Automatic Identity Management for Entra ID on Azure Databricks

Automatic identity management enables you to seamlessly add users, service principals, and groups from Microsoft Entra ID into Azure Databricks without configuring an application in Microsoft Entra ID.

This article focuses on Identity Management for Entra ID in Databricks. My goal is to break down the concept in simple terms so it’s equally accessible to new joiners as well as experienced developers working with Databricks.

Automatic Identity Management (AIM): A feature that seamlessly synchronises users, groups, and service principals from Entra ID into Databricks, enabling faster onboarding, streamlined collaboration, and reduced administrative overhead.

Before exploring how AIM works, it’s important to first understand the challenges it addresses and why it matters in modern data platforms.

Problem Statement-

As customers scale their use of Databricks, managing thousands of users, groups, and service principals across teams becomes complex. Traditionally, admins have relied on SCIM, custom scripts, or manual setup to provision access and keep identities in sync. While these approaches work, they add overhead and make it harder to keep up with fast-growing identity environments.