Databricks Certification Guides

This section covers the published Databricks certification study guides for analytics, data engineering, machine learning, and GenAI. The current roots are DA-ASSOC, DE-ASSOC, DE-PRO, GENAI-ASSOC, ML-ASSOC, and ML-PRO. The content is exam-focused, but it stays grounded in platform reasoning such as Delta Lake behavior, Spark execution, pipeline reliability, model lifecycle, and governance trade-offs.

Start with the exam root that matches your target role. Use the cheat sheet for last-mile review, the FAQ for study guidance, and the resources page when you need official certification references and primary platform documentation.

In this section

• Databricks Data Analyst Associate (DA-ASSOC)
  Free exam-focused coverage of Databricks SQL, joins, windows, dashboards, alerts, and analytics troubleshooting for DA-ASSOC.
  • DA-ASSOC Cheatsheet — Databricks SQL: Joins, Windows, Dashboards & Quick Rules
    Last-mile DA-ASSOC review: high-yield SQL patterns (joins, windows, CTEs), common pitfalls, and Databricks SQL dashboard/alert best practices.
  • DA-ASSOC FAQ — Databricks Data Analyst Associate Questions Answered
    Common DA-ASSOC questions answered: prerequisites, what to focus on (SQL + dashboards), how long to study, and how to practice effectively.
• Databricks Data Engineer Associate (DE-ASSOC)
  Free exam-focused coverage of Spark SQL, DataFrames, Delta Lake, and ETL fundamentals for DE-ASSOC.
  • DE-ASSOC Cheatsheet — Spark + Delta Lake ETL (Tables, SQL, and Quick Rules)
    Last-mile DE-ASSOC review: Spark SQL/DataFrames essentials, Delta Lake features (schema, time travel, merge), ETL patterns, and exam-style pickers. Includes code snippets, tables, and diagrams.
  • DE-ASSOC FAQ — Databricks Data Engineer Associate Questions Answered
    Common DE-ASSOC questions answered: prerequisites, what to focus on (Spark + Delta Lake), how long to study, and how to practice effectively.
• Databricks Data Engineer Professional (DE-PRO)
  Free exam-focused coverage of streaming, DLT, pipeline reliability, performance tuning, and operational troubleshooting for DE-PRO.
  • DE-PRO Cheatsheet — DLT, Streaming, Performance & Reliability on Databricks
    Last-mile DE-PRO review: incremental pipelines, Structured Streaming (watermarks/checkpoints), Delta Live Tables concepts, performance tuning pickers (shuffle/skew/file layout), and production troubleshooting heuristics.
  • DE-PRO FAQ — Databricks Data Engineer Professional Questions Answered
    Common DE-PRO questions answered: prerequisites, what to focus on (streaming, DLT, performance), how long to study, and how to practice effectively.
• Databricks GenAI Engineer Associate (GENAI-ASSOC)
  Free exam-focused coverage of RAG, vector search, evaluation loops, deployment trade-offs, and governance for GENAI-ASSOC.
  • GENAI-ASSOC Cheatsheet — RAG, Vector Search, Evaluation & Deployment on Databricks
    Last-mile GENAI-ASSOC review: embeddings and chunking, vector search relevance, RAG prompt patterns, evaluation loops, and production trade-offs (cost, latency, governance).
  • GENAI-ASSOC FAQ — Databricks GenAI Engineer Associate Questions Answered
    Common GENAI-ASSOC questions answered: prerequisites, what to focus on (RAG, vector search, evaluation), and how to practice effectively.
• Databricks Machine Learning Associate (ML-ASSOC)
  Free exam-focused coverage of feature engineering, training, evaluation, MLflow, and model lifecycle basics for ML-ASSOC.
  • ML-ASSOC Cheatsheet — MLflow, Features, Training & Evaluation on Databricks
    Last-mile ML-ASSOC review: feature engineering patterns, train/test discipline, MLflow tracking and registry concepts, and evaluation pickers. Includes code snippets, tables, and diagrams.
  • ML-ASSOC FAQ — Databricks Machine Learning Associate Questions Answered
    Common ML-ASSOC questions answered: prerequisites, what to focus on (MLflow, features, evaluation), how long to study, and how to practice effectively.
• Databricks Machine Learning Professional (ML-PRO)
  Free exam-focused coverage of production ML pipelines, registry workflows, deployment strategies, monitoring, and governance for ML-PRO.
  • ML-PRO Cheatsheet — Production ML on Databricks (Features, Registry, Deployment, Monitoring)
    Last-mile ML-PRO review: feature pipeline patterns, MLflow registry and promotion workflows, batch vs online deployment pickers, monitoring/drift decision rules, and governance essentials.
  • ML-PRO FAQ — Databricks Machine Learning Professional Questions Answered
    Common ML-PRO questions answered: prerequisites, what to focus on (MLOps, governance, deployment), how long to study, and how to practice effectively.