Here’s a breakdown of key concepts and features related to Databricks governance, along with some best practices to get you started:

What is Databricks Governance?

Databricks governance encompasses the set of policies, processes, roles, and technologies necessary to ensure data is:

• Secure:  Safeguarded from unauthorized access or modification.
• Reliable:  Accurate, consistent, and well-structured.
• Discoverable: It is easy for approved users to find and understand relevant data.
• Compliant: Managed by regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA).

Key Tools & Features:

• Unity Catalog:  Databricks’ primary tool for centralized governance. It allows you to:
  • Manage Fine-Grained Access: Define permissions at the catalog, database, table, and column level.
  • Track Data Lineage: Understand where data comes from and how it’s transformed.
  • Audit Usage: Get detailed logging of all data-related activity for security and compliance purposes.
• Legacy Governance Tools (Table Access Control): While Unity Catalog is recommended, Databricks still supports more traditional table access controls for managing the built-in Hive metastore permissions.

Best Practices

• Centralize Governance:  Use Unity Catalog as the single source of truth for permissions and metadata across your Databricks workspaces.
• Enforce Least Privilege:  Grant only the minimum necessary access to data, reducing risk.
• Classify Data:  Categorize data based on sensitivity (e.g., restricted, confidential, public) and apply appropriate controls.
• Establish Clear Ownership: Designate data owners responsible for accuracy, quality, and access decisions for specific data assets.
• Track Lineage:  Capture transformations and dependencies to aid in troubleshooting and understanding how data is utilized.
• Utilize Audit Logs:  Monitor data access, modification, sharing, and credential management. This is crucial for compliance reporting and security investigations.

Example: Implementing Fine-Grained Access with Unity Catalog

1. Create Catalogs: Organize data based on business units or functional areas.
2. Create Schemas/Databases: Logically structure data assets within catalogs.
3. Define Tables and Columns: Add descriptive metadata and specify data types.
4. Create Security Groups: Align groups with roles within your organization (e.g., Data Scientists, Analysts, Data Engineers).
5. Grant Permissions: Assign groups specific privileges (SELECT, CREATE, MODIFY, etc.) at the catalog, schema, table, or column level.

Key Considerations and Additional Resources

• Integration with Cloud IAM: Combine Unity Catalog controls with cloud-provider Identity and Access Management (IAM) for multi-layer protection.
• Regulatory Requirements: Thoroughly understand regulatory requirements that apply to your industry.
• Version Control and Change Management: Implement versioning for data and code and a formal change management process.

Helpful Links

The Best Learning Online Platform is  Unogeeks Online Training Institute:https://unogeeks.com/data-bricks-training/