What causes METASTORE_NOT_FOUND?

The workspace was created but a Unity Catalog metastore was never assigned to it by an account admin. The metastore was deleted or its region does not match the workspace region. An API call references a metastore ID that belongs to a different account or region. The workspace is still using the legacy Hive metastore and Unity Catalog features are being called

How do I fix METASTORE_NOT_FOUND?

Step 1: Sign in to the Databricks Account Console and navigate to Data > Metastores.. Step 2: Confirm that a metastore exists in the same region as your workspace. If not, create one.. Step 3: Assign the metastore to the workspace under Metastore > Workspaces.. Step 4: Wait a few minutes for the assignment to propagate, then retry the operation.. Step 5: If running an API call with a metastore_id, verify the ID is correct and belongs to the same account.

Critical severityconfiguration

Power BI Refresh Error:
METASTORE_NOT_FOUND

What does this error mean?

A workspace operation failed because no Unity Catalog metastore is assigned to the workspace, or the referenced metastore does not exist in the Databricks account.

Common causes

1The workspace was created but a Unity Catalog metastore was never assigned to it by an account admin
2The metastore was deleted or its region does not match the workspace region
3An API call references a metastore ID that belongs to a different account or region
4The workspace is still using the legacy Hive metastore and Unity Catalog features are being called

How to fix it

1Step 1: Sign in to the Databricks Account Console and navigate to Data > Metastores.
2Step 2: Confirm that a metastore exists in the same region as your workspace. If not, create one.
3Step 3: Assign the metastore to the workspace under Metastore > Workspaces.
4Step 4: Wait a few minutes for the assignment to propagate, then retry the operation.
5Step 5: If running an API call with a metastore_id, verify the ID is correct and belongs to the same account.

Frequently asked questions

Can a workspace have more than one metastore?

No. Each workspace can be assigned to exactly one Unity Catalog metastore at a time. All catalogs, schemas, and tables in that workspace live under that single metastore.

Does deleting a metastore delete the underlying data?

No. Deleting a metastore removes the governance layer and catalog metadata, but the underlying cloud storage (Delta tables, managed files) is not automatically deleted. However, Unity Catalog access to those objects is lost.