Data Objects

DBX:

Databricks uses two primary securable objects to store and access data.

• Tables govern access to tabular data.
• Volumes govern access to non-tabular data.

Database objects are entities that help you organize, access, and govern data. Databricks uses a three-tier hierarchy to organize database objects:

1. Catalog: The top level container, contains schemas.
2. Schema or database: Contains data objects.
3. Data objects that can be contained in a schema:
   • Volume: a logical volume of non-tabular data in cloud object storage.
   • Table: a collection of data organized by rows and columns.
   • View: a saved query against one or more tables
   • Function: saved logic that returns a scalar value or set of rows.
   • Model: a machine learning model packaged with MLflow.

Catalogs are registered in a metastore that is managed at the account level. Only admins interact directly with the metastore.

Data Governance is handled by unity catalog in the DBX.