Non-admins see a subset: personal settings, tokens, notifications

The Databricks workspace UI is organised around a left-hand navigation sidebar with sections for data exploration, compute management, notebook development, workflow orchestration, and SQL analytics. Understanding this layout lets you locate any feature in seconds and move efficiently between tasks.

Who this is for:

Part of the Getting Started with Databricks section of the Databricks tutorial series.

Architecture / Concept Overview: Non-admins see a subset: personal settings, tokens, notifications

The workspace UI is divided into functional sections that map to different user activities. Data engineers spend time in Workflows and Repos, analysts live in the SQL Editor and Dashboards, and data scientists work primarily in Notebooks and Experiments.

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*Figure 1 — Workspace UI structure: sidebar navigation and its child sections.*

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*Figure 2 — How different personas typically use the workspace UI sections.*

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*Figure 3 — Global search provides quick access to any workspace asset.*

Key Terms

Prerequisites and Setup

An active Databricks workspace with login credentials
At least viewer-level permissions in the workspace
A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge recommended)
Familiarity with your role (engineer, analyst, or scientist) to focus on relevant sections

Step-by-Step Implementation

Configuration Reference

Non-admins see a subset: personal settings, tokens, notifications configuration options
Feature	Keyboard Shortcut	Description
Global Search	Ctrl/Cmd + P	Find any workspace asset
New Notebook	N/A (use + button)	Create notebook from sidebar
Run Cell	Shift + Enter	Execute current notebook cell
Command Palette	Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P	Access all editor commands
Toggle Sidebar	Ctrl/Cmd + B	Show/hide left navigation
Switch Language	%python, %sql, %md	Change cell language in notebooks

Monitoring, Cost, and Security Considerations

Monitoring

Use the Compute page to monitor running clusters and their resource utilisation. The SQL Warehouse monitoring tab shows query queue depth and execution times. Job run history in Workflows provides pipeline health at a glance.

Cost Optimisation

Terminate idle clusters from the Compute page. Monitor warehouse auto-stop behaviour. Use the Admin Console billing section to identify which resources consume the most DBUs.

Security and Governance

Review active personal access tokens in your user settings periodically. Check workspace access lists if enabled. Use the Admin Console to audit user permissions and group memberships.

Common Pitfalls and Recommended Patterns

Not using Global Search — it is the fastest way to find anything; learn the keyboard shortcut
Ignoring the Data Explorer — browsing tables visually is faster than writing discovery queries
Navigating only by clicking — keyboard shortcuts significantly accelerate the workflow
Not favouriting frequently used items — the Home page becomes more useful with curated favourites
Overlooking the SQL Editor for quick exploration — it starts faster than spinning up a notebook cluster
Not customising notification preferences — default settings may be too noisy or too quiet

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I customise the sidebar?

The sidebar structure is fixed by Databricks, but you can collapse/expand sections and use favourites on the Home page for quick access to your most-used items.

Where do I find my query history?

In the SQL Editor, click the "Query History" tab in the left panel. For notebook commands, check the cluster's "Spark UI" or the notebook revision history.

How do I share a notebook with a colleague?

Right-click the notebook in the Workspace Browser and select "Share". Set permissions (view, edit, manage) per user or group.

Is there a dark mode?

Yes. Access appearance settings through your user profile menu. Dark mode applies to the entire workspace UI.

Can I access the workspace from mobile?

The workspace UI is responsive but optimised for desktop browsers. Read-only access to dashboards works on mobile devices, but notebook editing requires a desktop browser.