How is the hierarchy of relational entities ordered from largest to smallest?

In the context of relational databases and systems like Databricks, the hierarchy of relational entities is typically structured where the Metastore is the largest entity, followed by Catalog, Schema (which is often interchanged with Database), and finally Table as the smallest entity.

The Metastore serves as a repository that maintains metadata about the databases and their objects within the system. It can contain multiple catalogs, which organize and categorize the databases and tables. Each Catalog can have one or more Schemas (or Databases), which are used to group tables logically. A Schema, in turn, contains multiple Tables, which are the actual data storage structures where the information is physically held.

This ordering clarifies the organizational structure of data within a relational database management system, highlighting how each component relates to one another in terms of hierarchy and scope. The understanding of this hierarchy is crucial for navigating and utilizing the Databricks platform effectively, especially when working with data structures and querying databases.