Databricks Data Analyst Prerequisites

The short version

Databricks requires nothing: there is no prerequisite certification or course. It does highly recommend that you have taken the related training and have six months of hands-on experience as a data analyst. If you can write SQL joins and aggregates and have used the Databricks workspace, you are in a good position to start.

Required versus recommended

Item	Status
Prerequisite certification	None required
Related training course	Highly recommended
Hands-on analyst experience	Six months highly recommended
Databricks account to practice in	Not required, but strongly advisable

The recommended course is called Data Analysis with Databricks, offered instructor-led and self-paced in Databricks Academy. The exam guide says the self-paced version will be replaced by two modules, AI/BI for Data Analysts and SQL Analytics on Databricks. Check the Databricks exam page for what is currently on offer.

What to know before you start

SQL. This is the foundation. You should be comfortable with `SELECT`, `WHERE`, `GROUP BY`, `ORDER BY`, joins, and basic functions. The rest of the exam builds on it.

Basic data concepts. Rows and columns, keys, `NULL` values, fact and dimension tables, and the idea of a data warehouse.

Cloud storage basics. Files in cloud object storage, and the difference between a file and a table.

Dashboards. A general feel for choosing charts and filtering data.

You do not need to know Spark programming, Python, or machine learning for this exam.

Skills self-check

Tick off what you can do without looking it up. If you cannot do most of the first list, start with SQL before anything Databricks-specific.

SQL skills

Write an `INNER JOIN` and a `LEFT JOIN` and explain the difference in rows returned.
Use `GROUP BY` with `COUNT`, `SUM`, and `AVG`.
Explain `UNION` versus `UNION ALL`.
Handle `NULL` values with `IS NULL` and `COALESCE`.
Sort and filter a result set.

Databricks skills

Run a query in the SQL editor against a SQL warehouse.
Find a table in the Catalog Explorer and read its details.
Explain a managed table versus an external table.
Build a simple dashboard with a chart.
Explain what a Genie space is in your own words.

Governance skills

Describe the catalog, schema, and table levels of the namespace.
Name the privileges a user needs to read a table.

If most boxes are ticked, you are ready to follow the study plan. If only a few are, give yourself extra time for SQL first.

How to get hands-on without a job

You do not need an employer to get practice. Open a Databricks workspace that you can use for free, load a public dataset, and build a small project: clean the data, write ten queries you would ask as an analyst, build a two-page dashboard, and set up an alert. That covers a large share of the outline.

Suggested preceding credentials

Databricks does not name a certification that must come first, so we do not suggest one as a requirement. If you want a gentler start, any general SQL course helps. After this exam, people often move toward data engineering or other associate-level Databricks credentials, but that is a career choice, not a Databricks rule.

More guides for DATABRICKS-DATA-ANALYST-ASSOCIATE

Next step

When your self-check looks good, read the exam format page and the study plan. To test your starting point, our Databricks Data Analyst Associate practice tests are a quick way to see where you stand.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Databricks course first?

No. Databricks recommends related training but does not require it.

Do I need to know Python?

Not for this exam. The outline is built around SQL, dashboards, and Genie, with notebooks appearing in a few objectives.

Do I need an employer account?

No. You can practice in a free workspace of your own, though features available on it can change, so check what it includes.

Try these practice exams