When querying a Delta table and suspecting it has not undergone maintenance, which Spark SQL statement would you run to gather detailed information?

To gather detailed information about a Delta table, the correct Spark SQL statement is "DESCRIBE DETAIL." This command provides comprehensive metadata about the table, including important aspects such as the current version of the table, the schema, the associated files, and their sizes. This information can help identify if there are issues related to maintenance or data management.

When querying a Delta table, it is essential to understand its operational state and structure, which "DESCRIBE DETAIL" efficiently delivers. It allows users to evaluate the integrity and performance of the table.

In contrast, other options do not provide the same level of insight. For example, "DESCRIBE HISTORY" gives a historical overview of changes and versions but may not provide complete current operational details. "DESCRIBE FORMAT" offers information about the table format but lacks specific details about the data itself. "SHOW TABLES" simply lists tables in the database without offering any metadata about specific tables. Therefore, "DESCRIBE DETAIL" is the most informative option when assessing the state of a Delta table.