databricks Platform · Updated Jun 29, 2026

Parquet v2 for Delta Lake

Enhanced performance and reduced storage for Delta Lake tables.

What it does

Parquet v2 introduces advanced encodings, v2 data page headers, and `INT64` timestamps for Delta Lake tables, significantly improving query performance and reducing storage requirements. Users can activate this feature by setting the `delta.parquet.format.version` table property to `2.12.0` or by enabling automatic upgrades. This functionality is supported in Databricks Runtime 18.1 and above.

Why it matters

The introduction of Parquet v2 allows organizations to optimize their data storage and enhance query performance, which can lead to reduced costs and improved operational efficiency. This is particularly beneficial for data-intensive applications and analytics workloads, enabling faster insights and better resource utilization.

Key capabilities

Advanced Data Encoding

Utilizes advanced encodings to enhance data compression and performance.

Improved Query Performance

Reduces query execution time through optimized data page headers.

Automatic Upgrades

Enables seamless upgrades to new features without manual intervention.

Compatibility Verification

Ensures workload compatibility before enabling new features on existing tables.

Prerequisites

Databricks Runtime 18.1 or above

Unity Catalog managed tables in Delta Lake or Apache Iceberg formats

Serverless compute must be available in your region

Recommended use cases

Optimizing storage costs for large datasets.Enhancing performance for data analytics applications.Seamlessly upgrading existing Delta Lake tables to leverage new features.Improving data governance and management with automatic compatibility checks.

Limitations · remember

!Tables shared via Delta Lake Sharing are excluded from automatic upgrades.

!No batch rollback mechanism for turning off features across all tables.

!Materialized views and streaming tables are not supported.

!Path-based access workloads are not tracked by automatic upgrades.

Architecture

Databricks Runtime → Delta Lake → Unity Catalog → Automatic Upgrades

Get started

Set Parquet Version

Configure the `delta.parquet.format.version` to `2.12.0`.

Enable Automatic Upgrades

Activate automatic upgrades for new schemas to utilize Parquet v2 features.

Monitor Table Compatibility

Check table access patterns to ensure compatibility with automatic upgrades.

Review Upgrade History

Use the Catalog Explorer to verify if automatic upgrades have been applied.

Manage Features

Utilize SQL commands to turn off features if necessary.

Key takeaway

Parquet v2 for Delta Lake tables enhances performance and reduces storage costs, enabling organizations to optimize their data management strategies.

2026-06-29-parquet-v2-for-delta-lake-tables-is-generally-available Generated by the Databricks Updates Agent · browse all updates