# Databricks

> **This guide is for Databricks.** See also: [Snowflake](/development/engineering/docs/rox-enterprise-integrations/data-warehouse-integration/snowflake.md) | [BigQuery](/development/engineering/docs/rox-enterprise-integrations/data-warehouse-integration/bigquery.md)

### Introduction

The **ROX Databricks Integration** enables customers to share live data directly from Databricks to ROX using **Delta Sharing**. Delta Sharing is an open protocol for secure data sharing that works across clouds and platforms—you retain full control while ROX gains real-time access to your datasets.

***

### Key Benefits

| Benefit                    | Description                                                         |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Full Control**           | Data stays in your workspace. You can revoke access at any time.    |
| **Zero-Copy Architecture** | No data duplication—ROX queries your live Delta tables directly.    |
| **Real-Time Access**       | ROX always sees the latest data without ETL or batch jobs.          |
| **Open Protocol**          | Delta Sharing is an open standard, avoiding vendor lock-in.         |
| **Secure by Default**      | All access governed by Unity Catalog and Delta Sharing permissions. |

***

### ROX Account Information

> **Contact your ROX account team** to obtain the ROX Metastore ID and Share name required for setting up Delta Sharing.

Your ROX account team will provide:

* **Share name** — The name to use when creating the share
* **ROX Metastore ID** — Required when creating the recipient

***

### Setup Instructions

#### Step 1: Enable External Delta Sharing

1. In your Databricks workspace, navigate to **Catalog → Delta Sharing → Share Data**
2. If you see a warning that external sharing is not enabled, click **Enable External Delta Sharing**

<figure><img src="/files/juVgapDr0w4kbxgj9vV7" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

3. Additionally, go to **Account → Previews** and enable **Delta Sharing for Default Storage – Expanded Access**

***

#### Step 2: Create the Share and Add ROX as Recipient

You can set up Delta Sharing via the **UI** or **SQL**.

| Method  | Best For                                                    |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **UI**  | First-time setup, visual learners, quick single-share setup |
| **SQL** | Automation, scripting, bulk operations, version control     |

***

**Option 1: Using the UI**

**Create a Share:**

1. Navigate to **Catalog → Delta Sharing → Share Data**
2. Click **Create Share**
3. Enter the share name provided by your ROX account team
4. Click **Create**

**Add Data to the Share:**

1. Click into your newly created share
2. Click **Manage assets → Edit assets**
3. Select the schemas and/or tables you want to share with ROX
4. Click **Save**

**Add ROX as a Recipient:**

1. Navigate to **Catalog → Delta Sharing → Shared by me → Recipients**
2. Click **New recipient**
3. Enter `rox` as the recipient name
4. Select **Databricks-to-Databricks sharing**
5. Enter the ROX Metastore ID provided by your ROX account team
6. Click **Create**

**Grant Access to ROX:**

1. Go back to your share (**Catalog → Delta Sharing → Shared by me → Shares**)
2. Click into your share
3. Click **Manage recipients → Add recipients**
4. Select the `rox` recipient
5. Click **Add**

***

**Option 2: Using SQL**

Open a **SQL Editor** in the Databricks workspace where your data lives and run the following commands:

```sql
-- 1. Create the share (share name will be provided by ROX)
CREATE SHARE IF NOT EXISTS <share_name_from_rox>;

-- 2. Add your schema(s) to the share
ALTER SHARE <share_name_from_rox> ADD SCHEMA <your_schema_name>;

-- 3. Create ROX as a recipient (Metastore ID will be provided by ROX)
CREATE RECIPIENT IF NOT EXISTS rox USING ID '<rox_metastore_id>';

-- 4. Grant ROX access to the share
GRANT SELECT ON SHARE <share_name_from_rox> TO RECIPIENT rox;
```

> **Tip:** You can add multiple schemas by running additional `ALTER SHARE ... ADD SCHEMA` commands.

**Complete SQL Example:**

```sql
-- Replace placeholders with actual values from your ROX account team

-- 1. Create the share
CREATE SHARE IF NOT EXISTS ROX_CUSTOMER_SHARE;

-- 2. Add your schema(s)
ALTER SHARE ROX_CUSTOMER_SHARE ADD SCHEMA salesforce_data;
ALTER SHARE ROX_CUSTOMER_SHARE ADD SCHEMA crm_analytics;

-- 3. Create ROX as recipient
CREATE RECIPIENT IF NOT EXISTS rox USING ID 'abc123-your-rox-metastore-id';

-- 4. Grant access
GRANT SELECT ON SHARE ROX_CUSTOMER_SHARE TO RECIPIENT rox;
```

***

#### Step 3: Notify ROX

Once the share is configured, send the following to your ROX account team:

* Your Databricks workspace URL
* Share name
* Schema(s) and tables included in the share
* Brief description of shared data and its structure

***

### Choosing What to Share

| Object Type | When to Use                                                                 |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Tables**  | Direct access to raw data. Use when ROX needs full table access.            |
| **Views**   | Pre-filtered or aggregated data. Use to limit columns or apply row filters. |
| **Schemas** | Share an entire schema when ROX needs access to multiple related tables.    |

> **Best Practice:** Share at the schema level when possible for simpler management. Use views to restrict access to sensitive columns or rows.

***

### Information to Provide to ROX

After setting up the share, send the following to your ROX account team:

* Your Databricks workspace URL
* Share name
* Schema(s) and tables included in the share
* Brief description of shared data and its structure

***

### Prerequisites

| Requirement          | Details                                                                                             |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Unity Catalog**    | Unity Catalog must be enabled on your workspace                                                     |
| **Permissions**      | `CREATE SHARE`, `CREATE RECIPIENT` privileges (typically requires metastore admin or catalog owner) |
| **External Sharing** | External Delta Sharing must be enabled (see Step 1)                                                 |
| **Expanded Access**  | Delta Sharing for Default Storage – Expanded Access must be enabled in Account Previews             |

***

### Technical Considerations

#### Security and Compliance

* All data sharing respects your existing Unity Catalog permissions
* ROX can only access schemas/tables explicitly added to the share
* Audit logs available in Unity Catalog for all access events

#### Performance

* Delta Sharing provides direct access to your Delta tables
* ROX queries run on ROX's compute resources, not yours
* No impact on your workspace's cluster performance

#### Data Freshness

* **Real-time** — ROX always queries your live Delta tables directly
* No replication delay or sync schedules

***

### Troubleshooting

| Issue                          | Solution                                                                    |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Cannot create share            | Verify Unity Catalog is enabled and you have `CREATE SHARE` privileges      |
| External sharing not available | Enable External Delta Sharing in Catalog → Delta Sharing settings           |
| Recipient creation fails       | Confirm you have the correct ROX Metastore ID from your ROX account team    |
| ROX cannot access shared data  | Verify the recipient was added to the share and granted access              |
| Tables not appearing in share  | Ensure the schema was added to the share via Manage assets or `ALTER SHARE` |


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