In a significant move towards simplifying identity and access management for Databricks on Azure, Databricks now has an enhanced integration with Microsoft Entra, Microsoft’s unified identity platform (previously Active Directory). This development allows organizations to seamlessly import roles, users, and groups directly from Entra, enabling smoother collaboration with the Databricks ecosystem and eliminating the need for separate RBAC management within Databricks.
What This Means
New team members can be added to Entra and automatically gain access to appropriate Databricks resources based on predefined roles, speeding up onboarding processes; roles and role assignments can be harmonised between Databricks development teams; and with Entra’s identity protection and conditional access capabilities, Databricks users benefit from additional layers of security
For organisational data governance, using a single security mechanism for Databricks access simplifies audits and helps achieve compliance with centralised reporting and consistent role-based access policies. Using Purview and Azure governance tooling, organisations can monitor and audit standardised security frameworks across more of the Azure ecosystem.
How It Works
Setting up the integration involves minimal effort, with detailed documentation provided by both Microsoft and Databricks for smooth implementation, but note some prerequisites:
- Databricks (on Azure) must be on the Premium Plan
- You must have the Cloud Application Administrator role in Entra
- Your Entra account must be on the Premium edition if working with Groups
- You must be an Azure Databricks account administrator
For detailed instructions, see these links below:
https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/admin/users-groups/scim/aad
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/admin/users-groups/scim/aad
What’s Next?
As the adoption of unified identity solutions grows, the Databricks-Entra integration paves the way for more innovation in role and access management. Businesses can look forward to even tighter security integrations, enhanced analytics capabilities, and expanded support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
If you’d like help configuring Databricks, or indeed for any other expert data-related advice, contact Global Technologists today for your free initial consultation.