topic Re: Databricks import directory false positive import in Administration & Architecture

Databricks import directory false positive import

Giuseppe_C — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:43:48 GMT

Hello evryone,

I'm using databricks CLI to moving several directories from Azure Repos to Databricks Workspace.
The problem is that files are not updating properly, with no error to display.

The self-hosted agent in pipeline i'm using has installed the v0.228 dbks CLI

At the moment i'm using the command databricks import-dir <source> <dest> --overwrite.

The pipeline, and so the command, is able to retrieve the artifact with updated directories from Repo (I checked all the paths to make sure the source path contained the changed data and also the destination path to make sure it was correct) but there is no trace in databricks.

Even the last modified date in databricks workspace is updated with the pipeline run, but no changes in the repository are actually released in databricks.

Does anyone else had the same problem?

Re: Databricks import directory false positive import

Abeshek — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:13:37 GMT

Hi @Giuseppe_C,

Databricks CLI is not syncing updates during your pipeline runs. Several teams we work with have faced the same issue with legacy CLI versions and workspace import behavior. We’ve helped them stabilize CI/CD pipelines for Databricks, including repo sync, workspace deployment, and automation improvements. If helpful, I can share a quick checklist we use to diagnose these sync failures.

Would you be open to a short 15-minute exchange next week or the 2nd week of January?

Regards,
Abeshek
abeshek.cherukuri@kanerika.com

Re: Databricks import directory false positive import

stbjelcevic — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 19:10:51 GMT

Hi @Giuseppe_C ,

Can you try running the command with the --debug flag to see if there is any additional information that you can gather? Full command: databricks import-dir <source> <dest> --overwrite --debug

Also, verify that the target path is not under /Repos (imports to Repos-managed paths are not supported). If your sources live in Azure Repos, consider managing deployment with Databricks Repos (Git-backed) and update to the desired commit in automation instead of pushing into the Workspace tree. This avoids format mismatches and overwrite edge cases (source).