Create a workspace

A DataWorks workspace is an isolated, project-based container for managing development tasks, computing resources, and team permissions. Create one before starting any data project to keep code, resources, and members organized and secure.

For a conceptual overview, see Workspace overview.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have:

An Alibaba Cloud account, or a Resource Access Management (RAM) user granted the AliyunDataWorksFullAccess or CreateWorkspace access policy. For details, see Grant permissions to a RAM user
A workspace configuration plan. See Pre-creation planning

Choose a workspace mode

DataWorks workspaces run in one of two modes. Choose your mode before you create the workspace — it cannot be changed for default workspaces, and the production path is fixed at creation.

Mode	When to use
Standard mode (recommended for production)	Building production data pipelines, enforcing code review, or requiring a clear separation between development and production environments
Basic mode	Individual testing, quick validation, or proof-of-concept work with no production data involved

To enable standard mode, turn on Isolate Development And Production Environments during creation.

Quick start for experienced users

Follow these steps to create a standard mode workspace:

Go to the DataWorks workspace list and confirm the correct region is selected. The region cannot be changed after the workspace is created.
Click Create Workspace and configure the following:
- Workspace Name: A unique name following your team's naming conventions (for example, finance_tax_report)
- Isolate Development And Production Environments: Enable this to create a standard mode workspace
- Use the new Data Studio: Enable this to use the latest Data Studio features
  Note
  If this option is not visible, the new Data Studio is enabled by default.
Click Create Workspace.

After the workspace is created, attach a computing resource.

Pre-creation planning

Before creating a workspace, plan the following:

Action	Description	Reference
Plan the workspace	A workspace is the largest unit for business division in DataWorks. Create a division plan based on your project requirements.	Plan a workspace
Choose a workspace mode	Standard mode provides separate development and production environments — use it for all production projects. Basic mode has only a production environment and is suitable for testing or quick validation.	Comparison of basic mode and standard mode

Step 1: Switch the region and confirm the time zone

Workspaces are region-specific. Switch to the region where your business data is located before creating the workspace.

Go to the DataWorks workspace list.
In the top menu bar, switch to the desired region.
Important
Confirm the following before selecting a region — the region cannot be changed after the workspace is created. - Region and time zone relationship: The scheduling time zone defaults to the region's time zone. For example, the China (Beijing) region defaults to UTC+8. To use a different scheduling time zone, check whether your region supports manual switching. See Switch scheduling time zone. - Daylight saving time (DST) impact: If your region observes DST — such as Germany (Frankfurt) or US (Virginia) — review Scenario: Impact of daylight saving time changes on scheduled tasks to prevent unexpected effects on recurring scheduled tasks.

Step 2: Create the workspace

DataWorks automatically creates a default workspace (default_workspace_xxxx) when you first activate the service in a region. This workspace is for quick trials only — do not use it for production. See Built-in default workspace.

On the Workspace List page, click Create Workspace.

Configure the parameters:

Basic information

Parameter	Description
Workspace Name	A unique identifier for the workspace. Cannot be changed after creation.
Display Name	A business-purpose name for easy identification. Can be changed after creation.

Core mode and features

Parameter	Description
Isolate Development And Production Environments	Defines the workspace mode. Enable to create a standard mode workspace with separate development and production environments (recommended for production). Disable to create a basic mode workspace.
Use the new Data Studio	Enable to use Data Studio (new version) (recommended). If disabled, DataStudio (legacy version) is used. If this option is not visible, the new Data Studio is enabled by default.
Workspace Template	Defines the tools, resources, and features available in the workspace. See Workspace template overview.

Advanced configuration

Parameter	Description
Workspace Administrator	The administrator for the workspace. Defaults to the current account. Additional RAM users can be added as administrators. Grant this role with caution — it carries extensive permissions. See Workspace administrator responsibilities.
Create An AI Workspace With The Same Name	Creates an AI workspace with the same name, enabled by default. The AI workspace lets you schedule algorithm tasks on PAI.
Default DataWorks Resource Group	The default DataWorks resource group used when tasks run in the workspace. Can be changed later.
Alibaba Cloud Resource Group	An Alibaba Cloud Resource Management resource group for organizing cloud resources under your account. Defaults to Default Resource Group.

Important

The Alibaba Cloud Resource Group is a cloud account-level mechanism for grouping and managing resources — it is different from the DataWorks resource group used to run tasks.

Step 3: Attach computing resources

After creating the workspace, attach a computing resource such as MaxCompute to run big data development tasks.

If you enabled Use the new Data Studio: You are taken directly to the computing resource attachment page. See Attach computing resources.
If a computing resource is not ready, click Close. You can attach one later.
If you did not enable Use the new Data Studio: You are returned to the workspace list. See Manage workspaces for workspace details, then attach a computing resource before starting data development.

Best practices

Use standard mode for production: Standard mode enforces environment isolation, protecting production data from development changes.
Establish a naming convention before creating workspaces: Use names with clear business meaning, such as finance_tax_report (finance domain — tax report project). Workspace names cannot be changed after creation.
Confirm the scheduling time zone before creation: For teams with operations across multiple regions, align on a time zone policy before creating the workspace.

What's next

Add members to the workspace
Manage workspaces — view, modify, delete, or disable a workspace

Appendix

Workspace template overview

Template	Scenarios	Features	Supported regions
DataWorks workspace	General-purpose. Configure computing resources and data sources as needed.	Fully configurable workspace mode based on DataWorks version features.	All regions where DataWorks is deployed
OpenLake workspace	Big data, search, and AI integrated solution for building open and controllable data lakehouses.	Manages structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data through DLF. Supports secure access and I/O acceleration for lakehouse tables and files. Features multi-engine integration and equitable collaborative computing capabilities. Relies on DataWorks for unified development and large-scale task scheduling.	China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), and China (Shenzhen) only

Built-in default workspace

When you first use DataWorks or activate the service in a new region, DataWorks automatically:

Creates a default workspace with a name starting with default_workspace_.
Creates a pay-as-you-go resource group named dataworks_default_resource_group.
Creates a MaxCompute project with a name starting with default_datasource_ and attaches it as a computing resource.
Attaches newly purchased resource groups to the default workspace.

Important

The default workspace is not suitable for production tasks.

Default workspace vs. custom workspace

Basic properties

Property	Default workspace	Custom workspace
Workspace name	Starts with `default_workspace_` followed by a four-digit code. Cannot be changed.	Custom. Cannot be changed after creation.
Display name	Defaults to "Default workspace". Can be changed.	Custom. Can be changed after creation.
Workspace mode	Basic mode only. If the new Data Studio is enabled, cannot be upgraded to standard mode. If the new Data Studio is not enabled, the workspace can be upgraded to standard mode.	Basic mode or standard mode, chosen at creation.
Workspace administrator	The Alibaba Cloud account that activates DataWorks. If a RAM user activates DataWorks, both the Alibaba Cloud account and that RAM user are administrators.	Same as the default workspace.
Scheduling time zone	Defaults to the region's local time zone. See Switch scheduling time zone.	Same as the default workspace.

Visibility and access

Feature	Default workspace	Custom workspace
Access model	Open — any tenant member can enter	Invitation-based — members must be explicitly added
Visibility	Global — visible to all members of the current tenant	Restricted — visible only to explicitly added members
Role assignment	Automatic — the Guest role is granted on first entry	Explicit — roles are assigned by the workspace administrator