Earn Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate
10 weeks · 0 milestones
Pass the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate exam. Covers five areas: Databricks Lakehouse Platform, ELT with Spark SQL and Python, Incremental Data Processing with Delta Lake, Production Pipelines, and Data Governance. The foundational certification for data engineers working on the Lakehouse architecture.
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Milestone map
3 milestones
The Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate exam covers five domains: Databricks Lakehouse Platform (24%), ELT with Spark SQL and Python (29%), Incremental Data Processing with Delta Lake (22%), Production Pipelines (16%), and Data Governance (9%). ELT with Spark SQL and Python is the largest domain and the one where most candidates have the largest skill gaps — even candidates with general data engineering experience often lack Delta Lake and Databricks-specific knowledge. Before committing to a study plan, work through the Databricks Community Edition to establish hands-on baseline awareness, and attempt the free sample questions in the Databricks exam guide to identify specific knowledge gaps.
Proof required
Submit your baseline results from attempting the Databricks exam guide sample questions (with answers and a domain mapping of which questions you got wrong), your gap analysis (which domains you identified as below-target and which specific features or concepts within them need attention), and your study plan showing: total planned study hours, weekly allocation, domain sequence with hours by domain, Databricks Community Edition exercises planned, and target exam date.
What gets checked
- Baseline used questions from the Databricks exam guide or the Databricks Academy exam prep resources — not a generic SQL or Spark quiz; the domain mapping of wrong answers identifies real Databricks-specific gaps
- Study plan includes at least five Databricks Community Edition hands-on sessions covering Delta Lake, Spark SQL, and Auto Loader — the exam tests Databricks-specific implementations, not generic Spark knowledge
- Target exam date is realistic — the Databricks Data Engineer Associate typically requires 40–80 hours of preparation including hands-on time; candidates without prior Databricks experience should allow more