CERTIFIED-DATA-ANALYST-ASSOCIATE Question #44: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

A data analyst is attempting to drop a table my_table. The analyst wants to delete all table metadata and data. They run the following command: DROP TABLE IF EXISTS my_table; While the object no longer appears when they run SHOW TABLES, the data files still exist. Which of the following describes why the data files still exist and the metadata files were deleted?

Options

• AThe table's data was larger than 10 GB
• BThe table did not have a location
• CThe table was external
• DThe table's data was smaller than 10 GB
• EThe table was managed

Explanation

External tables separate metadata (the table definition registered in the metastore) from the underlying data files, which live in a user-specified external storage location. When you DROP an external table, the database only removes its metadata registration - it does not touch the data files because it does not "own" them.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A & D (10 GB thresholds): Data file size has no bearing on DROP behavior; there is no such threshold in standard SQL or Databricks/Spark SQL.
• B (no location): This is backwards - external tables explicitly define a location. Managed tables are the ones that don't require a user-specified path.
• E (managed table): Dropping a managed table deletes both metadata and data files, which is the opposite of what the scenario describes.

Memory tip: Think of it as renting vs. owning. A managed table means the database owns the data - evict it (DROP), everything goes. An external table means you're just registering a pointer to data you own elsewhere - removing the registration leaves your files untouched.

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