Unable to create Serverless Warehouse

[MagnusW]

I have all the prerequisites met as per the documentation but I don't have the option to create a serverless warehouse, which looks like is mandatory for delta share.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/admin/sql/serverless

- The workspace is premium plan

Attempting via API gives similar result. Reach out to your administrator is funny as I am the administrator.

{

    "error_code": "INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE",

    "message": "Workspace 3389861741892891 is no longer eligible for Serverless Compute. Please reach out to your administrator.",

    "details": [

        {

            "@type": "type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.RequestInfo",

            "request_id": "8ee17709-eb73-4087-a0e6-3a0d67060718",

            "serving_data": ""

        }

    ]

}

[BigRoux · Accepted solution]

Here are some things to consider:

You are correct that serverless SQL warehouses are generally required for Databricks-to-Databricks Delta Sharing, and the option should appear if all prerequisites are met. If serverless is not available for you despite following the documentation, there are several common causes and troubleshooting steps to consider:

Summary of Key Prerequisites for Serverless SQL Warehouses

• Premium or Higher Plan: Your workspace must be on the Premium plan or above.
• Supported Region: The workspace must be in a region that supports serverless SQL warehouses. Not all regions have this feature enabled yet.
• Unity Catalog Enabled: Required for serverless SQL warehouses in most cases.
• No External Hive Legacy Metastore: If legacy metastore credentials are configured at the workspace level, you cannot use serverless. You must remove these credentials.
• Account Not in Free Trial: Serverless is not available for accounts still in trial.
• Entitlements and Permissions: You (or your admin) must have the ‘Allow unrestricted cluster creation’ entitlement, and the workspace must allow users to create SQL warehouses.
• Additional Acceptance Steps: Sometimes, a banner at the feature enablement tab in the account console asks for acceptance of additional terms before serverless is available.
• Azure Only: Ensure you have no misconfigured storage firewall or VNet injection, as these features do not apply to serverless and can block enablement.

Common Reasons the Option Does Not Appear

• Region Not Supported: Even if your account is on the proper plan, the region may not yet be supported. Check the regional support matrix in the Databricks cloud documentation.
• Region Migration or Legacy Settings: Workspaces created before broad availability in your region might need support intervention or reconfiguration.
• Workspace Configuration Issue: If Unity Catalog or other prerequisites were enabled/changed after workspace creation, you may need admin intervention to remove old settings (like Hive metastore credentials) or reconfigure.
• Manual Enablement Not Complete: If you see neither the option nor a toggle in the account console, it's often because the backend feature flag was not set for your workspace, which may require Databricks support to resolve.
• Entitlement Restrictions: If you don't have the option to create a serverless warehouse, your user or group might lack the required entitlements or permissions. Workspace admins can check this in admin console settings.

Actionable Steps

1. Check All Workspace Prerequisites:
   • Confirm Premium/Enterprise plan.
   • Make sure Unity Catalog is enabled.
   • Verify region support.
   • Ensure no legacy Hive metastore configurations remain.
   • Ensure you are not on a trial account.
2. Inspect the Account Console:
   • Look for serverless feature toggles or banners that require acceptance of additional terms.
3. Contact Workspace Admin:
   • Request confirmation that you have ‘Allow unrestricted cluster creation’ entitlement.
4. If All Prerequisites Are Met, But Option Still Missing:
   • This is often a backend enablement or regional rollout issue. Escalate to your Databricks Account Team or open a Databricks support ticket. Specify:
     • Your workspace and region
     • That you have met all published prerequisites and still cannot see the serverless SQL warehouse option
   • Mention any relevant details, such as recent workspace migrations, changes in region, or Unity Catalog enablement.

Additional Notes

• Databricks periodically rolls out or restricts serverless by cohort, workspace creation date, and sometimes per customer request. Brand new workspaces are often enabled by default, but workspaces created earlier sometimes require explicit enablement by support.
• Serverless SQL warehouses are a requirement for Delta Sharing between different accounts.

Summary Table

Requirement	Met?	Note
Premium Plan or Above		Must be Premium/Enterprise
Supported Region		Check recent support lists
Unity Catalog Enabled		Verify in workspace settings
No Hive Legacy Metastore		Check and clear credentials if present
Account Not in Free Trial		Needed for serverless
Entitlements (cluster creation, etc.)		Admin must assign
Feature Accepted in Console		Accept any required terms or toggles in the console
Backend Flag/Support Issue		If all above OK, may need Databricks support to enable

If after confirming all above, you still don't see the serverless option, escalation to Databricks support is the next necessary step, as it may be due to a backend account setting, entitlement propagation, legacy workspace state, or a regional/capacity constraint not visible to end-users.

Hope this helps, Lou.

[MagnusW]

Thank you for the quick response.

I will post what I have if possible maybe you can guide me to what I'm missing.

The region is central-us with premium plan.

I have unity catalog enabled for the only workspace on the account.

The central-us region is on the supported list.

I have the feature enabled in the admin account console.

My user has Admin access and Unrestricted cluster creation

My hunch is perhaps it's something on the Azure side that is missing, but I can't locate what that is.

Again thank you for the help.

[MagnusW]

Is the `hive_metastore` in this legacy compartment the part that is preventing me?

Additionally the security compliance does not have PCI-DSS

[BigRoux]

Magnus, if this satisfies your query please feel free to "Accept as Solution" so that others will benefit should they be in the same situation. Cheers, Lou.