Managing Data Governance with Unity Catalog Roles: A Comprehensive Guide

Unity Catalog Roles Source: Databricks

Unity Catalog is a powerful platform for data governance, enabling organizations to securely store, manage, and share data at scale. As organizations grow and more users join the platform, it becomes increasingly important to manage access to data and functionality. Unity Catalog provides role-based access control to help administrators manage users and their privileges.
In the previous article, we talked about Metastore in Unity Catalogue. In this article, we will explore the different roles available in Unity Catalog and their associated privileges.

1. Cloud Administrator:
   A Cloud Administrator is responsible for managing the Unity Catalog instance. They have full access to all resources and configurations within the Unity Catalog and can create and manage all other roles. Cloud Administrators can also manage the infrastructure on which Unity Catalog runs, including managing storage and computing resources.
2. Identity Administrator:
   Identity Administrators manage user authentication and authorization for Unity Catalog. They are responsible for setting up single sign-on (SSO) and configuring other authentication mechanisms. Identity Administrators also manage identity providers, which are responsible for authenticating users.
3. Account Administrator:
   Account Administrators are responsible for managing user accounts in Unity Catalog. They can create, modify, and delete user accounts, as well as assign roles and permissions to users. Account Administrators can also set user-level permissions, such as read or write access to specific data assets.
4. Metastore Admin:
   Metastore Administrators manage the metadata repository in Unity Catalog. They can create, modify, and delete metadata entities, such as tables, columns, and partitions. Metastore Administrators can also set permissions for metadata entities, controlling who can view or modify them.
5. Data Owner:
   Data Owners are responsible for managing data assets in Unity Catalog. They can create, modify, and delete data assets, such as tables, databases, and data pipelines. Data Owners can also set permissions for data assets, controlling who can access them and what level of access they have.
6. Workspace Administrator:
   Workspace Administrators manage Unity Catalog workspaces. They can create, modify, and delete workspaces, as well as assign roles and permissions to workspace users. Workspace Administrators can also set workspace-level permissions, such as read or write access to specific data assets within the workspace.

In summary, Unity Catalog provides a comprehensive set of roles and privileges that enable organizations to manage their data governance needs. Cloud Administrators, Identity Administrators, Account Administrators, Metastore Administrators, Data Owners, and Workspace Administrators all have specific responsibilities and privileges that help manage the platform and data assets. By using these roles, organizations can ensure that the right people have access to the right data and functionality, promoting collaboration and enabling data-driven decision-making.

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