Workspace admin privleage

[DharmendraD16]

Hi Databricks Team,

I was trying to build a RAG chatbot in Azure Databricks, and i had to do vector search preview. I searched for this option in Databricks and couldn't find it. I surfed online still couldn't succeed. 

This is my personal account and the role assignment is "owner". How tro enabel vector search preview for this.

Can you support on this.

[szymon_dybczak]

Hi   @DharmendraD16 ,

The option you are looking for is no longer called “Vector Search Preview.” Mosaic AI Vector Search became generally available in May 2024, so the core feature no longer requires enabling a preview. On June 1, 2026, Databricks also renamed Vector Search to Databricks AI Search.

In the current Azure Databricks interface, open:

Compute → AI Search → Create endpoint

The AI Search tab is displayed only when the workspace meets the required prerequisites.

Please verify the following:

1. Unity Catalog is enabled for the workspace.
   You should see catalogs under Catalog in the workspace sidebar. Workspaces created after November 9, 2023 normally have Unity Catalog enabled automatically; older workspaces might need to be upgraded or assigned to a Unity Catalog metastore.
2. The workspace is in a region that supports AI Search.
   AI Search is not available in every Azure region. Check your workspace region against the Azure Databricks feature-region availability table.
3. Serverless services are available.
   AI Search requires serverless compute. It is generally enabled automatically for Unity Catalog workspaces in supported regions.
4. You have the required Databricks permissions.
   You need permission to create or use an AI Search endpoint and CREATE TABLE on the Unity Catalog schema where the index will be created. For a standard endpoint, the source Delta table must also have Change Data Feed enabled.

Databricks AI Search - Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn

And here are some prerequisite that you must meet:If my answer was helpful, please consider marking it as accepted solution

[ShamenParis]

Hi   @DharmendraD16 ,

The reason you cannot find the "Vector Search Preview" toggle is that Databricks Vector Search (now referred to in Azure as Databricks AI Search) reached General Availability (GA) back in May 2024. It is now a native, built-in feature, so there is no longer a preview toggle to hunt for!

Since your role assignment is "Owner," you have the necessary permissions. If you still cannot see the option to create a Vector Search endpoint, it is almost certainly because your workspace is missing one of the two strict infrastructure requirements for AI Search.

Here is what you need to check:

To use Vector Search, your Databricks workspace must have both of the following enabled:

• Unity Catalog: Your workspace must be attached to a Unity Catalog metastore. Vector Search relies on Unity Catalog for data governance and endpoint management.

• Serverless Compute: Vector Search endpoints are completely serverless. If Serverless compute is not enabled for your Azure Databricks workspace, the Vector Search/AI Search UI will be hidden or inaccessible.

Note on Personal Accounts: If you are using a personal Azure subscription, sometimes Serverless is disabled by default or blocked by subscription quota limits. You will need to go to your Workspace Admin Settings (or the Azure Portal) to verify Serverless is enabled for your region and workspace.

Once Unity Catalog and Serverless are active, you can create your endpoint directly through the UI:

1. Open the left sidebar and click on Compute.

2. Look for the AI Search (or Vector Search) tab at the top.

3. Click Create endpoint (Select either Standard or Storage Optimized depending on your budget and data size).

4. Once the endpoint is online, you can sync your Delta tables to create your vector index.

Make sure your source Delta tables have Change Data Feed (CDF) enabled, as the standard Vector Search endpoints require this to automatically sync your data.