topic Re: Data Bricks Engineer - DEA Exam vs Training in Data Engineering

Data Bricks Engineer - DEA Exam vs Training

rc10000 — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:24:00 GMT

Hi, I love the Databricks resources but I'm a little confused on what training to take.

My focus is studying and practicing for the Databricks Engineer Associate exam, but when I hear of the 'training', I'm not sure which training people are referring to. Feel like I need a variety of resources to prep.

I see the free data engineering path on the catalog. Is that the one I should study? Link below.

Data Engineer Learning Plan - Databricks Learning

Re: Data Bricks Engineer - DEA Exam vs Training

Louis_Frolio — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:14:13 GMT

Hey @rc10000 — you’ll want the Data Engineering with Databricks learning path. It’s a structured sequence of four 4-hour courses designed to take you end-to-end through modern data engineering on the platform:

Data Ingestion with Lakeflow Connect
Deploy Workloads with Lakeflow Jobs
Build Data Pipelines with Lakeflow Spark Declarative Pipelines
DevOps Essentials for Data Engineering

You can find full details at the link below.

Data Engineering with Databricks

It’s strongly recommended that you come in with at least six months of hands-on data engineering experience on Databricks. With that foundation, this learning path is more than sufficient to get you over the finish line and well-prepared for the Data Engineering Associate certification.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Louis

Re: Data Bricks Engineer - DEA Exam vs Training

Advika — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:22:52 GMT

Hello @rc10000!
+1 to what @Louis_Frolio mentioned above.
The Learning Plan is designed for users preparing for the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate and Professional exams.

Also below are a few paths, depending on what you’re looking for:

Data Engineer Learning Plan: The one you mentioned includes all Data Engineering modules (both Associate and Advanced courses). These are free, self-paced modules, but they do not include labs for hands-on practice.
ILT (Instructor-Led Training) Version: The Data Engineering with Databricks ILT covers everything needed for the DE Associate level Exam. It includes 7 days of lab access, and a trainer will guide you through the course.
Databricks Academy Lab Subscription: Gives you access to many self-paced courses along with their labs for a year, including Data Engineering modules. You can explore this under the "Subscription Plans" section in the Academy.