Databricks Iceberg Support Has a Catch. It's Called Unity Catalog.

Apache Iceberg promotes an open data architecture where no single vendor has control over user data, allowing seamless interoperability across different compute engines and catalogs. The format supports a variety of engines like Spark, Flink, and Trino, enabling users to govern their data with their chosen catalog without being tied to a specific control plane. However, when implemented on Databricks, Iceberg's flexibility and interoperability are restricted by the mandatory use of Unity Catalog, which limits the full potential of Iceberg's features and creates vendor lock-in. Despite Databricks' claims of offering complete interoperability and performance, their implementation of Iceberg is more aligned with their proprietary Delta Lake format, resulting in reduced feature availability and increased migration costs. This divergence highlights the importance of evaluating the governing catalog's capabilities and restrictions to ensure alignment with the open data architecture vision that Iceberg promises.

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