What happens when you drop a managed table based on delta format data?

• A. The table metadata and data files are deleted.
• B. The table metadata is removed but data files remain.
• C. The data files are deleted but metadata remains.
• D. Neither table metadata nor data files are deleted.

Answer: (A)

When a Delta table is managed, the system controls both the metadata stored in the metastore and the actual data in storage. Dropping it removes that metastore entry and deletes the underlying data files. In Delta Lake, the table’s data consists of Parquet files plus a Delta transaction log directory (_delta_log); dropping the table deletes both, so the data is gone. If it were an external table, only the metadata would be removed and the data would remain in storage.