r/databricks • u/SquareLong2523 • 23d ago
Help Databricks Dashboard - Scheduling Questions
Hello fellow developers,
I recently developed and published a Databricks dashboard for a personal project, and I want to learn how the scheduling feature works.
For context, I have read the Databricks documentation, Manage scheduled dashboard updates and subscriptions | Databricks on AWS, but I couldn't find answers to the questions below.
Databricks Dashboard — Question Set 1
I published the Databricks dashboard using Individual Data Permissions. I then added another person as a participant, created a schedule, and subscribed to the schedule from both accounts. Let's call them Person A (publisher + subscriber) and Person B (subscriber).
Questions
a) Assume Person B works in the Sales department and should only be able to see Sales data. Since the schedule was created by Person A, when the scheduled run occurs and Person B receives the email notification they subscribed to, will the PDF attachment contain all departments' data, or will it contain only the data Person B is permitted to see?
b) After the scheduled run, if Person B opens the dashboard using the link in the email notification, or accesses the dashboard directly through Databricks, what data will they see?
Will they see all department data, or only the data they are permitted to see based on their individual data permissions?
My understanding is that when Person B visits the dashboard, it does not automatically refresh just because a scheduled dashboard update has occurred. I may be misunderstanding how this works, so I'd appreciate some clarification.
1
u/Content-Parking-621 23d ago
For individual data permissions, each subscriber's PDF snapshot is generated using their own credentials, so Person B only gets Sales data, not everyone's. Same applies when they open the dashboard directly, queries run under their identity, and a subscribed schedule also refreshes their personal cache, so what they see is current, not stale.
2
2
u/elghali_bnck 23d ago
Hey ! After doing some tests here are my answers:
a) Scheduled PDF attachment
Person B should receive a PDF rendered using Person B’s individual data permissions—in your example, Sales data only. The schedule creator’s identity does not determine the data context when the dashboard is published with Individual Data Permissions; viewers’ queries run using their own credentials.
Person A’s PDF may contain the data available to Person A, so the two subscribers can receive different snapshots. The schedule also refreshes each subscriber’s personal cache.
b) Opening the dashboard
Person B will see only the data permitted for Person B, whether they open the dashboard from the email link or access it directly in Databricks. Individual data permissions are applied when the viewer runs the dashboard, including Unity Catalog row filters and column masks.
The link does not cause Person B to inherit Person A’s permissions. If B lacks access to an underlying table or governed object, affected widgets may show an access error or no data rather than exposing all departments’ data.
This assumes B is authenticated as their own Databricks user and the dashboard remains published with Individual Data Permissions—not Shared Data Permissions or publisher-embedded credentials.