Databricks releases, every cloud
- Data Classification now scans Unity Catalog views (Beta)
Scans Unity Catalog views in addition to tables, using the same detection engine, and is currently in Beta.
- The counter_diff SQL window function is now available
Calculates differences between consecutive cumulative counter values, available in Databricks Runtime 19 and above.
- Window measures on a numeric index column in metric views
Supports unitless offset and ranges on consecutive integer columns, useful for non-calendar periods like fiscal weeks.
- Standard performance mode is now available for one-time runs in the Jobs API
Sets performance_target to STANDARD. Supports Apache Airflow's DatabricksSubmitRunOperator.
- External secrets in Unity Catalog (Beta)
Connects Unity Catalog schema to AWS Secrets Manager, appearing as read-only objects.
- See which chunks support each ai_search answer (Beta)
Added generate_citations option to show supporting chunks.
- Run the change, do not just read it. Hands-on labs in your own Databricks workspace, graded when you submit. Browse labs
- time_bucket SQL function aligns timestamps to fixed-width time buckets
Replaces date_trunc for non-calendar units, requires origin and width parameters.
- Environment version 6 is now available
Supports serverless and standard classic compute.
- Databricks Runtime 19: September 1, 2026
Replaces manual change data feed enablement, requires row tracking enabled.
- Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (09/01)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
- Unity Catalog Skills (Beta)
Publishes and governs agent skills, controlling access with Unity Catalog permissions.
- Context attributes in ABAC column mask and row filter policies (Beta)
Targets request context, such as OAuth client ID and on-behalf-of status, in Unity Catalog policies.
- Identity attributes in ABAC column mask policies (Beta)
Targets users by attributes like department or country, using has_identity_attribute_value and has_identity_attribute_tag_match functions.
- Tags page in Governance Hub (Beta)
Provides a centralized view of tag usage, summarizes governed tags, and offers recommendations for invalid values. Requires account admins to enable from Previews page.
- Define business concepts with Pages (Beta)
Gives business terms a single governed definition, part of Unity Catalog semantics.
- REPLACE USING flows for standalone streaming tables (Beta)
Replaces rows matching specified key columns, requires SEQUENCE BY column.
- READ METADATA privilege is GA
Provides read-only visibility into security-sensitive metadata, including privilege grants and ABAC policies.
- Change data feed on materialized views (Beta)
Requires Databricks Runtime 18 LTS or above. Enables replication to external destinations.
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- Tag automations (Beta)
Assigns or removes governed tags on Unity Catalog tables or volumes based on defined conditions.
- Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (08/04)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
- Automatic cost attribution for materialized views and streaming tables in Databricks SQL
Inherits custom tags from enclosing SQL warehouse environment for billing.
- Refresh materialized views and streaming tables without exempting the pipeline owner from ABAC policies
Pipeline owners are now subject to ABAC policies when refreshing views and tables. Policies are evaluated using the pipeline owner's identity.
- Secrets in Unity Catalog is GA
Stores secrets as securable objects with Unity Catalog privileges. Uses catalog.schema.secret namespace.
- Upcoming general availability of Unity Gateway Coming soon
Extends Unity Catalog governance to runtime interactions, controls AI service usage, and monitors traffic. Available by default for workspaces with compliance security profile in mid-September.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (07/24)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime 18 and Databricks Runtime 18 for Machine Learning have transitioned to LTS
Receives 3 years of stability and security fixes.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime 19: July 23, 2026
Enables Arrow-optimized Python UDFs by default, changing type-coercion behavior.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Automated setup for S3 external locations
Uses AWS IAM temporary delegation to configure external locations and provision required resources.
- Databricks-hosted sample datasets available in the samples catalog
Available in Unity Catalog-enabled workspaces through OpenSharing as samples.databricks.datasets.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Warehouse-level statement timeouts (Beta)
Set via statement_timeout field in Create or Update warehouse APIs.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - July 6, 2026
Updates from Databricks Runtime 18, adds Spark Declarative Pipelines and IP address functions.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Lakehouse Real-Time (Beta)
Delivers sub-second SQL read queries against Unity Catalog tables. Built for low-latency workloads.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (06/29)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks SQL version 2026.20 is now available in Preview
Adds IP address functions, NEAREST BY join type, and QUALIFY clause, with fixes for MERGE WITH SCHEMA EVOLUTION.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Govern LLMs in Unity Catalog with model services (Beta)
Represents a governed LLM endpoint, sharable across workspaces via Unity Catalog privileges.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime 19 (Beta): June 26, 2026
Restricts environment variables and Spark configurations in standard access mode. Removes previously allowed settings.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Comments on foreign tables (Beta)
Syncs table and column comments from external data sources to Unity Catalog foreign tables.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime 19 (Beta): June 15, 2026
Replaces JDK 17 with JDK 21, removes 90 Python packages.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - ABAC GRANT policies for models (Beta)
Grants EXECUTE privilege on models based on governed tags, supporting MLflow and foundation models.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Databricks Runtime 18: June 10, 2026
Adds Spark Declarative Pipelines and IP address functions, requires no changes to existing setups.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud)
Headlines, dates and product areas are Databricks' own, from the release notes published for each cloud, and every item links to the note it came from. The one-line summaries are ours. Not a Databricks product and not affiliated with Databricks, Inc.