Databricks DA-ASSOC resources for official links, blueprint checks, study tools, and source review.
Below are the official or primary references for DA-ASSOC. Use them as the source of truth for current scope and Databricks behavior, then pair them with the local study plan, cheat sheet, faq, and glossary.
| Item | Current official signal |
|---|---|
| scored questions | 45 |
| time limit | 90 minutes |
| registration fee | $200 |
| question type | multiple choice |
| language | English |
| delivery | online or test center |
| recommended experience | 6+ months |
| validity | 2 years |
| blueprint model | 9 weighted domains |
| SQL standard note | ANSI SQL |
| If your misses cluster in… | Start here | Why |
|---|---|---|
| current exam facts and scope | certification page and exam guide | establishes the nine tested areas and current exam facts |
| query writing, warehouses, and execution flow | Databricks SQL docs | clarifies what runs where and how analysts actually work in Databricks SQL |
| dashboard datasets, filters, and visual behavior | dashboards docs and dashboard datasets docs | separates dataset design from chart or parameter behavior |
| alert thresholds and evaluation behavior | alerts docs | prevents confusing refresh, evaluation, and notification logic |
| governance, permissions, and trusted consumption | Unity Catalog docs | keeps storage, sharing, and permission boundaries straight |
| query analysis and slow-query clues | query history and monitoring docs | helps you inspect what actually ran before guessing |
| table-version audit and historical comparisons | Delta Lake history docs | grounds time-travel and history questions in actual Delta behavior |
| import versus federation versus sharing | Auto Loader, Lakehouse Federation, and Delta Sharing docs | separates copied data, queried-in-place data, and governed external sharing |
| natural-language analytics and trusted AI/BI use | AI/BI Genie docs | clarifies what Genie is, what it is not, and how it depends on curated data |
| If there is a conflict between… | Trust this first |
|---|---|
| older blog posts and the current exam guide | the current exam guide |
| generic SQL tutorials and Databricks workflow docs | Databricks docs |
| dashboard cosmetics advice and result-correctness logic | result correctness, row grain, and trusted-source docs |
| AI/BI marketing language and Genie behavior docs | the Genie docs and current exam guide |
| community import advice and Databricks docs on sharing or federation | the Databricks docs for the specific data-access method |
| If you need… | Start local | Then verify with… |
|---|---|---|
| faster review of joins, windows, and result grain | Cheat Sheet | Databricks SQL docs |
| current exam facts and what the exam actually punishes | FAQ | exam guide PDF |
| pacing and weak-lane repair order | Study Plan | exam guide PDF |
| vocabulary cleanup before a timed set | Glossary | Unity Catalog, dashboards, Genie, or Delta docs as needed |
| object-type or table-history confusion | Cheat Sheet | Delta and Unity Catalog docs |