Master the concepts and exercises needed to get certified as Databricks Associate Developer for Apache Spark 3.0 and get the validation as a Spark expert with an industry-recognized credentialKey FeaturesUnderstand the fundamentals of Apache Spark to help you design robust and fast Spark applicationsDive into various data manipulation components for each phase of your Data Engineering projectsPrepare for the certification exam with sample questions and mock exams and get faster to your goalBook DescriptionWith so much data being collected every second, computing power cannot keep up with this pace of rapid growth. To make use of all the data, Spark has become a de-facto standard for big data processing. Migrating data processing to Spark is not only a question of saving resources that will allow you to focus on your business, but it's also a means of modernizing your workloads to leverage the capabilities of Spark and the modern technology stack to create new business opportunities.This book is a comprehensive guide that lets you explore the core components of Apache Spark, its architecture, and its optimization. Then you will understand Spark dataframe API and its components needed for data manipulation. Find out what Spark streaming is and why it's important for modern data stacks before learning about machine learning in Spark and its different use cases. But there's more, you will find sample questions at the end of each section along with two mock exams to help you prepare for the actual certification exam.By the end of this book, you will be able to understand what to expect in the exam and how to pass the certification exam with enough understanding of Spark and its tools. You will be able to apply this knowledge in a real-world setting and your skillset to the next level.What you will learnCreate and manipulate SQL queries in SparkBuild complex Spark functions using Spark UDFsArchitect big data apps with Spark fundamentals for optimal designApply techniques to manipulate and optimize big data applicationsBuild real-time or near-real-time applications using spark streamingWork with Apache Spark for machine learning applicationsWho this book is for If you are professional looking to get into big data and data engineering or a data professional looking to endorse your knowledge of Spark or a student, this book is for you. The book provides prescriptive guidance and associated methodologies to make your mark in big data space with working knowledge of Spark and helping you pass your Spark certification exam. This book expects the readers to have working knowledge of Python but it does not expect any prior Spark knowledge, although having a working knowledge of Pyspark would be very beneficial.Table of ContentsPIOverview of Certification Guide and ExamUnderstanding Apache Spark and Its ApplicationsSpark Architecture and u0026 TransformationsSpark Datarames and its OperationsAdvanced Operations in SparkSQL Queries in SparkSpark Optimization (Adaptive Query Execution)Structured Streaming in SparkMachine Learning with SparkMLMock Test