---
type: concept
x-llmwiki:
  schemaVersion: "0.1"
  contentHash: 93f4e7e41fd9b7b5518d970dc071b729d75e7571fa55626d190c35e3fdcb5fce
  pageDirectory: concepts
  sources:
    - generate-databricks-on-aws.md
  confidence: 0.8
  provenanceState: extracted
  freshnessStatus: unverified
  aliases:
    - presto-and-athena-delta-lake-integration
    - Athena Delta Lake integration and Presto
    - PAADLI
  citations:
    - file: generate-databricks-on-aws.md
title: Presto and Athena Delta Lake integration
description: Method for reading Delta Lake tables from Presto and Amazon Athena using generated manifest files as a bridge.
tags:
  - delta-lake
  - presto
  - athena
  - aws
  - integration
timestamp: "2026-06-19T10:42:48.991Z"
---

## Presto and Athena Delta Lake Integration

**Presto and Athena Delta Lake integration** allows Presto and Amazon Athena to read Delta Lake tables by using manifest files generated by the Delta Lake `GENERATE` command. This enables query engines that do not natively support the Delta transaction log to access Delta table data through a symlink-based manifest. ^[generate-databricks-on-aws.md]

### Generating Manifest Files

To create the necessary manifest files, run the `GENERATE` statement with the mode `symlink_format_manifest` against an existing Delta table: ^[generate-databricks-on-aws.md]

```sql
GENERATE symlink_format_manifest FOR TABLE table_name
```

The `table_name` must reference an existing Delta table and **must not** include a [temporal specification or options specification](/concepts/temporal-specification-restriction-on-describe-history.md). The statement produces manifest files that list the underlying data files (Parquet) along with their logical paths, enabling Presto and Athena to read the table without directly interpreting the Delta transaction log. ^[generate-databricks-on-aws.md]

### Supported Platforms

The `GENERATE` statement is supported in Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime. It is classified as a Delta Lake statement in the SQL language reference. ^[generate-databricks-on-aws.md]

### Using Manifest Files with Presto and Athena

Once the manifest files are generated, they can be placed in a location accessible to Presto or Athena (e.g., the same cloud storage path as the Delta table). The query engine then reads the manifest to discover the data files and executes queries against them. This approach allows Presto and Athena to work with Delta tables without needing direct Delta Lake support. ^[generate-databricks-on-aws.md]

### Additional Details

For a deeper explanation of the manifest generation process, see the Delta Lake documentation on [Generate a manifest file](https://docs.delta.io/latest/delta-utility.html#generate-a-manifest-file). ^[generate-databricks-on-aws.md]

### Related Concepts

- [Delta Lake](/concepts/delta-lake.md) – The open-source storage layer that provides ACID transactions and schema enforcement.
- GENERATE – The SQL command used to produce manifest files.
- Manifest Files – The output of the `GENERATE` command that lists data files.
- Presto – A distributed SQL query engine that can read manifest-based Delta tables.
- Amazon Athena – A serverless query service that can read manifest-based Delta tables.
- [Symlink format manifest](/concepts/symlink-format-manifest.md) – The specific manifest format used for Presto/Athena integration.

### Sources

- generate-databricks-on-aws.md

# Citations

1. [generate-databricks-on-aws.md](/references/generate-databricks-on-aws-7753d696.md)
