Do I need a separate BI tool if I already use Databricks?

Summary

• No. Databricks AI/BI is a native business intelligence product built into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, so you can build dashboards and answer data questions without adding a separate BI tool.
• AI/BI Dashboards are low-code and AI-assisted: describe what you want in natural language, and Databricks helps generate dashboards with more than 20 visualization types that run natively on the platform.
• AI/BI Genie is a conversational interface — business users ask questions in everyday language and get answers, explanations, and visualizations, with drivers and anomalies surfaced automatically.
• Governed by Unity Catalog. Dashboards and Genie query live, governed lakehouse data directly with lineage back to source, so there is no need to extract or copy datasets into a separate BI engine.
• Sharing and embedding. Publish and share dashboards, subscribe through Slack, and embed dashboards or Genie (via REST APIs) into your own applications. You can also connect existing BI tools through Partner Connect while keeping a single source of truth.

Do I need a separate BI tool if I already use Databricks?

No, you do not necessarily need a separate BI tool. Databricks AI/BI is a native business intelligence product built into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. Because analytics, visualization, governance, and data all operate on the same foundation, you can build dashboards and answer data questions directly on your governed lakehouse data. If your teams have standardized on other BI tools, Databricks also supports connecting them through Partner Connect while maintaining a single source of truth.

Why Databricks AI/BI

• AI/BI Dashboards. Create dashboards with a low-code experience and AI assistance — describe what you want in natural language and Databricks helps generate the dashboard for you. AI/BI supports more than 20 visualization types, including funnel and waterfall charts, and dashboards run natively on the platform and scale to large datasets. See AI/BI dashboards.
• AI/BI Genie. Genie is a conversational analytics interface where business users ask questions in everyday language and receive answers, AI-generated explanations, and visualizations. Genie surfaces drivers, anomalies, and relationships automatically, extending self-service analytics to people who do not write SQL. See AI/BI Genie concepts.
• Governed by Unity Catalog. AI/BI is integrated with Unity Catalog, so dashboards and Genie query live, governed data directly and adhere to the policies administrators set. Lineage traces how data assets are used within AI/BI back to source, which improves data freshness and simplifies governance because there are no extracts or copies to maintain.
• Performance and scale. AI/BI is tightly integrated with SQL warehouses and the Photon engine, delivering interactive performance across data volumes from megabytes to petabytes. Serverless SQL warehouses provide independent scaling for BI workloads.
• Sharing, subscriptions, and embedding. Publish dashboards and share them across teams, set up Slack channel subscriptions, and embed dashboards into external applications. Genie REST APIs let you embed conversational analytics into your own apps, chatbots, or agent frameworks. See BI built for the AI era.

Getting started

• Read Databricks AI/BI for an overview of dashboards and Genie.
• Review AI/BI concepts to understand how AI/BI integrates with Unity Catalog governance and SQL warehouses.
• Build your first dashboard with the low-code, AI-assisted experience, then publish it or embed it into the tools your teams already use.
• Turn on Genie so business users can ask questions of governed data in natural language.

FAQs

Is Databricks AI/BI a separate product I have to buy?

No. AI/BI is built into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform and is governed through Unity Catalog and Databricks identity management, so dashboards and Genie work on your existing governed data.

Can business users who do not know SQL use it?

Yes. AI/BI Genie lets business users ask questions in everyday language and get answers, explanations, and visualizations, and AI/BI Dashboards offer a low-code, AI-assisted authoring experience.

Can I still use my existing BI tool with Databricks?

Yes. Databricks supports connecting BI tools through Partner Connect while maintaining a single source of truth on the governed lakehouse.

Do dashboards require copying data into a separate BI engine?

No. AI/BI Dashboards and Genie query live, governed lakehouse data directly through Unity Catalog, with lineage back to source and no extracts or copies to maintain.