Introduction
If catalogs or schemas are missing in the Databricks Workspace UI, users may not be able to view, create, or manage tables in Unity Catalog. This issue can prevent users from accessing data and executing SQL commands, even if Unity Catalog is enabled.
🚨 Common problems:
- Catalogs do not appear in the UI (
Catalog Explorer
). - Schemas are missing from the workspace.
- Tables are not accessible, even with correct permissions.
- Error: “Permission denied: Cannot list catalogs or schemas.”
This guide will help you troubleshoot and resolve missing catalogs or schemas in Databricks Unity Catalog.
1. Verify Unity Catalog Is Enabled in the Workspace
Symptoms:
- Unity Catalog does not appear in Databricks UI.
- Cannot run
SHOW CATALOGS;
orUSE CATALOG
commands.
Causes:
- Unity Catalog is not enabled in your workspace.
- Your Databricks workspace uses the legacy Hive Metastore instead of Unity Catalog.
Fix:
✅ Check if Unity Catalog is available using SQL:
SHOW CATALOGS;
✅ Ensure your Databricks workspace is using Unity Catalog:
- Go to Admin Console → Settings → Unity Catalog and verify that a metastore is assigned.
✅ If no metastore is assigned, create one (Admin Required):
databricks unity-catalog metastores create --region <region> --s3-bucket <s3-bucket-name>
✅ Assign the metastore to your Databricks workspace:
databricks unity-catalog metastores assign --metastore-id <metastore-id> --workspace-id <workspace-id>
2. Ensure the Cluster or SQL Warehouse Supports Unity Catalog
Symptoms:
- Catalog Explorer is empty or missing schemas.
USE CATALOG
command fails with an error.- Tables are not accessible, even with correct permissions.
Causes:
- The Databricks cluster does not support Unity Catalog.
- The SQL Warehouse is not configured for Unity Catalog access.
Fix:
✅ Ensure your cluster is Unity Catalog-enabled:
- Go to Databricks UI → Clusters
- Edit the cluster → Advanced options → Enable Unity Catalog
- Restart the cluster after enabling Unity Catalog.
✅ Ensure SQL Warehouses support Unity Catalog:
- Go to Databricks UI → SQL Warehouses
- Edit the warehouse settings → Enable Unity Catalog support.
✅ Restart clusters and SQL Warehouses after making changes.
3. Verify User Permissions on Unity Catalog
Symptoms:
- Cannot see catalogs or schemas in the UI, but others can.
- Error: “Permission denied: Cannot list catalogs or schemas.”
- Users cannot access tables, but Admins can.
Causes:
- The user does not have the
USE CATALOG
orUSE SCHEMA
privilege. - The catalog exists, but permissions were not granted to the user.
- Users need access via a Databricks group assignment.
Fix:
✅ Check available catalogs for the current user:
SHOW CATALOGS;
✅ Grant access to Unity Catalog for a user or group:
GRANT USE CATALOG ON CATALOG my_catalog TO `user@example.com`;
✅ Grant schema-level access:
GRANT USE SCHEMA ON SCHEMA my_catalog.my_schema TO `user@example.com`;
✅ Verify role assignments and user groups:
databricks account users list
✅ If needed, assign Unity Catalog permissions via the Databricks UI:
- Go to Admin Console → Identity & Access → Permissions.
- Ensure users have Unity Catalog access.
4. Check If Catalogs and Schemas Exist in Unity Catalog
Symptoms:
- Error: “Catalog not found.”
- Schemas do not appear in the UI, even for Admins.
- SQL queries referencing schemas fail.
Causes:
- The catalog does not exist or was not migrated to Unity Catalog.
- The schema was not created or was deleted accidentally.
Fix:
✅ List all available catalogs:
SHOW CATALOGS;
✅ Check if a schema exists within a catalog:
SHOW SCHEMAS IN my_catalog;
✅ If the schema is missing, create it:
CREATE SCHEMA my_catalog.my_schema;
✅ If using the legacy Hive Metastore, migrate schemas to Unity Catalog:
ALTER TABLE hive_metastore.default.my_table CONVERT TO DELTA;
5. Databricks UI Not Showing the Unity Catalog Explorer
Symptoms:
- Unity Catalog is enabled but does not appear in the UI.
- SQL queries work, but the UI does not list catalogs or schemas.
Causes:
- UI settings or cache issues may prevent the Catalog Explorer from loading.
- The workspace admin has restricted catalog visibility.
Fix:
✅ Refresh the Databricks UI manually:
- Log out and log back in.
- Clear your browser cache or try another browser.
✅ Ensure the user has the required permissions:
- Go to Admin Console → Unity Catalog and verify catalog visibility settings.
✅ Check for Databricks platform updates:
- Some UI issues may be resolved in newer Databricks versions.
6. If Using Azure Databricks: Check Azure AD and Storage Permissions
Symptoms:
- Azure Unity Catalog does not show catalogs or schemas.
- Tables exist in the metastore but are not visible in Databricks.
Causes:
- The Azure Databricks service principal does not have Storage Blob permissions.
- Azure AD permissions block Unity Catalog access.
Fix:
✅ Grant Azure Storage permissions for Unity Catalog:
az role assignment create --assignee <databricks-service-principal> --role "Storage Blob Data Contributor" --scope /subscriptions/<sub-id>/resourceGroups/<rg>/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/<storage-name>
✅ Verify Key Vault access if using secret-backed Unity Catalog:
az keyvault set-policy --name <keyvault-name> --spn <databricks-service-principal> --secret-permissions get list
7. If Using AWS Databricks: Ensure IAM Roles Are Configured Correctly
Symptoms:
- Unity Catalog does not show AWS Glue Data Catalog metadata.
- Users cannot access schemas stored in S3.
Causes:
- AWS IAM roles do not have Glue and S3 permissions for Unity Catalog.
- The workspace is not correctly linked to AWS Glue Data Catalog.
Fix:
✅ Ensure AWS IAM roles include the required permissions:
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["glue:Get*", "glue:Create*", "s3:GetObject", "s3:PutObject"],
"Resource": "*"
}
✅ Assign the correct IAM role to Databricks clusters:
aws iam put-role-policy --role-name <your-role-name> --policy-name UnityCatalogAccess --policy-document file://policy.json
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide
1. Check If Unity Catalog Is Enabled
SHOW CATALOGS;
- If no catalogs appear, ensure Unity Catalog is enabled in Admin settings.
2. Verify Permissions
GRANT USE CATALOG ON CATALOG my_catalog TO `user@example.com`;
3. Ensure Clusters and Warehouses Support Unity Catalog
- Enable Unity Catalog support in cluster settings.
4. Check If Catalogs and Schemas Exist
SHOW SCHEMAS IN my_catalog;
5. If Using Cloud Storage, Ensure IAM and AD Permissions Are Set
- AWS: Grant Glue and S3 permissions.
- Azure: Ensure Storage Blob Data Contributor access.
Conclusion
If catalogs or schemas are missing in the Databricks UI, check:
✅ Unity Catalog is enabled and metastore is assigned.
✅ Clusters and SQL Warehouses support Unity Catalog.
✅ Users have the correct Unity Catalog permissions.
✅ Catalogs and schemas actually exist in Unity Catalog.
✅ Cloud storage permissions (AWS IAM / Azure AD) are properly configured.
By following this guide, you can restore missing catalogs and schemas in Unity Catalog.