Configurable recovery period for dropped tables
Set how long a dropped managed table can be undropped, from nothing at all to thirty days.
Why it is worth watching
It changes what UNDROP TABLE can actually do, which is the sort of detail an exam asks about.
What Public Preview promises
Open to everyone and supported for production use, though it can still change. On by default, and an admin can turn it off.
| Who can use it | Everyone |
|---|---|
| Production use | Yes |
| Support | The support team |
| On by default | Yes, with an opt-out |
The definitions are Databricks' own, on its release types page. The label on this page is the one the feature's documentation states, last checked on 13 Sept 2026.
Where to read more
It is part of something we wrote up: Managed and external tables — In a managed table Unity Catalog governs both metadata and files and deletes them on DROP; in an external table it governs only the metadata, and the files stay in the path you specified with LOCATION.
The Databricks documentation for Configurable recovery period for dropped tables