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AWS serverless workspace creation

You'll create a serverless Databricks workspace on AWS in ~10 min.

Prereqs: AWS account, Databricks account console

The big picture​

A running Databricks workspace where Databricks manages the compute and the storage. There is no VPC to size, no IAM role to wire up, and no cross-account trust to configure. You turn on a preview, fill in a short dialog, and the workspace comes up ready to use. Start here for your first workspace and for most new deployments.

YouTube tutorial​

Prerequisites​

  • A Databricks account with account-admin privileges.
  • An AWS region where serverless workspaces are available. Deploy the workspace close to your data sources.

Steps​

Walkthrough · 5 steps · ~10 min

Follow along in the account console. Every step links to itself, so you can send someone straight to the one they are stuck on.

1

Go to the Databricks account console and log in. Check the account name in the top left and confirm you are in the account you mean to deploy into.

Databricks account console log in screen
2

In the left sidebar, open Previews. Find Serverless Workspaces and turn its toggle to On.

This is what makes the serverless option appear in the create dialog.

Previews page with the Serverless Workspaces public preview toggled on
3

In the left sidebar, open Workspaces. Click Create workspace in the top right.

Workspaces page in the account console with the Create workspace button
4

In the Create Workspace dialog:

  • Enter a Workspace name.
  • Pick the Region to deploy into. You cannot change this later.
  • Under Storage and compute, select Use serverless compute with default storage.
  • Choose a Metastore if one already exists in that region. This is optional.
  • Click Create.
Create Workspace dialog with the serverless compute with default storage option selected
5

The workspace configuration page opens and the status moves to Running. Storage shows as managed, and the network policy is attached automatically. Click Open workspace.

New workspace configuration page showing managed storage, a network policy, and a running status

Reference: Databricks workspace administration (Databricks docs)

Verify​

You land in the workspace itself, not the account console.

The Welcome to Databricks home loads with the left navigation for Workspace, Catalog, Compute, and SQL. Seeing this page means the workspace is deployed and ready.

Welcome to Databricks workspace home for the new serverless workspace

Where people trip​

Serverless Workspaces is not in the Previews list

The preview toggle only shows for account admins. Confirm you have account-admin privileges on the account console. If it is still missing, serverless workspaces may not be available yet in your account or region.

The Metastore dropdown is empty

The metastore is optional at creation time. Leave it blank if no metastore exists in that region, then attach one later. See Set the metastore admin group for managing metastore ownership.

Picked the wrong region

A workspace cannot move regions once created. Delete the workspace and create a new one in the correct region. Deploy in the region that hosts your data sources to avoid cross-region egress fees.

Next​