---
title: Databricks - Placeholder values
description: The placeholder values of a Databricks project name the catalog and schema of each layer, the sources, the load control and the notebook folders.
---

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# Databricks - Placeholder values

**Applies to**  
Platform: Databricks

The placeholder values of a Databricks project name the catalog and schema of each layer, the sources, the load control and the notebook folders. Enter them in `replacement_config.json` before you run `replace_placeholders.ps1`. With the Hive metastore, the values name a database and its storage path instead of a catalog and schema.

The replacement itself is described in [Replace the placeholders in the artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/replace-the-placeholders-in-the-artifacts?hsLang=en). Which variant applies depends on [Use Unity Catalog](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/unity-catalog-project?hsLang=en).

### Variable names

Each variable name has the form `<project>#<group>#<variable>`: the project name in lower case without spaces, then a layer or source system in lower case without spaces, for example `rawvault` for Raw Vault. The other groups are `loadcontrol#loadcontrol`, `notebook_orchestration#notebook_orchestration`, `deployment#deployment` and `databricks_job#databricks_job`.

### Variables

#### Layers and source systems

- `database_name`: with Use Unity Catalog, the catalog, prefilled with `datalakehouse`; it must exist. With the Hive metastore, the database, prefilled with the layer name; the deployment creates it.
- `schema_name`: with Use Unity Catalog, the schema, prefilled with the layer name; the deployment creates it. With the Hive metastore, leave it empty.
- `database_directory`: Hive metastore only. The storage path of the database, ending with a slash, for example `abfss://<container>@<storage account>.dfs.core.windows.net/<folder>/rawvault/`.

A source system has the same variables for its source tables, for example the Stage schema of a linked Stage Files or Stage JDBC project. In a Stage JDBC project, `schema_name` of the source system is the schema of the source tables.

#### Stage Files and Stage JDBC sources

- `file_path`: the folder that holds one subfolder per source model object, ending with a slash. The loader reads `<file_path><source name>`, with the source name as modeled. Examples: `/Volumes/<catalog>/<schema>/<volume>/<folder>/` with Unity Catalog, or an `abfss://` path.
- `jdbc_url` and `jdbc_driver`: for example `jdbc:sqlserver://<server>.database.windows.net:1433;encrypt=true;databaseName=<database>;trustServerCertificate=true;` and `com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver`.
- `jdbc_user` and `jdbc_password`: inserted into the notebook code as a Python expression. Write a literal in single quotes, `'<user>'`, or read a secret: `dbutils.secrets.get(scope='<scope>', key='<secret name>')`.

#### Load control

- `database_name` and `schema_name`: where the log tables are created. With Use Unity Catalog, `database_name` is the catalog, prefilled with `datalakehouse`, and `schema_name` is empty; enter a schema. With the Hive metastore, enter the database in `database_name` and its path in `database_directory`.
  
  Give each project its own load control schema (placeholder `loadcontrol#loadcontrol#schema_name`). With the default Deployment Options, a project that deploys the load control into a shared schema empties the logs of the other projects.
- `execution_log_table_name` and `deployment_log_table_name`: the log tables, prefilled with `execution_log` and `deployment_log`.
- `application_name` and `application_environment_name`: written into each log row. `application_environment_name` is prefilled with `DEV`.

#### Notebooks and deployment

- `notebook_orchestration#notebook_orchestration#loader_folder_path`: the loader notebooks, relative to the load notebook, prefilled with `../Jupyter/`.
- `notebook_orchestration#notebook_orchestration#run_notebook_timeout`: the timeout of each loader notebook in seconds, prefilled with `3600`.
- `deployment#deployment#deployment_objects_folder_path` and `deployment_loadcontrol_folder_path`: the folders that the root deployment notebook calls, prefilled with `Jupyter` and `LoadControl`.
- `deployment#deployment#deployment_objects_timeout` and `deployment_loadcontrol_timeout`: their timeouts in seconds, prefilled with `3600` and `120`.

#### Airflow jobs

Only with `Airflow` in [LoadControl Options](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/loadcontrol-options-project?hsLang=en), for the job files of [Databricks - Load data - Apache Airflow Load Control](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-load-data-apache-airflow-load-control?hsLang=en):

- `user_name`: the Databricks user the jobs run as.
- `email_notification_on_failure`: inserted into a JSON list, so write it with double quotes, for example `"name@example.com"`.
- `notebook_task_path`: the workspace folder of the loader notebooks, ending with a slash, for example `/Workspace/Users/<user>/<folder>/Jupyter/`.
- `existing_cluster_id`: the ID of the all-purpose cluster, for example from `databricks clusters list`.

### Example

A DataVault and Mart project named `dwh_project` deploys its Stage layer to the example catalog `datalakehouse` with the schema `stage`:

```
{ "name": "dwh_project#stage#database_name",
  "value": "datalakehouse", "secretname": "" },
{ "name": "dwh_project#stage#schema_name",
  "value": "stage", "secretname": "" }
```

The Stage tables are then created as `datalakehouse.stage.stg_st_<object>`.

Example files of Generator 2.4 with Use Unity Catalog:

- [Stage Files](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_Unity_StageFiles_2.4.json)
- [Stage JDBC](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_Unity_JDBC_2.4.json)
- [Data Store](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_Unity_DataStore_2.4.json)
- [Dimensional and Mart](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_Unity_DIMDM_2.4.json), similar for Stage, Dimensional and Data Mart
- [DataVault and Mart](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_Unity_DVDM_2.4.json), similar for DataVault

Example files of Generator 2.4 with the Hive metastore:

- [Stage Files](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_StageFiles_2.4.json)
- [Stage JDBC](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_JDBC_2.4.json)
- [Data Store](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_DataStore_2.4.json)
- [Dimensional and Mart](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_DIMDM_2.4.json), similar for Stage, Dimensional and Data Mart
- [DataVault and Mart](https://f926da42ec3845beb4acf72f.blob.core.windows.net/hubspotknowledgebase/replacement_config_Databricks_DVDM_2.4.json), similar for DataVault

### Release differences

#### Removed placeholders

Generator 1.8 had the variable `execution_dependencies_file_path` for the load dependencies file. Generator 1.9 had one variable `log_table_name`; since Generator 1.10 the log tables are named by `execution_log_table_name` and `deployment_log_table_name`.

### Related articles

- Previous: [Databricks - Target environment with Unity Catalog](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-unity-target-environment?hsLang=en), [Databricks - Target environment with the Hive metastore](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-target-environment?hsLang=en), [Download generated artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/download-generated-artifacts?hsLang=en)
- Next: [Databricks - Deployment](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-deployment?hsLang=en)
- Reference: [Use Unity Catalog (Project)](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/unity-catalog-project?hsLang=en), [LoadControl Options (Project)](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/loadcontrol-options-project?hsLang=en), [Databricks - Stage Files](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-stage-files?hsLang=en), [Databricks - Stage JDBC](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-stage-jdbc?hsLang=en)
- See also: [Replace the placeholders in the artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/replace-the-placeholders-in-the-artifacts?hsLang=en), [Databricks - Artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-artifacts?hsLang=en)

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