Databricks GENAI-ASSOC resources for RAG, agents, official links, and source review.
Below are the official or primary references for GENAI-ASSOC. Use them as the source of truth for current exam 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 |
| recommended experience | 6+ months |
| validity | 2 years |
| code expectation | Python for ML code, some SQL for non-ML workflows |
| blueprint model | 6 weighted domains |
| current live guide version | March 18, 2026 |
| If your misses cluster in… | Start here | Why |
|---|---|---|
| current exam facts and blueprint scope | certification page and exam guide | establishes the current six-domain map and current exam details |
| RAG architecture, model tasks, and high-level application design | exam guide plus AI and ML docs | keeps solution framing tied to the Databricks product surface |
| retrieval, chunking, Vector Search, or reranking | Vector Search docs and exam guide | separates retrieval design from prompt-only fixes |
| lifecycle, experiments, and agent development | MLflow docs and agent deployment docs | grounds the newer Agent Framework and lifecycle tasks |
| deployment, serving, and Foundation Model API choices | model serving and Foundation Model API docs | helps you classify serving path and packaging choices correctly |
| governance, permissions, or secure data handling | Unity Catalog docs | keeps governance distinct from development or retrieval |
| monitoring, evaluation, and live endpoint observation | Agent Evaluation docs plus exam guide | ties metrics, judges, tracing, inference logging, and SME feedback together |
| MCP and newer tool-integration patterns | MCP docs | covers a newer part of the current blueprint that older prep may miss |
The current March 2026 Databricks exam guide explicitly includes:
If your prep material does not mention those, treat it as incomplete rather than authoritative.
| If there is a conflict between… | Trust this first |
|---|---|
| older June 2024-era notes and the March 2026 exam guide | the March 2026 exam guide |
| generic GenAI advice and Databricks workflow docs | Databricks docs |
| framework trivia and the actual Databricks exam tasks | the exam guide |
| older deployment advice and the current serving, AI Gateway, or MCP docs | the current Databricks docs |
| If you need… | Start local | Then verify with… |
|---|---|---|
| fast system-boundary tie-breaks | Cheat Sheet | the specific Databricks doc lane that matches the miss |
| current exam facts and what the exam now punishes | FAQ | certification page and exam guide |
| pacing and weak-lane repair order | Study Plan | exam guide |
| vocabulary cleanup before a timed set | Glossary | Vector Search, MLflow, UC, or MCP docs as needed |