Databricks One: Empowering Every Employee with Data and AI

Databricks One’s public preview is designed to streamline the path for business users to harness the full power of data and AI without hurdles.  Allowing every team member, regardless of technical expertise, can analyze data, generate insights, and interact with AI to extract value from their data.

Overcoming Traditional Barriers

Historically, meaningful analytics and AI tools have been confined to technical teams. Business users often encounter high licensing fees, fragmented platforms, inconsistent metrics, and long wait times for support. 

Databricks One confronts these obstacles by providing a consistent, governed, and intuitive workspace accessible to everyone.

• Unified Experience: Employees can easily interact with AI/BI dashboards, utilize the AI-powered Genie assistant for plain language queries, and access custom Databricks Apps with no specialized skills needed.
  
  
• Governance and Security: Integrated support for Unity Catalog delivers robust governance, uniform access controls, and thorough audit trails, supporting secure, scalable data adoption.
  
  
• Cost-Effective: With no extra charges for existing Databricks customers, the need for separate BI licenses disappears.

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Public Preview Highlights

The latest public preview introduces features that simplify both adoption and daily use:

• AI-Enhanced Home Page: The redesigned homepage surfaces AI-suggested dashboards, Genie spaces, and apps, ensuring users see the most relevant content first.
  
  
• Unified Search and Navigation: Users can browse dashboards, Genie spaces, and apps through a single interface for a streamlined experience.
  
  
• Inclusive Access: Every workspace user, from technical practitioners to business users, benefits from Databricks One. A new app switcher allows seamless toggling between classic and new interfaces.
  
  
• Simplified Onboarding: Administrators can efficiently grant “Consumer access” to large groups, guaranteeing consistent governance and access.
  
  
• Zero Additional Licensing: All customers enjoy these capabilities without added BI licensing fees.

Customer Success Stories

During private preview, over 500 organizations adopted Databricks One with positive results. For example, ObjectiveHealth’s research teams found the unified interface improved productivity and simplified access to insights. Embold Health and Paradigm praised the platform’s ability to centralize permissions and reduce dashboard clutter, enhancing the analytics experience.

“With Databricks One, our research teams finally got a unified, intuitive home for our AI/BI Dashboards and Genie Spaces. It's everything clinical researchers need, all in one place. Pairing that with serverless workspaces made the experience even more seamless: zero infrastructure to manage, instant scaling, and predictable performance. It's been a game-changer for our sites’ productivity with data.”  — Josh O’Rourke, CTO, ObjectiveHealth

Looking Ahead: Upcoming Features

Databricks One’s roadmap includes enhancements that promise even greater usability and organization:

• Business Domains: Organize data and dashboards by business area (like sales, marketing, or operations) to accelerate insight discovery.
  
  
• Enhanced Content Curation: Organizations can certify and spotlight key dashboards, Genie spaces, and apps for maximum value.
  
  
• Account-Wide Discovery: Seamlessly search and access assets across all workspaces in an account, breaking down data silos.
  
  
• Custom URLs: Offer branded, memorable entry points for a cohesive user experience.

How to Get Started

The public preview is now available across AWS, Azure, and GCP. Business users with consumer access are automatically onboarded, while technical users can choose their preferred experience. Adding new users is as simple as updating access entitlements.

For more details or to try Databricks One, consult the official documentation or enable it in your workspace. User feedback is highly encouraged to help shape the future of unified data and AI experiences.

Conclusion

Databricks One represents a major leap toward democratizing data and AI. By simplifying access, strengthening governance, and opening up insights to every employee, organizations are poised to cultivate a truly data-driven culture where smarter, faster decisions become the norm.

Source:

Original blog by Austin Ford and Richard Tomlinson, published on the Databricks Blog.