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GCP serverless workspace creation

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

Prereqs: GCP 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 service account to wire up, and no cross-project trust to configure. You turn on a preview, fill in a short dialog, grant Google account permissions, and the workspace comes up ready to use. Start here for your first GCP workspace and for most new deployments.

Prerequisites​

  • A Databricks account with account-admin privileges (GCP Marketplace subscription).
  • A GCP region where serverless workspaces are available. Deploy the workspace close to your data sources.

Steps​

Walkthrough · 6 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 portal log in screen with email field and Continue button
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 in the GCP account console with the Serverless Workspaces public preview toggle set to On
3

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

Workspaces page in the GCP account console listing existing workspaces and the Create workspace button in the top right
4

In the Create Workspace dialog:

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

The workspace configuration page opens with the status Running. The metastore, region, and network policy are shown. Click Open workspace.

Workspace configuration page showing region, metastore, network policy, and a Running workspace status with the Open workspace button
6

A Google Sign in with Google screen appears. Select the same Google account you used to log in to the Databricks account console. Click Allow to grant Databricks the necessary GCP permissions.

This step is specific to GCP. Clicking Allow lets Databricks manage your Google Cloud resources on your behalf.

Google Sign in with Google screen showing Databricks wants to access your Google Account, with Cancel and Allow buttons

Reference: Databricks workspace administration on GCP (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 GCP serverless workspace, showing the full left navigation

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. Check the supported GCP regions list.

Wrong Google account on the Allow step

The Google account you click Allow with must match the account linked to your Databricks account. If you see a different account in the sign-in prompt, click Use a different account and sign in with the correct one. Allowing with the wrong account causes permission errors when the workspace tries to access GCP resources.

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. See supported GCP regions for the full list.

Next​