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Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark: Master DataFrame Operations to Retrieve the First N Rows in Apache Spark

Learn how to efficiently retrieve the first N rows of a DataFrame in Apache Spark using the correct method. Explore the differences between take(), head(), and collect() functions.

Table of Contents

Question

Which of the following code blocks returns the first 3 rows of DataFrame storesDF?

A. storesDF.top_n(3)
B. storesDF.n(3)
C. storesDF.take(3)
D. storesDF.head(3)
E. storesDF.collect(3)

Answer

D. storesDF.head(3)

Explanation

In Apache Spark, the head() method is used to retrieve the first N rows of a DataFrame. It returns an array containing the first N rows of the DataFrame.

The take(3) method (option C) also returns the first 3 rows, but it returns them as a list, which is less efficient for larger datasets.

The collect(3) method (option E) is incorrect because collect() returns all the rows of the DataFrame as an array to the driver program. It does not accept any arguments to limit the number of rows returned.

Options A and B, top_n(3) and n(3), are not valid DataFrame methods in Apache Spark.

Therefore, storesDF.head(3) is the correct and most efficient way to retrieve the first 3 rows of the DataFrame storesDF.

Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark exam and earn Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark certification.