How to create Databricks Cluster with the new Databricks Learner Account

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How to create Databricks Cluster with the new Databricks Learner Account

Carlton Patterson 761

Hello I have just signed up for the new Databricks Learner account to replace the traditional Databricks Community Edition.

I am trying to create a traditional cluster, however it would appear I'm limited to just creating a SQL Warehouse, see image. There doesn't appear to be an option to create a cluster.

Can somoene let know if it's possible to create a cluster with the new Databricks Learner account:

User's image

For example with the traditional Databricks Community edition we can create a cluster from compute, see image below for an example

cluster

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Answer 1

Venkat Reddy Navari 5,830 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Carlton Patterson With the new Databricks Learner account, traditional interactive cluster creation is no longer supported. This account type is optimized for SQL-based learning and currently supports only SQL Warehouses, not full Spark clusters as available in the legacy Community Edition.

In comparison, the Databricks Community Edition (now deprecated) allowed users to spin up lightweight clusters for running notebooks with PySpark or Scala. That option is no longer available in the Learner tier.

If your goal is to use Spark notebooks or run custom PySpark code, you have a few options:

Try the Databricks Free Trial via Azure, AWS, or GCP, which provides temporary access to full compute clusters.
Consider upgrading to a paid workspace if you plan to work with broader Spark functionality beyond SQL.

Hope this helps. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know

Carlton Patterson 761 Reputation points

2025-07-03T12:06:44.87+00:00

Hi Venkat,

I tried the link Databricks Free Trial but it doesn't take me to the free trial with Azure, AWS, or GCP, which provides temporary access to full compute clusters.
Carlton Patterson 761 Reputation points

2025-07-03T12:08:28.4533333+00:00

Venkat,

I get taken to this page, see image, which makes me sign up to the Databricks Learner account again with only the ability to create SQL DatawaresHouse
Carlton Patterson 761 Reputation points

2025-07-03T12:12:30.6+00:00

Can I code in python or pyspark in the notebook with SQL Datawarehouse as the compute?
Venkat Reddy Navari 5,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-03T14:32:08.92+00:00
Carlton Patterson Thanks for the update and the screenshot that confirms you're being routed into the Databricks Learner account, which currently supports only SQL Warehouses, not interactive Spark clusters (e.g., for PySpark or Scala).

This limitation is expected with the Learner edition and isn't configurable from your side. If you need full Spark cluster support like in the old Community Edition, you’ll need to start a proper cloud-backed free trial workspace instead.

☁️ Azure: Create Azure Databricks Workspace → In the Azure portal, choose the “Trial (Premium - 14 days free DBUs)” pricing tier. Official Guide

If You’re Still Redirected to Learner:

Try using a different email address that hasn't been used for a Learner signup.

Make sure to avoid using the Databricks “Community” or “Free Edition” link, which leads to the SQL-only learner workspace.

"I tried the link Databricks Free Trial but it doesn't take me to the free trial with Azure, AWS, or GCP, which provides temporary access to full compute clusters."

The Databricks Free Trial link often redirects users to the Learner tier instead of setting up a full cloud-based workspace.

To access temporary full compute cluster support, you’ll need to go through the trial setup directly on a cloud provider of your choice:

Can you run Python or PySpark code in a notebook using SQL Warehouse as compute?

Unfortunately, no SQL Warehouses are designed only for executing SQL queries. They cannot run Python, PySpark, Scala, or R code in notebooks.
Carlton Patterson 761 Reputation points

2025-07-03T15:02:01.3766667+00:00

Hi Venkat,

Thanks for answering the questions.

So, can you let me know what remains free after the 14 day period if I create an Azure Databricks from ☁️ Azure: Create Azure Databricks Workspace?

I presume that with the Databricks Learner account which only allows SQL Datawarehouses that will be free forever, correct?
Carlton Patterson 761 Reputation points

2025-07-03T15:16:14.83+00:00

Hi Venkat,

Apparently, you can run PySpark, see the following link

https://medium.com/towards-data-engineering/databricks-is-now-free-for-learners-no-cloud-account-required-35d910347754
Venkat Reddy Navari 5,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-03T16:24:21.1266667+00:00
Carlton Patterson As explained in this Databricks Learner Edition overview, you can run PySpark code in notebooks even without cluster creation. The Learner environment uses a serverless, pre-configured Spark backend, so you can practice PySpark basics without needing your own cloud account.

That said, this environment has limitations:

No access to Spark UI, library installation, or cluster config

For full-featured Spark development, you'd still want a trial via Azure, AWS, or GCP
Carlton Patterson 761 Reputation points

2025-07-03T16:29:09.42+00:00

Thank Venkat,

The real issue for me is not being able to install libraries. Is there any other way to install libraries e.g. pip install?
Venkat Reddy Navari 5,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-03T17:00:01.72+00:00

Carlton Patterson In the Databricks Learner account, custom library installation (e.g., using %pip install or !pip) is not supported due to its locked-down, serverless backend.

To install libraries, you'll need to use a full Databricks workspace via a free trial on Azure, AWS, or GCP, where %pip and other methods are fully supported.

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How to create Databricks Cluster with the new Databricks Learner Account

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