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DLT Concepts

Interview questions

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26 views3 pages

DLT Concepts

Interview questions

Uploaded by

dig
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Understanding Delta Tables and Processing

1. What are Delta Tables?

Delta Tables are a type of table storage provided by Databricks. They are based on Delta Lake, an

open-source storage layer that provides ACID transactions, scalable metadata handling, and unified

batch and streaming data processing.

2. What are Delta Live Tables?

Delta Live Tables (DLT) is a framework in Databricks for building reliable ETL pipelines. It

automates data transformations, provides built-in monitoring, and handles incremental updates

efficiently. Unlike regular Delta Tables, DLT focuses on pipeline development and management.

3. Differences Between Delta and Delta Live Tables

Delta Tables:

- Provide a storage format with ACID compliance.

- Can be used with batch and streaming workloads.

- Managed directly by the user.

Delta Live Tables:

- Provide a managed framework for building ETL pipelines.

- Automatically track pipeline health.

- Simplify incremental data loading and transformation.

4. What are Streaming Tables?

Streaming Tables are used for processing data streams in real-time. They consume data from

sources like Kafka, Event Hubs, or other message queues and write the processed output into
target tables or files. Streaming Tables are used in scenarios where low-latency processing is

crucial.

5. What are Materialized Views?

Materialized Views are precomputed views stored physically. They improve query performance by

storing the results of a query, which can then be refreshed periodically. Materialized Views are ideal

for reporting and analytics on static or slowly changing data.

6. When to Use Each?

- Use Delta Tables for regular storage and batch/streaming queries.

- Use Delta Live Tables for automating ETL pipelines.

- Use Streaming Tables for low-latency real-time data processing.

- Use Materialized Views for improving performance in analytics and BI tools.

7. Real-Time Scenarios

Delta Tables: Ideal for batch processing in data warehouses.

Delta Live Tables: Automate ingestion pipelines from multiple sources in a financial dashboard.

Streaming Tables: Process sensor data in IoT systems.

Materialized Views: Enhance performance of reporting dashboards in e-commerce.

8. Interview Questions and Answers

Q1. What is the difference between Delta Tables and Delta Live Tables?

A1. Delta Tables provide a storage layer, while Delta Live Tables manage and automate pipelines.

Q2. How do Streaming Tables differ from Materialized Views?

A2. Streaming Tables process real-time data, while Materialized Views precompute query results.
Q3. Give an example of when you would use Delta Live Tables.

A3. To build and monitor an incremental ETL pipeline for a marketing data lake.

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