CERTIFIED-DATA-ANALYST-ASSOCIATE Question #14: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

Which of the following is a benefit of Databricks SQL using ANSI SQL as its standard SQL dialect?

Options

• AIt has increased customization capabilities
• BIt is easy to migrate existing SQL queries to Databricks SQL
• CIt allows for the use of Photon's computation optimizations
• DIt is more performant than other SQL dialects
• EIt is more compatible with Spark's interpreters

Explanation

Using ANSI SQL as its standard dialect means Databricks SQL speaks the same language as most relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake, etc.), so engineers can port existing queries with minimal or no modification - that's the direct, practical benefit option B describes.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (customization): ANSI compliance actually constrains customization to maintain compatibility; proprietary dialects typically offer more customization.
• C (Photon optimizations): Photon is a separate C++-based execution engine; it operates independently of which SQL dialect is used.
• D (more performant): SQL dialects define syntax and semantics, not execution speed - performance comes from the engine (Photon, Spark), not the dialect standard.
• E (Spark compatibility): Spark historically used its own SQL dialect (Spark SQL), which predates and differs from strict ANSI compliance; ANSI was chosen for user portability, not Spark-internal compatibility.

Memory tip: Think of ANSI SQL as a universal adapter plug - if your queries already run on a standard SQL database, they plug right into Databricks SQL without rewiring. The keyword in the question is migrate, which maps directly to portability, which maps to ANSI standardization.

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