Microsoft Entra Access Control for Databricks

The right access control configuration decides whether your data stays secure or becomes a liability. Microsoft Entra is the identity backbone. Databricks is the analytics engine. Tie them together correctly, and permissions become precise, enforceable, and auditable.

Microsoft Entra Access Control for Databricks means mapping identities to roles with no loose ends. You start in Entra by defining security groups. Each group should align to a functional role in Databricks—data engineer, analyst, admin. Groups map directly to Databricks workspace permissions through SCIM synchronization.

SCIM automatically provisions users and groups from Entra into Databricks. When a user joins or leaves a group, Databricks updates access without manual intervention. This avoids stale accounts and over-permissive grants. Configure SCIM tokens in Databricks, then connect them in Entra’s Enterprise Application settings.

Least privilege is the rule to enforce. Only admins should have cluster management rights. Analysts should be limited to query and notebook execution. Data engineers can manage jobs but not workspace-wide configs unless necessary. Lock these rules in Databricks using the Access Control Lists (ACLs) tied to your Entra groups.

Audit logs from both Microsoft Entra and Databricks must feed into a centralized log system. Patterns in privileged actions show if a rule is failing. Configure conditional access policies in Entra to require MFA for sensitive Databricks operations, adding a second barrier to intrusion.

When done right, Microsoft Entra Databricks access control creates a single, coherent permission model. No orphaned accounts, no shadow admins, no data exposure. It is the foundation for scaling analytics securely.

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