What is a main benefit of incorporating unit tests into a PySpark application?

Incorporating unit tests into a PySpark application provides significant advantages for maintaining and enhancing the development process. One of the main benefits is that troubleshooting becomes more straightforward because unit tests allow developers to isolate and test individual components of their application. This means that each function, transformation, or module can be validated independently, enabling developers to quickly identify where an error or bug may reside.

By having a well-structured set of unit tests, when a failure occurs, it's clearer what piece of the application is causing the issue because only the specific isolated unit is being tested. This isolation helps streamline debugging efforts, as developers can focus on the failing unit directly rather than sifting through the entire application to find the problem. Consequently, this leads to faster resolution times and less frustration, ultimately enhancing the development experience and improving overall code quality.