| title | Data Engineer Associate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tags |
|
|||
| type | certification | |||
| aliases |
|
Important
What changed in the August 2026 exam guide (exam published May 4, 2026; guide updated Aug 6, 2026)
- 7 officially weighted domains, with weights published for the first time since the May 2026 refresh: Databricks Intelligence Platform 6 %, Data Ingestion and Loading 21 %, Data Transformation and Modeling 22 %, Working with Lakeflow Jobs 16 %, Implementing CI/CD 10 %, Troubleshooting, Monitoring, and Optimization 10 %, Governance and Security 15 %
- The exam guide now states it explicitly: 45 scored questions plus up to 10 unscored items in 90 minutes. The extra time for unscored items is already included
- Recertification: take the Data Engineer Associate Renewal Exam or the current full exam
- CI/CD wording is now Declarative Automation Bundles (formerly Databricks Asset Bundles) and Databricks Git folders (formerly Databricks Repos)
- New prep guidance points to the AI Prep Guide, and hands-on practice in Databricks Free Edition
- Sample questions were refreshed. The skew question is now a
groupByaggregation, where AQE skew-join handling doesn't help and you salt the key instead - Pass / fail: Databricks does not publish a numeric passing score
The topic folders below now map 1 : 1 to the 7 official domains. The official PDF is the source of truth: August 2026 exam guide (PDF).
[!note] Platform update (Oct 2026) Some product names have changed since the guide was written. The exam's wording is used throughout this guide, and the current names are noted where they appear:
- Lakeflow Declarative Pipelines was renamed Lakeflow Spark Declarative Pipelines on Nov 12, 2025 (release notes). The docs also use the short form "Lakeflow pipelines"
- Databricks Asset Bundles was renamed Declarative Automation Bundles on Mar 16, 2026 (bundles release notes)
- Delta Sharing is now OpenSharing as of Jun 10, 2026 (release notes)
- Community Edition retired at the end of 2025. Use Databricks Free Edition for hands-on practice (Free Edition limitations)
- The certification page now calls the platform the Databricks Data + AI Platform. The exam's domain 1 is still named "Databricks Intelligence Platform"
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Certification | Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate |
| Exam guide | August 2026 (PDF). Exam published May 4, 2026; exam guide updated Aug 6, 2026 |
| Scored questions | 45 multiple-choice (plus up to 10 unscored items) |
| Duration | 90 minutes (includes time for unscored items) |
| Result | Pass / fail (no published threshold) |
| Languages | English, Japanese, Portuguese (BR), Korean |
| Code in stems | SQL when possible, otherwise Python |
| Experience | 6+ months hands-on with Databricks (recommended) |
| Prerequisites | None required; related training highly recommended |
| Recertification | Every 2 years: Renewal Exam or current full exam. See the Renewal Guide |
| Cost | $200 USD (plus applicable taxes) |
| Delivery | Online proctored or test center |
| Test aides | None allowed |
pie title Exam Topic Distribution (7 domains)
"Databricks Intelligence Platform" : 6
"Data Ingestion and Loading" : 21
"Data Transformation and Modeling" : 22
"Working with Lakeflow Jobs" : 16
"Implementing CI/CD" : 10
"Troubleshooting, Monitoring, and Optimization" : 10
"Governance and Security" : 15
| Domain | Weight | ≈ Questions (of 45) |
|---|---|---|
| Databricks Intelligence Platform | 6 % | ~3 |
| Data Ingestion and Loading | 21 % | ~9 |
| Data Transformation and Modeling | 22 % | ~10 |
| Working with Lakeflow Jobs | 16 % | ~7 |
| Implementing CI/CD | 10 % | ~5 |
| Troubleshooting, Monitoring, and Optimization | 10 % | ~4 |
| Governance and Security | 15 % | ~7 |
Question counts are estimates from the weights. Databricks publishes percentages, not per-domain counts.
The folder structure matches the August 2026 official 7-domain blueprint 1 : 1. Read in order. Each folder's README.md maps its files to the official skill bullets.
| Section | Weight | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 01 — Databricks Intelligence Platform | 6 % | Architecture, workspace, compute and cost models, Delta Lake, time travel |
| 02 — Data Ingestion and Loading | 21 % | Ingestion patterns, Lakeflow Connect (standard and managed connectors), COPY INTO, Auto Loader, JDBC/REST, semi-structured data |
| 03 — Data Transformation and Modeling | 22 % | Spark SQL, DataFrames, joins, aggregations, cleaning, data quality, Gold layer objects, tuning parameters |
| 04 — Working with Lakeflow Jobs | 16 % | Tasks and DAGs, control flow (retries, If/else, For each), triggers (scheduled, file arrival, table update) |
| 05 — Implementing CI/CD | 10 % | Git folders, Declarative Automation Bundles (variables, targets, deploy), Databricks CLI |
| 06 — Troubleshooting, Monitoring, and Optimization | 10 % | Run history, job statuses, Spark UI (skew, shuffle, spill), Liquid Clustering, predictive optimization, compute failures |
| 07 — Governance and Security | 15 % | Unity Catalog, managed vs external tables, GRANT / REVOKE / DENY, row filters, column masks, ABAC |
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Practice Questions | Questions grouped by the 7 official domains |
| Mock Exam 1 | Full-length practice exam (45 questions) |
| Mock Exam 2 | Alternative practice exam (45 questions) |
| Exam Tips | Strategies and exam format guide |
| Final Review | Exam-morning cram scan |
| Official Links | Documentation and registration links |
After completing this certification, explore design and architecture questions:
- Interview Prep Resource - System design, Delta Lake internals, pipeline architecture, and more
Before starting this certification, review:
- Databricks Workspace
- Delta Lake Basics
- Spark Fundamentals
- Platform Architecture
- Unity Catalog Basics
- 01 — Databricks Intelligence Platform (architecture, compute, Delta Lake)
- 02 — Data Ingestion and Loading (Lakeflow Connect, COPY INTO, Auto Loader, JDBC/REST)
- 03 — Data Transformation and Modeling (cleaning, joins, Gold layer objects, data quality, tuning)
- 04 — Working with Lakeflow Jobs (tasks, control flow, triggers)
- 05 — Implementing CI/CD (Git folders, Declarative Automation Bundles, Databricks CLI)
- 06 — Troubleshooting, Monitoring, and Optimization (run history, Spark UI, Liquid Clustering)
- 07 — Governance and Security (managed vs external, privileges, masking, ABAC)
- Complete hands-on tasks in Databricks Free Edition
- Complete practice questions (aim for 70 %+ per domain)
- Take Mock Exam 1 (under timed conditions)
- Review weak areas
- Take Mock Exam 2
- Databricks Certification Page
- August 2026 exam guide (PDF)
- Databricks Documentation
- Databricks Academy
- Databricks Free Edition
- Complete this Data Engineer Associate certification
- Progress to Data Engineer Professional for advanced topics
- Reference Learning Paths for recommended progression