Compute selection recommendations

This page explains how to choose the right compute type for your workload. Depending on your permissions, you might have the option to choose or create a number of different types of compute resources.

For guidance on configuring classic compute resources, see Compute configuration recommendations.

Choose compute for your interactive notebooks

Compute type	When to use
Serverless compute	Generally recommended. Offers faster start-up, automatic scaling, and lower cost.
Serverless SQL warehouse	For SQL-based analytics and reporting. Optimized for SQL query performance.
Classic all-purpose compute	When you need RDD APIs, GPU instances, or R language support.

For more on notebook compute, see Notebook compute resources.

Choose compute for your jobs

When configuring a job, select a compute resource for each task.

Compute type	When to use
Serverless compute	Recommended choice for most automated workloads. Fewer settings to manage, faster start-up, automatic scaling, and lower cost. Choose either performance optimized or standard performance mode based on your latency and cost needs.
SQL warehouse	For SQL tasks. Use a warehouse type that fits your latency and cost needs.
Classic jobs compute	For non-SQL jobs that require custom cluster settings not available in serverless.
Classic all-purpose compute	Generally avoid. Not optimized for automated workloads.

To view a table of recommended compute types for each task type, see What is the recommended compute for each task?.

Choose compute for pipelines

When configuring a pipeline, either use serverless compute or a classic pipeline.

Compute type	When to use
Serverless compute	Recommended choice for most automated workloads. Fewer settings to manage, faster start-up, automatic scaling, and lower cost. Choose either performance optimized or standard performance mode based on your latency and cost needs.
Classic pipeline compute	When you access to a feature not supported in serverless or when you are working with the legacy Hive metastore.

Choose a SQL warehouse type for your SQL workloads

There are three SQL warehouse types you can choose from:

Warehouse type	When to use
Serverless SQL warehouse	Recommended for BI, ETL, and exploratory analysis. Startup typically 2–6 seconds and scales rapidly.
Pro SQL warehouse	Use when serverless is not available or you require custom networking (for example, federation or hybrid).
Classic SQL warehouse	Entry-level performance. Use for basic interactive exploration when serverless or pro are not options.

For more considerations on choosing a SQL warehouse type, see SQL warehouse types.