Migration · Governance
Unity Catalog Reference Migration
We migrate your Hive metastore and existing governance setup to Unity Catalog, covering access control design, cross-workspace setup, and updating your workflows so they're Unity Catalog ready. Everything is aligned to your security and compliance requirements.
The Cost of Deferral
Every month without Unity Catalog is a month of fragmented governance. And the scope only grows.
Without Unity Catalog, access controls are managed separately in each workspace, there is no centralised lineage, data sharing is manual or absent, and several of the most significant new Databricks features are unavailable. The longer Unity Catalog is deferred, the more workloads accumulate in the old governance model, and the larger the migration scope becomes.
No centralised lineage
Data origins, transformations, and usage patterns are invisible across workspaces. Compliance audits and data quality investigations require manual reconstruction.
Fragmented access controls
Each workspace has its own metastore and permissions. Cross-workspace access is either absent or managed through workarounds that don't scale.
Locked out of new features
Genie, Delta Sharing, and Unity Catalog managed tables all depend on Unity Catalog. Teams without it fall further behind with each Databricks release.
The Difference
One governance layer. All workspaces.
Unity Catalog replaces per-workspace governance with a single layer: metadata, access controls, and user management are handled centrally and applied consistently across every workspace.
Without Unity Catalog
Databricks Workspace A
Metastore
User management
Access controls
Databricks Workspace B
Metastore
User management
Access controls
No shared governance layer. Changes must be made in each workspace separately.
With Unity Catalog
Unity Catalog
Metastore
User management
Access controls
Workspace A
Workspace B
One control point. Every change applies across all your workspaces.
What's Delivered
Five deliverables.
A migration that holds.
Every Unity Catalog Reference Migration follows the same five phases, scoped to your setup rather than templated from a generic framework.
01
Assessment
We analyse and document your current Hive metastore structure, governance model, user groups, compliance requirements, and existing access controls.
02
Unity Catalog Design
Catalog structure, namespace hierarchy, access control policies, and user group definitions, designed around your organisation's data model and security requirements.
03
Governance and Security Design
Data governance strategy, security and compliance controls, and access patterns, documented and approved before migration begins.
04
Use Case Migration
Unity Catalog setup, data and pipeline migration, access control transfer, and updating workflows so they're Unity Catalog ready for the selected reference use case. Tested end to end and signed off with your team before cutover.
05
Report and Roadmap
Findings and recommendations, with a sequenced roadmap for broader Unity Catalog adoption across your Databricks estate.
The Process
Four structured steps.
Nothing is migrated until the governance strategy is designed and approved. The process is built to protect your existing pipelines from the start.
step 00
Pre-Requisites
You select the reference use case and we plan the project, helping you choose one that reflects the governance patterns your wider estate will need.
step 01
Initial Assessment
Project kickoff, current state analysis, and requirements gathering, including a review of your Hive metastore, existing governance documentation, user groups, and compliance requirements.
step 02
Governance Strategy
Unity Catalog design, data governance strategy, user group definitions, and security controls, all reviewed and approved before any code is migrated.
step 03
Use Case Migration
Data, pipelines, and access controls moved to Unity Catalog, with workflows updated to match. Tested and signed off with your team.
step 04
Handover
Migration report, roadmap, and stakeholder presentation. When we're done, your team manages Unity Catalog on its own.
Results
What migrations deliver in practice
TechnoAlpin
From snow guns to smart systems: TechnoAlpin’s data transformation with Datapao
When we ski down a perfectly groomed slope in the early morning, we rarely think about the streams of data pulsing behind the scenes.
Timeline
Unified data platform live in under 12 weeks
Enablement
Internal team fully enabled to operate independently
Performance
60% reduction in pipeline processing time
