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Getting started

This page covers everything you need to set up before sharing data, whether you're using Delta Sharing directly or publishing to the Databricks Marketplace.

What is Delta Sharing?​

Delta Sharing is an open protocol for secure data sharing across organizations, clouds, and platforms. It enables you to share live data without copying it, while maintaining full governance through Unity Catalog.

Delta Sharing enables two distribution approaches:

  • Direct sharing: Share data directly with specific recipients using the Delta Sharing protocol. Recipients can be on Databricks (D2D) or any platform that supports the protocol (D2O).
  • Marketplace distribution: Publish data products to the Databricks Marketplace for discovery, with Delta Sharing handling the underlying data transfer.

Both approaches use the same underlying technology. The difference is how recipients discover and request access to your data.

Prerequisites​

Common requirements​

All Delta Sharing scenarios require:

Marketplace requirements​

If you're publishing to the Marketplace, you also need:

  • Marketplace Admin role: Assign the Marketplace Admin role to users who will manage provider profiles, listings, and fulfillment
  • Technical validation: Pass a technical validation to confirm you can share data via Delta Sharing

For step-by-step Marketplace setup, see List your data product in Databricks Marketplace.

Metastore selection​

Your Unity Catalog metastore is the foundation for all sharing operations. Choose carefully: this metastore will manage shares, recipients, and (if using Marketplace) listing configurations.

For Marketplace providers, the metastore also controls:

  • Listing creation and updates
  • Consumer request routing
  • Access fulfillment
warning

If you delete or replace your Marketplace metastore, you may lose the ability to manage existing listings and fulfill consumer requests. Designate a dedicated, persistent metastore and ensure it's maintained with appropriate backup and governance policies.

Choosing your distribution model​

Direct Delta Sharing​

Share data directly with known recipients without publishing to a marketplace. You create shares, add recipients, and grant access, all managed through Unity Catalog.

Best for:

  • Sharing with existing customers or partners
  • Internal data sharing across business units
  • Known recipients with established agreements

Learn more about sharing patterns →

Public Marketplace​

Public Marketplace listings are discoverable by all Databricks users browsing marketplace.databricks.com.

Apply through the Databricks Data Partner Program for the highest visibility and program benefits.

Best for:

  • Expanding your audience and brand recognition
  • Reaching new customers across industries
  • Monetizing data products at scale

Private Exchange​

Private Exchange listings are visible only to customers you explicitly allow, based on their metastore sharing identifier. They don't appear in public search.

Best for:

  • Pre-commercial or early-access data products
  • Controlled distribution to specific customers
  • Internal data catalogs for enterprise teams

Quick start: Your first share​

Once prerequisites are in place, creating a share takes just a few SQL commands:

-- 1. Create a share
CREATE SHARE my_first_share COMMENT 'Sample data for partners';

-- 2. Add a table
ALTER SHARE my_first_share ADD TABLE catalog.schema.my_table;

-- 3. Create a recipient (assumes D2D where sharing identifier is available)
CREATE RECIPIENT partner_acme USING ID '<their-sharing-identifier>';

-- 4. Grant access
GRANT SELECT ON SHARE my_first_share TO RECIPIENT partner_acme;

For detailed syntax, see CREATE SHARE and CREATE RECIPIENT.

What's next​