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databricks Platform · Updated Mar 25, 2026

Auto Loader supports automatic type widening (Public Preview)

Auto Loader now supports automatic type widening with the new addNewColumnsWithTypeWidening schema evolution mode.

Public Preview Open docs ↗release note ↗
What it does

Auto Loader now supports automatic type widening with the new addNewColumnsWithTypeWidening schema evolution mode. This feature automatically widens data types (such as int to long or float to double) without requiring data rewrite or user intervention. Type widening is available for all file formats with schema evolution support in Auto Loader including text formats (JSON, CSV, XML) and binary formats (Avro, Parquet).

Why it matters

It also reduces pipeline maintenance by automatically handling complex schema changes.

Key capabilities
If using an existing table
If using an existing table:
If creating a new table
If creating a new table with type widening enabled:
Architecture
Databricks Platform → Platform
In short

Auto Loader now supports automatic type widening with the new addNewColumnsWithTypeWidening schema evolution mode. This feature automatically widens data types (such as int to long or float to double) without requiring data rewrite or user intervention.

Read the full documentation ↗
Key takeaway
Auto Loader now supports automatic type widening with the new addNewColumnsWithTypeWidening schema evolution mode.
2026-03-25-auto-loader-supports-automatic-type-widening-public-preview Generated by the Databricks Updates Agent · browse all updates