How do I get started with data analytics on Databricks?

Summary

• The Databricks Data Intelligence Platform combines Databricks SQL (serverless SQL warehouses and a SQL editor), AI/BI dashboards, and Genie for natural-language analytics, all reading governed data from Unity Catalog.
• Start by creating a serverless SQL warehouse, then write and run queries in the SQL editor against Unity Catalog tables.
• Build dashboards with a low-code, drag-and-drop authoring experience, where each chart, table, and counter is backed by a SQL query that reads Unity Catalog tables directly with no extracts or stale copies.
• Use Genie to ask questions in plain language; it translates them into SQL, runs them, and returns results with visualizations, so business users get answers without writing SQL.
• Unity Catalog governance (row- and column-level security, lineage) and metric views that define KPIs once apply consistently across the SQL editor, dashboards, and Genie.

How do I get started with data analytics on Databricks?

Databricks provides a comprehensive analytics platform that combines serverless SQL warehouses, AI/BI dashboards, and Genie for natural-language analytics, all integrated with Unity Catalog governance. Analysts and BI practitioners work in the SQL experience, which brings Databricks SQL, dashboards, and Genie together over the same governed tables, so results stay consistent everywhere.

Why Databricks for data analytics

• Databricks SQL for queries. A serverless SQL warehouse provides the compute foundation for your analytics, and the SQL editor is where you write and run queries against Unity Catalog tables. The SQL warehouse acts as a single query gateway for downstream tools, which keeps results consistent across dashboards, Genie, and the BI tools that connect to it.
• AI/BI dashboards. Dashboards offer a low-code, drag-and-drop authoring experience. You assemble charts, tables, and counters, each backed by a SQL query, and they read Unity Catalog tables directly with no extracts or stale copies. Add filters and parameters to make dashboards interactive, schedule refreshes so viewers see fresh data without waiting on queries, then publish and share. Unity Catalog row- and column-level security carries through automatically.
• Genie for natural-language analytics. Genie is an AI-powered assistant that translates natural-language questions into SQL, executes them, and returns results with appropriate visualizations. A Genie Agent is a chat interface pointed at a set of Unity Catalog tables, so business users can ask questions such as "What were total sales last quarter?" without writing SQL.
• Governed by Unity Catalog, with a shared semantic layer. Every analytics surface reads from Unity Catalog tables, so row- and column-level security is applied consistently across the SQL editor, dashboards, and Genie. Define KPIs and business aggregates once in metric views so every tool returns the same numbers, and use Catalog Explorer to discover data.

Getting started

1. Create a serverless SQL warehouse to run your queries. See Get started with Databricks SQL.
2. Write your first query in the SQL editor: connect to a Unity Catalog table and run a simple SELECT.
3. Build a simple dashboard with one or two visualizations from your query, then add a filter.
4. Set up a Genie Agent: point it at a focused set of tables, add clear table and column descriptions plus a few example queries, and test it with a sample question.
5. Publish and share your dashboard and Genie Agent with colleagues; access is inherited from Unity Catalog.

To build skills, Databricks offers the Get Started with SQL analytics and BI course, which covers Databricks SQL, Delta Lake, AI/BI dashboards, and Genie Agents, along with other courses on Databricks Academy.

FAQs

What compute do I need for analytics on Databricks?

A serverless SQL warehouse. It provides the query compute for the SQL editor, dashboards, and Genie, and serves as a single query gateway so results stay consistent across tools.

How do I build a dashboard in Databricks?

Use AI/BI dashboards, a low-code drag-and-drop experience. Assemble visualizations backed by SQL queries that read Unity Catalog tables directly, add filters, schedule refreshes, then publish and share with Unity Catalog security applied automatically.

Can business users query data without knowing SQL?

Yes. Genie translates natural-language questions into SQL, runs them, and returns results with visualizations, so users get answers without writing queries.

When should I use Genie and when should I use a dashboard?

Genie fits ad-hoc questions that vary often, while a dashboard fits a fixed, repeatable view of the same metrics for stakeholders.