Set Up the Databricks Unity Catalog Connector

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

Customer Managed Applies to customer-managed instances of Alation

Core Connector Core connectors are included with all Alation platform tiers (subject to each tier’s connector limits) and are fully supported by Alation.

After fulfilling the Prerequisites, install the connector in Alation and create a Databricks Unity Catalog data source.

Note

You can install and upgrade the connector using one of the following methods, depending on your Alation deployment type:

  • On-premise instances: Download the latest connector package from the Alation Customer Portal (Customer Portal > Connectors), then upload and install it in Alation.

  • Alation Cloud Service: Install and upgrade the connector directly from your instance without downloading the package. Any connector available on the Alation Customer Portal (Customer Portal > Connectors) can be installed and upgraded this way. See Install Connectors (Cloud-Native Architecture). You can also download the connector package from the Alation Customer Portal and install or upgrade it manually by uploading the Zip file.

Install the Connector

Alation On-Premise

Important

Installation of OCF connectors requires Alation Connector Manager to be installed as a prerequisite.

To install an OCF connector:

  1. If this has not been done on your instance, install the Alation Connector Manager: Install Alation Connector Manager.

  2. Ensure that the OCF connector Zip file is available on your local machine.

  3. Install the connector on the Connectors Dashboard page using the steps in Manage Connectors.

Alation Cloud Service

Note

On Alation Cloud Service instances, Alation Connector Manager is available by default.

Depending on your network configuration, you may need to use Alation Agent to connect to databases:

Connection via Alation Agent

  1. Ensure that Alation Agent is enabled on your Alation instance. If necessary, create a Support ticket with Alation for an Alation representative to enable it.

  2. Install the Agent using the instructions in Install the Alation Agent.

  3. Install the connector on the Connectors Dashboard page using the steps in Manage Connectors.

Connection Without Agent

To install an OCF connector:

  1. Ensure that the OCF connector Zip file is available on your local machine.

  2. Install the connector on the Connectors Dashboard page using the steps in Manage Connectors.

Create a New Data Source

In Alation, add a new data source:

  1. Log in to Alation as a Server Admin.

  2. Expand the Apps menu on the right of the main toolbar and select Sources.

  3. On the Sources page, click +Add on the top right of the page and in the list that opens, click Data Source. This will open the Add a Data Source wizard.

  4. On the first screen of the wizard, specify a name for your data source, assign additional Data Source Admins, if necessary, and click the Continue Setup button on the bottom. The Add a Data Source screen will open.

  5. On the Add a Data Source screen, the only field you should populate is Database Type. From the Database Type dropdown, select the connector name. After that you will be navigated to the Settings page of your new data source.

    Note

    Agent-based connectors will have the Agent name appended to the connector name.

The name of this connector is Databricks Unity Catalog OCF Connector.

Configure the Connector in Alation

The settings page of a connector is structured into categorized tabs. Refer to the corresponding topics for steps to configure each of the tabs: