | 16% | 40 |
| Implementing CI/CD | 10% | 25 |
| Troubleshooting, Monitoring, and Optimization | 10% | 25 |
| Governance and Security | 15% | 37 |
| Total | 100% | 250 |
💡 Study tip: Data Transformation and Modeling (22%) and Data Ingestion and Loading (21%) together make up well over half the exam — get fluent with PySpark and Spark SQL transformations, Auto Loader vs COPY INTO, and the bronze/silver/gold medallion pattern. Governance and Security (15%) rewards hands-on Unity Catalog practice (managed vs external tables, GRANT/REVOKE, row filters and column masks). The smaller CI/CD and Troubleshooting domains (10% each) lean on Databricks Asset Bundles and reading the Spark UI for skew and spill.
Practice Exam — 250 Questions
Prepare for the DATABRICKS-DE-ASSOCIATE with our 250-question practice exam covering all 7 exam domains. Every question includes detailed explanations and maps to official exam objectives.
What you get:
- ✅ Exam simulation mode with timer
- ✅ Spaced repetition for weak areas
- ✅ Detailed explanations for every question
- ✅ Progress tracking across domains
- ✅ 20 free questions — no account needed
Databricks Certification Path
Start with the Data Engineer Associate (or Data Analyst Associate), then advance to Professional and specialty tracks (Machine Learning, Platform Architect, Generative AI Engineer).
Study Tips
- Start with the heaviest domain — focus your time where the exam focuses its questions
- Use our practice exam — try the 20 free questions first to gauge your readiness
- Review explanations — don’t just check if you got it right; read why each answer is correct
- Simulate exam conditions — use the timed exam mode to practice under pressure
- Check the official page — official exam details always have the latest objectives