What are tables in Databricks?

In Databricks, a table is a structured collection of data stored within a schema. Tables are used to store, query, and manage data using SQL or Spark. The default table type is a Unity Catalog (UC) managed table, which uses Delta Lake for reliable data storage.

Databricks supports three main table types, each with different ownership and data management characteristics:

Table type	Description	Managed by	Write support
Managed	Databricks manages both metadata and data files.	Unity Catalog	Yes
External	Metadata is in Databricks, data is stored externally.	None or Unity Catalog	Yes
Foreign	References read-only data in external systems via federation.	External system	No

For most use cases, Databricks recommends using managed tables.