Databricks Asset Bundle (DABs) Writer

Overview

Create DABs for multi-environment deployment (dev/staging/prod).

Reference Files

• SDP_guidance.md - Spark Declarative Pipeline configurations
• alerts_guidance.md - SQL Alert schemas (critical - API differs)

Bundle Structure

project/
├── databricks.yml           # Main config + targets
├── resources/*.yml          # Resource definitions
└── src/                     # Code/dashboard files

Main Configuration (databricks.yml)

bundle:
  name: project-name

include:
  - resources/*.yml

variables:
  catalog:
    default: "default_catalog"
  schema:
    default: "default_schema"
  warehouse_id:
    lookup:
      warehouse: "Shared SQL Warehouse"

targets:
  dev:
    default: true
    mode: development
    workspace:
      profile: dev-profile
    variables:
      catalog: "dev_catalog"
      schema: "dev_schema"

  prod:
    mode: production
    workspace:
      profile: prod-profile
    variables:
      catalog: "prod_catalog"
      schema: "prod_schema"

Dashboard Resources

Support for dataset_catalog and dataset_schema parameters added in Databricks CLI 0.281.0 (January 2026)

resources:
  dashboards:
    dashboard_name:
      display_name: "[${bundle.target}] Dashboard Title"
      file_path: ../src/dashboards/dashboard.lvdash.json  # Relative to resources/
      warehouse_id: ${var.warehouse_id}
      dataset_catalog: ${var.catalog} # Default catalog used by all datasets in the dashboard if not otherwise specified in the query
      dataset_schema: ${var.schema} # Default schema used by all datasets in the dashboard if not otherwise specified in the query
      permissions:
        - level: CAN_RUN
          group_name: "users"

Permission levels: CAN_READ, CAN_RUN, CAN_EDIT, CAN_MANAGE

Pipelines

See SDP_guidance.md for pipeline configuration

SQL Alerts

See alerts_guidance.md - Alert schema differs significantly from other resources

Jobs Resources

resources:
  jobs:
    job_name:
      name: "[${bundle.target}] Job Name"
      tasks:
        - task_key: "main_task"
          notebook_task:
            notebook_path: ../src/notebooks/main.py  # Relative to resources/
          new_cluster:
            spark_version: "13.3.x-scala2.12"
            node_type_id: "i3.xlarge"
            num_workers: 2
      schedule:
        quartz_cron_expression: "0 0 9 * * ?"
        timezone_id: "America/Los_Angeles"
      permissions:
        - level: CAN_VIEW
          group_name: "users"

Permission levels: CAN_VIEW, CAN_MANAGE_RUN, CAN_MANAGE

⚠️ Cannot modify "admins" group permissions on jobs - verify custom groups exist before use

Path Resolution

⚠️ Critical: Paths depend on file location:

| File Location | Path Format | Example | |--------------|-------------|---------| | resources/*.yml | ../src/... | ../src/dashboards/file.json | | databricks.yml targets | ./src/... | ./src/dashboards/file.json |

Why: resources/ files are one level deep, so use ../ to reach bundle root. databricks.yml is at root, so use ./

Volume Resources

resources:
  volumes:
    my_volume:
      catalog_name: ${var.catalog}
      schema_name: ${var.schema}
      name: "volume_name"
      volume_type: "MANAGED"

⚠️ Volumes use grants not permissions - different format from other resources

Apps Resources

Apps resource support added in Databricks CLI 0.239.0 (January 2025)

Apps in DABs have a minimal configuration - environment variables are defined in app.yaml in the source directory, NOT in databricks.yml.

Generate from Existing App (Recommended)

# Generate bundle config from existing CLI-deployed app
databricks bundle generate app --existing-app-name my-app --key my_app --profile DEFAULT

# This creates:
# - resources/my_app.app.yml (minimal resource definition)
# - src/app/ (downloaded source files including app.yaml)

Manual Configuration

resources/my_app.app.yml:

resources:
  apps:
    my_app:
      name: my-app-${bundle.target}        # Environment-specific naming
      description: "My application"
      source_code_path: ../src/app         # Relative to resources/ dir

src/app/app.yaml: (Environment variables go here)

command:
  - "python"
  - "dash_app.py"

env:
  - name: USE_MOCK_BACKEND
    value: "false"
  - name: DATABRICKS_WAREHOUSE_ID
    value: "your-warehouse-id"
  - name: DATABRICKS_CATALOG
    value: "main"
  - name: DATABRICKS_SCHEMA
    value: "my_schema"

databricks.yml:

bundle:
  name: my-bundle

include:
  - resources/*.yml

variables:
  warehouse_id:
    default: "default-warehouse-id"

targets:
  dev:
    default: true
    mode: development
    workspace:
      profile: dev-profile
    variables:
      warehouse_id: "dev-warehouse-id"

Key Differences from Other Resources

| Aspect | Apps | Other Resources | |--------|------|-----------------| | Environment vars | In app.yaml (source dir) | In databricks.yml or resource file | | Configuration | Minimal (name, description, path) | Extensive (tasks, clusters, etc.) | | Source path | Points to app directory | Points to specific files |

⚠️ Important: When source code is in project root (not src/app), use source_code_path: .. in the resource file

Other Resources

DABs supports schemas, models, experiments, clusters, warehouses, etc. Use databricks bundle schema to inspect schemas.

Reference: DABs Resource Types

Common Commands

Validation

databricks bundle validate                    # Validate default target
databricks bundle validate -t prod           # Validate specific target

Deployment

databricks bundle deploy                      # Deploy to default target
databricks bundle deploy -t prod             # Deploy to specific target
databricks bundle deploy --auto-approve      # Skip confirmation prompts
databricks bundle deploy --force             # Force overwrite remote changes

Running Resources

databricks bundle run resource_name          # Run a pipeline or job
databricks bundle run pipeline_name -t prod  # Run in specific environment

# Apps require bundle run to start after deployment
databricks bundle run app_resource_key -t dev    # Start/deploy the app

Monitoring & Logs

View application logs (for Apps resources):

# View logs for deployed apps
databricks apps logs <app-name> --profile <profile-name>

# Examples:
databricks apps logs my-dash-app-dev -p DEFAULT
databricks apps logs my-streamlit-app-prod -p DEFAULT

What logs show:

• [SYSTEM] - Deployment progress, file updates, dependency installation
• [APP] - Application output (print statements, errors)
• Backend connection status
• Deployment IDs and timestamps
• Stack traces for errors

Key log patterns to look for:

• ✅ Deployment successful - Confirms deployment completed
• ✅ App started successfully - App is running
• ✅ Initialized real backend - Backend connected to Unity Catalog
• ❌ Error: - Look for error messages and stack traces
• 📝 Requirements installed - Dependencies loaded correctly

Cleanup

databricks bundle destroy -t dev
databricks bundle destroy -t prod --auto-approve

---

Common Issues

| Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | App deployment fails | Check logs: databricks apps logs <app-name> for error details | | App not connecting to Unity Catalog | Check logs for backend connection errors; verify warehouse ID and permissions | | Wrong permission level | Dashboards: CAN_READ/RUN/EDIT/MANAGE; Jobs: CAN_VIEW/MANAGE_RUN/MANAGE | | Path resolution fails | Use ../src/ in resources/*.yml, ./src/ in databricks.yml | | Catalog doesn't exist | Create catalog first or update variable | | "admins" group error on jobs | Cannot modify admins permissions on jobs | | Volume permissions | Use grants not permissions for volumes | | Hardcoded catalog in dashboard | Use dataset_catalog parameter (CLI v0.281.0+), create environment-specific files, or parameterize JSON | | App not starting after deploy | Apps require databricks bundle run <resource_key> to start | | App env vars not working | Environment variables go in app.yaml (source dir), not databricks.yml | | Wrong app source path | Use ../ from resources/ dir if source is in project root | | Debugging any app issue | First step: databricks apps logs <app-name> to see what went wrong |

Key Principles

1. Path resolution: ../src/ in resources/*.yml, ./src/ in databricks.yml
2. Variables: Parameterize catalog, schema, warehouse
3. Mode: development for dev/staging, production for prod
4. Groups: Use "users" for all workspace users
5. Job permissions: Verify custom groups exist; can't modify "admins"

Related Skills

• databricks-spark-declarative-pipelines - pipeline definitions referenced by DABs
• databricks-app-apx - app deployment via DABs
• databricks-app-python - Python app deployment via DABs
• databricks-config - profile and authentication setup for CLI/SDK
• databricks-jobs - job orchestration managed through bundles

Resources

• Databricks Asset Bundles Documentation
• Bundle Resources Reference
• Bundle Configuration Reference
• Supported Resource Types
• Examples Repository 1
• Example Repository 2