Databricks SQL Essentials - Array Data Type

📰 Dev.to · Matt Rueedlinger

Learn to work with array data types in Databricks SQL to efficiently store and query complex data sets

intermediate Published 20 Feb 2026

Action Steps

Create an array column in a Databricks table using the ARRAY data type
Insert data into the array column using the ARRAY constructor
Query the array column using the UNNEST function to transform the array into a relational table
Use the ARRAY_AGG function to aggregate values into an array
Apply array functions such as ARRAY_CONTAINS and ARRAY_SIZE to filter and manipulate array data

Who Needs to Know This

Data engineers and analysts working with Databricks can benefit from understanding array data types to improve their data modeling and querying capabilities

Key Insight

💡 Array data types in Databricks SQL enable efficient storage and querying of complex data sets