Getting error while creating database

Question

In Azure Databricks, I'm getting error while creating Database with the following syntax : -

CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS <DB_Name>
LOCATION "/mnt/<Container_Name>/<Folder_Name>"

error is 1
"CREATE SCHEMA in Unity Catalog must use MANAGED LOCATION, not LOCATION"
I tried prefixing Managed, I'm getting error too.
Please advise

Note: It got executed without any errors yesterday (in a different Notebook), when I try to re run this notebook, its getting executed without any error.
 I tried with a new notebook, I'm getting the above error. 
Both the notebooks are in the same folder (under workspace) and connected to same cluster

Answer 1

Hi @Ramanathan Murugan Veerabagu
It looks like you're running into a Unity Catalog restriction. In Unity Catalog, CREATE SCHEMA (or CREATE DATABASE) must use a MANAGED LOCATION instead of a custom LOCATION.

Here’s what you can try:

1. Check if your metastore has a managed location set – You can only create schemas in Unity Catalog with a managed location.
2. Use MANAGED LOCATION instead of LOCATION – The correct syntax should be:

      CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS <DB_Name>  
      MANAGED LOCATION "abfss://<container>@<storage_account>.dfs.core.windows.net/<path>/"
   

3. Confirm your cluster is using Unity Catalog – If it worked in one notebook but not another, check if the cluster is configured for Unity Catalog.

Since it worked yesterday but not today, there might have been a change in your workspace setup. You can also try running SHOW DATABASES to check if the database exists in Unity Catalog.

Let me know if this helps!