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Azure Databricks provides multiple table types and storage formats to meet different data management needs. This section covers managed, external, and foreign tables, along with the Delta Lake and Apache Iceberg storage formats that power advanced features like Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) transactions and time travel.
Core concepts
Learn the fundamentals of table types, storage formats, and Unity Catalog integration.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Tables concepts | Core concepts and foundational information about table types, storage formats, and Unity Catalog integration. |
Table types
Explore different table types and their capabilities for various data management scenarios.
| Table type | Description |
|---|---|
| Managed tables | Tables where Azure Databricks manages both metadata and data files. Recommended for new tables with optimized performance and storage. |
| External tables | Tables that reference data stored in external storage systems while managing metadata in Unity Catalog. |
| Foreign tables | Read-only tables representing data in external systems connected through Lakehouse Federation. |
Storage formats
Work with open table formats that provide advanced data management capabilities.
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| Delta Lake | Default storage format providing ACID transactions, time travel, and schema enforcement for managed and external tables. |
| Apache Iceberg | Open table format for integration with the Iceberg ecosystem, supporting advanced metadata management. |
Table management
Configure and optimize table behavior, structure, and performance.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Table constraints | Define and enforce data quality rules with check constraints and not null constraints. |
| Schema enforcement | Control how Azure Databricks handles schema changes and data type enforcement during writes. |
| Table partitioning | Organize data by partition keys to improve query performance and data management. |
| Table size monitoring | Monitor and analyze table storage usage and growth patterns. |
| External partition discovery | Automatically discover and register partitions in external tables stored in cloud storage. |