Manage groups

This article explains how admins create and manage Azure Databricks groups. For an overview of the Azure Databricks identity model, see Azure Databricks identities.

To manage access for groups, see Authentication and access control.

Overview of group management

Groups simplify identity management by making it easier to assign access to workspaces, data, and other securable objects. All Databricks identities can be assigned as members of groups.

Difference between account groups and workspace-local groups

Azure Databricks has the concept of account groups and legacy workspace-local groups:

• Account groups can be granted access to data in a Unity Catalog metastore, granted roles on service principals and groups, and permissions to identity federated workspaces.
• Workspace-local groups are legacy groups. These groups are identified as workspace-local in the workspace admin settings page. Workspace-local groups cannot be assigned to additional workspaces or granted access to data in a Unity Catalog metastore. Workspace-local groups cannot be granted account-level roles. For more information on workspace-local groups, see Manage workspace-local groups (legacy).

There are two system groups in each workspace: users and admins. All workspace users are members of the users group and all workspace admins are members of the admins group. System groups are workspace-local groups. System groups cannot be deleted.

Databricks recommends turning existing workspace-local groups into account groups to take advantage of centralized workspace assignment and data access management using Unity Catalog. See Migrate workspace-local groups to account groups.

Who can manage account groups?

To create account groups in Azure Databricks, you must be an account admin or a workspace admin. Workspace admins must be in an identity-federated workspaces to create an account group.

To manage account groups in Azure Databricks, you must have the group manager role (Public Preview) on a group. Group managers can manage group membership and delete the group. They can also assign other users the group manager role. Account admins can manage group roles using the account console, and workspace admins can manage group roles using the workspace admin settings page. Group managers that are not workspace admins can manage group roles using the Accounts Access Control API.

Account admins have the group manager role on the account-level, which means they have the group manager role on all groups in the account. Workspace admins have the group manager role on account groups that they create.

Workspace admins can also create and manage workspace-local groups.

Manage account groups using the account console

Account admins can add and manage groups in the Azure Databricks account using the account console. Workspace admins and group managers can manage groups using the workspace settings page and Databricks APIs. See Manage account groups using the workspace admin settings page and Manage account groups using the API.

Add groups to your account using the account console

To add a group to the account using the account console, do the following:

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click User management.
3. On the Groups tab, click Add group.
4. Enter a name for the group.
5. Click Confirm.
6. When prompted, add users, service principals, and groups to the group.

Add members to a group using the account console

To add users, service principals, and groups to a group using the account console, do the following:

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click User management.
3. On the Groups tab, select the group you want to update.
4. Click Add members.
5. Search for the user, group, or service principal you want to add and select it.
6. Click Add.

Manage roles on a group using the account console

Account admins can grant roles on account groups in the account console.

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click User management.
3. On the Groups tab, find and click the group name.
4. Click the Permissions tab.
5. Click Grant access.
6. Search for and select the user, service principal, or group and choose the Group: Manager role.
7. Click Save.

Change the name of a group

Account admins can update the name of account groups in using the account console:

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click User management.
3. On the Groups tab, select the group you want to update.
4. Click Group information.
5. Under Name, update the name.
6. Click Save.

Group managers cannot change name of a group using the account console. Instead, use the Account Groups API. For example:

curl --netrc -X PATCH \
https://${DATABRICKS_HOST}/api/2.0/accounts/{account_id}/scim/v2/Groups/{id} \
--header 'Content-type: application/scim+json' \
--data @update-group.json \
| jq .

update-group.json:

{
  "schemas": [ "urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp" ],
  "Operations": [
    {
      {
          "op": "replace",
          "path": "displayName",
          "value": "<updated-name>"
      }
    }
  ]
}

For information on how to authenticate to Account Groups API, see Authentication for Azure Databricks automation - overview.

Assign a group to a workspace using the account console

To add groups to a workspace using the account console, the workspace must be enabled for identity federation. Only account groups are assignable to workspaces.

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click Workspaces.
3. Click your workspace name.
4. On the Permissions tab, click Add permissions.
5. Search for and select the group, assign the permission level (workspace User or Admin), and then click Save.

Remove a group from a workspace using the account console

To remove groups to a workspace using the account console, the workspace must be enabled for identity federation. Only account groups are removable from workspaces using the account console.

When an account group is removed from a workspace, group members can no longer access the workspace, however permissions are maintained on the group. If the group is later added back to a workspace, the group regains its previous permissions.

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click Workspaces.
3. Click your workspace name.
4. On the Permissions tab, find the group.
5. Click the kebab menu at the far right of the group row and select Remove.
6. On the confirmation dialog, click Remove.

Assign account admin roles to a group

You cannot assign the account admin or marketplace admin role to a group using the account console, but you can assign it to groups using the Account Groups API. For example:

curl --netrc -X PATCH \
https://${DATABRICKS_HOST}/api/2.0/accounts/{account_id}/scim/v2/Groups/{id} \
--header 'Content-type: application/scim+json' \
--data @update-group.json \
| jq .

update-group.json:

{
  "schemas": [ "urn:ietf:params:scim:api:messages:2.0:PatchOp" ],
  "Operations": [
    {
      "op": "add",
      "path": "roles",
      "value": [
        {
          "value": "account_admin"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

For information on how to authenticate to Account Groups API, see Authentication for Azure Databricks automation - overview.

Remove groups from your Azure Databricks account

Account admins can remove groups from an Azure Databricks account. Group managers can also remove groups from the account using the Account Groups API, see Manage account groups using the API.

To remove a group using the account console, do the following:

1. As an account admin, log in to the account console.
2. In the sidebar, click User management.
3. On the Groups tab, find the group you want to remove.
4. Click the kebab menu at the far right of the user row and select Delete.
5. In the confirmation dialog box, click Confirm delete.

If you remove a group using the account console, you must ensure that you also remove the group using any SCIM provisioning connectors or SCIM API applications that have been set up for the account. If you don't, SCIM provisioning will simply add the group and its members back the next time it syncs. See Sync users and groups from Microsoft Entra ID.

To remove a group from an Azure Databricks account using the API, see Provision identities to your Azure Databricks account and the Account Groups API.

Manage account groups using the workspace admin settings page

Workspace admins can create and manage account groups in identity-federated workspaces using the workspace admin settings page.

For information about how to create workspace-local groups in workspaces, see Manage workspace-local groups (legacy).

Create or assign a group to a workspace using the workspace admin settings page

To assign or create an account group in a workspace using the workspace admin settings page, do the following:

1. As a workspace admin, log in to the Azure Databricks workspace.

2. Click your username in the top bar of the Azure Databricks workspace and select Settings.

3. Click on the Identity and access tab.

4. Next to Groups, click Manage.

5. Click Add Group.

6. Select an existing group to assign to the workspace or click Add new to create a new account group.

   Note

   If your workspace is not enabled for identity federation, you cannot assign existing account groups or add create account groups in your workspace. You must use workspace-local groups instead, see Manage workspace-local groups (legacy).

Add members to a group using the workspace admin settings page

You must be a workspace admin to add users, service principals, and groups to an account group using the workspace admin settings page. You can only manage members of a group that you have the group manager role on.

1. As a workspace admin, log in to the Azure Databricks workspace.
2. Click your username in the top bar of the Azure Databricks workspace and select Settings.
3. Click on the Identity and access tab.
4. Next to Groups, click Manage.
5. Select the group you want to update. You must have the group manager role on the group to update it.
6. On the Members tab, click Add members.
7. On the dialog, browse or search for the users, service principals, and groups you want to add and select them.
8. Click Confirm.

Manage roles on an account group using the workspace admin settings page

You can assign the group manager role to users, account groups, and service principals. Group managers can manage group membership. They can also assign the group manager role to other users.

You must be a workspace admin to manage group roles using the workspace admin settings page. Group managers that are not workspace admins can manage group roles using the Account Access Control API.

1. As a workspace admin, log in to the Azure Databricks workspace.

2. Click your username in the top bar of the Azure Databricks workspace and select Settings.

3. Click on the Identity and access tab.

4. Next to Groups, click Manage.

5. Select the group you want to update. You must have the group manager role on the group to update it.

6. Click the Permissions tab.

7. Click Grant access.

8. Search for and select the user, service principal, or group and choose the Group: Manager role.

   Note

   You cannot assign workspace-local groups or system groups roles on account groups.

9. Click Save.

View parent groups

1. As a workspace admin, log in to the Azure Databricks workspace.
2. Click your username in the top bar of the Azure Databricks workspace and select Settings.
3. Click on the Identity and access tab.
4. Next to Groups, click Manage.
5. Select the group you want to view.
6. On the Parent group tab, view the parent groups for your group.

Remove a group from a workspace using the workspace admin settings page

Removing a group from a workspace does not delete the group in the account. When a group is removed from a workspace, group members can no longer access the workspace, however permissions are maintained on the group. If the group is later added back to the workspace, the group regains its previous permissions.

1. As a workspace admin, log in to the Azure Databricks workspace.
2. Click your username in the top bar of the Azure Databricks workspace and select Settings.
3. Click on the Identity and access tab.
4. Next to Groups, click Manage.
5. Select the group and click x Delete
6. Click Delete to confirm.

Manage account groups using the API

Account admins and workspace admins and group managers can add, delete, and manage groups in the Azure Databricks account using the Account Groups API. Account admins and workspace admins and group managers must invoke the API using a different endpoint URL:

• Account admins use {account-domain}/api/2.0/accounts/{account_id}/scim/v2/.
• Workspace admins and group managers use {workspace-domain}/api/2.0/account/scim/v2/.

For details, see the Account Groups API.

Assign a group to a workspace using the API

Account and workspace admins can use the Workspace Assignment API to assign groups to workspaces enabled for identity federation. The Workspace Assignment API is supported through the Azure Databricks account and workspaces.

• Account admins use {account-domain}/api/2.0/accounts/{account_id}/workspaces/{workspace_id}/permissionassignments.
• Workspace admins use {workspace-domain}/api/2.0/preview/permissionassignments/principals/{group_id}.

See Workspace Assignment API.

Manage roles for a group using the API

Groups managers can manage group roles using the Accounts Access Control API. Account admins and workspace admins and group managers must invoke the API using a different endpoint URL:

• Account admins use {account-domain}/api/2.0/preview/accounts/{account_id}/access-control/assignable-roles.
• Workspace admins and group managers use {workspace-domain}/api/2.0/preview/accounts/access-control/assignable-roles.

See Account Access Control API and Accounts Access Control Workspace Proxy API.