By Kevin Hsu, Senior Consultant, Altis Consulting NZ
Let’s get certified with Databricks!
With so many tools in the market, I thought it was time to learn a new tool and I decided on Databricks, for its data lakehouse architecture. Another deciding factor was that Databricks SQL syntax is very similar to MS SQL (my background) so it would be easier for me to pick up.
Let me take you on my journey of completing the Data Engineer Associate certification. This may not be the particular Databricks certification you’re after, but the journey will be very similar.
Training Resources
Databricks Academy is the official training resource for Databricks. The courses are constantly evolving as new features arrive and there are labs available to assess your skills. Courses are composed of editable notebooks and easy-to-follow instructional videos. You can also opt for instructor-led training where you’ll have to opportunity to ask questions.
Unfortunate Setbacks
Whilst Databricks provide wholesome training material, practising with it is an entirely different matter. You will need to have both a cloud and Databricks account. As these all have costs associated, keep everything small to limit cost exposure and remember to turn off compute resources when not in use.
Databricks does offer a 14-day full trial, but it may feel rushed when you’re learning. There’s also a free community edition, though its functionalities are severely limited when it comes to practising.
Where To Seek Help
To clarify any concepts that I didn’t understand at first, I spent a lot of time on Google and reading through Databricks documentation. This documentation is comprehensive, and you’ll find Microsoft and AWS references in the material directly.
My advice is to keep questioning “why”. Make sure you understand the concepts and not just memorise them.
The Exam
As past exam questions get retired, Databricks makes them available as practice exams (for FREE!!). The format was the same as the actual exam I took. However, do note that as training resources evolve, the exam also evolves, so the practice exam is not a guide on what you might be assessed on. Requirements for the exams you’re after can be found here.
Best Wishes & Good Luck!
If you’ve been a SQL practitioner, dabbled in python, and built pipelines, you’ll be able to ace your Data Engineer Associate Certification. If you’ve been curating SQL reports and producing data visualisations, you’ll be able to achieve a Data Analyst Associate Certification. What I’m trying to say is, use your past experience to help you learn Databricks.
If you’re completely new to data, this will be a challenging and steep learning curve, but don’t be disheartened. Start somewhere, keep practising with a business use case, and once comfortable, try the certification.
If you need some help with your Databricks project, get in touch with us today!
