Databricks¶

To connect Actian AI Analyst to your Databricks SQL environment, follow the steps below. Actian AI Analyst uses read-only access to query data from your Unity Catalog via SQL Warehouses.

✅ Actian AI Analyst supports both Personal Access Tokens and DBX's Service Principals for authentication.

1. Choose Your Authentication Method¶

You can connect Actian AI Analyst using either of the following:

• Personal Access Token\ Easiest to set up for individual access.
• Service Principal (OAuth)\ Better for automated access, access control, and secret rotation.

(Option A) Use a Personal Access Token¶

1. In the Databricks UI, go to:\ Top right avatar → User Settings → Developer → Access Tokens
2. Click Generate new token
   • Add a descriptive comment
   • Set a reasonable lifetime
3. Copy the token value immediately — it can't be viewed again.

(Option B) Use a Service Principal (OAuth)¶

1. Create a new Service Principal in Azure AD
   • Note the Application (Client) ID and Tenant ID
2. Generate a Client Secret
   • Go to: Certificates & Secrets → New client secret
   • Copy the secret value (can't retrieve later)
3. In Databricks:
   • Open Account Console or Workspace Admin → Service principals
   • Add the app (Service Principal) by its client ID
4. Assign workspace entitlements:
   • ✅ Must have Access to SQL
   • (Optional) Grant Workspace access if needed
5. Grant access to data:
   • Add the Service Principal to a group or grant access directly in SQL Warehouse and Unity Catalog

2. Grant Required Permissions in Databricks¶

To allow Actian AI Analyst to read metadata and query tables, the identity (user or service principal) must have:

• SQL Warehouse:
  CAN USE on the target warehouse
  &#xNAN;Databricks → SQL Warehouses → Select warehouse → Permissions
• Unity Catalog:
  • USAGE on each catalog you want Actian AI Analyst to scan
  • USAGE on schemas inside those catalogs
  • SELECT on tables or views you want Actian AI Analyst to query

ℹ️ Missing privileges will result in empty catalog/schema/table lists during metadata sync.

3. Collect Connection Details¶

You'll need the following values from your Databricks SQL Warehouse:

🚧 Troubleshooting Tips¶