In Databricks, a database is a logical grouping of tables and views. It helps organize your data and control access to it. You can think of it like a folder on your computer, where each table is a file within that folder.

Key Points about Databases in Databricks:

• Organization: Databases provide a structured way to organize your tables and views, making it easier to manage and query your data.
• Access Control: You can grant different permissions (e.g., SELECT, CREATE, MODIFY) on a database level, allowing you to control who can access and modify the data within it.
• Unity Catalog: Databricks’ Unity Catalog is a central repository for managing databases, tables, and other data assets across your organization. It provides a unified view of your data and simplifies governance.
• SQL Commands: You can use standard SQL commands like CREATE DATABASE, SHOW DATABASES, and DESCRIBE DATABASE to interact with databases in Databricks.

To Describe a Database (Get Metadata):

Use the DESCRIBE DATABASE SQL command:

DESCRIBE DATABASE <database_name>;

This will return information such as the database’s name, location, comment, and properties.

To Explore Database Objects:

You can use Databricks’ Data Explorer or the following SQL commands:

• SHOW TABLES IN <database_name>: Lists all tables in the specified database.
• DESCRIBE TABLE <database_name>.<table_name>: Returns metadata about a specific table, including its columns, data types, and comments.

Additional Tips:

• Best Practices: Follow Databricks’ recommendations for naming conventions, permissions management, and data organization to maintain a clean and efficient data environment.
• Documentation: Refer to Databricks’ documentation for detailed information on managing databases and working with Unity Catalog.