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    MaxCompute:Build and manage a data lakehouse (DLF and OSS)

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    MaxCompute:Build and manage a data lakehouse (DLF and OSS)

    Last Updated:Sep 21, 2026

    Combine MaxCompute with Data Lake Formation (DLF) and Object Storage Service (OSS) to create an integrated data warehouse and data lake architecture for flexible and efficient data processing. This topic describes how to build a data lakehouse and manage its projects.

    Usage notes

    • The data lakehouse feature is available only in the following regions: China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Shenzhen), China (Hong Kong), Singapore, and Germany (Frankfurt).

    • MaxCompute, OSS, and DLF must be deployed in the same region.

    Procedure

    1. Activate services

    2. Grant MaxCompute access permissions

      You must grant permissions when building a data lakehouse because, by default, a MaxCompute project account is not authorized to access DLF or OSS. Use one of the following two authorization methods:

      • One-click authorization: Use this method if the same account manages the MaxCompute project, DLF, and OSS. We recommend that you click Authorize DLF and OSS to grant permissions with a single click.

      • Custom authorization: Use this method if different accounts manage the MaxCompute project, DLF, and OSS, or if you require manual configuration. For more information, see Custom authorization.

    3. Build a data lakehouse in DataWorks

      1. Log in to the DataWorks console and select a region in the upper-left corner.

        For a list of supported regions, see Usage notes.

      2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Other Items > Lake and Warehouse Integration (Data Lakehouse).

      3. On the Lake and Warehouse Integration (Data Lakehouse) page, click Start.

      4. On the Create Data Lakehouse page, follow the on-screen instructions.

        • Create Data Warehouse:

          Parameter

          Description

          External Project Name

          A custom name for the external project. The name must meet the following requirements:

          • The name must start with a letter and can contain only letters, underscores (_), and digits.

          • The name must be no more than 128 characters long.

          For more information about the basic concepts of external projects, see Project concepts.

          MaxCompute Project

          Select the desired MaxCompute project.

        • Create Data Lake Connection

          Parameter

          Description

          Heterogeneous Data Platform Type

          • Alibaba Cloud E-MapReduce/Hadoop Cluster: Build a Data Lakehouse with MaxCompute and Hadoop.

          • Alibaba Cloud DLF + OSS: Use MaxCompute, DLF, and OSS to build a Data Lakehouse.

          Alibaba Cloud DLF + OSS data lake connection

          External Project Description

          Optional. The description of the external project.

          Region Where DLF Is Activated

          The region where the Data Lake Formation (DLF) service is available. Valid values:

          • China (Hangzhou): cn-hangzhou

          • China (Shanghai): cn-shanghai

          • China (Beijing): cn-beijing

          • China (Shenzhen): cn-shenzhen

          • China (Zhangjiakou): cn-zhangjiakou

          • Singapore: ap-southeast-1

          • Germany (Frankfurt): eu-central-1

          DLF EndPoint

          The internal service endpoint of DLF. Select an endpoint based on your region. Valid values:

          • China (Hangzhou): dlf-share.cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com

          • China (Shanghai): dlf-share.cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com

          • China (Beijing): dlf-share.cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com

          • China (Zhangjiakou): dlf-share.cn-zhangjiakou.aliyuncs.com

          • China (Shenzhen): dlf-share.cn-shenzhen.aliyuncs.com

          • China (Hong Kong): dlf-share.cn-hongkong.aliyuncs.com

          • Singapore: dlf-share.ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com

          • Germany (Frankfurt): dlf-share.eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com

          DLF Database Name

          • The name of the target database in DLF.

          • To obtain the database name:

            1. Log on to the Data Lake Formation (DLF) console, and in the upper-left corner, select a region.

            2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Metadata > Metadata.

            3. On the Metadata page, click the Table tab.

          • Only databases in the default data catalog of DLF are supported.

          1. Log on to the Data Lake Formation (DLF) console, and in the upper-left corner, select a region.

          2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Metadata > Metadata.

          3. On the Metadata page, click the Table tab.

          DLF role ARN

          Optional. The Alibaba Cloud Resource Name (ARN) of the RAM role, which is required if you use custom authorization.

          To obtain the ARN:

          1. Log in to the RAM console.

          2. In the left navigation bar, select Identities > Roles.

          3. On the Roles page, click the target Role Name to go to the role details page.

          4. In the Basic Information section, you can obtain the ARN.

    4. Manage a data lakehouse with DataWorks

      1. Log in to the DataWorks console and select a region in the upper-left corner.

      2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Other Items > Lake and Warehouse Integration (Data Lakehouse).

      3. On the Other Items > Lake and Warehouse Integration (Data Lakehouse) page, you can perform the following actions:

        1. Select the target external project, and click Use Data Lakehouse in the Actions column to get started.

        2. Click Project configuration in the Actions column of the target external project to update the external project information in the Project configuration dialog box.

        3. Update the database name of the external data source that is mapped to the MaxCompute external project, or reselect the external data source. To delete an external data source, go to the external data source page and delete it. (Updating an external data source is not currently supported).

        4. Click Delete in the Actions column of the target external project. This action performs a logical delete on the MaxCompute external project. The external project enters a silent state and is permanently deleted after 15 days. During this period, you cannot create an external project with the same name.

      4. View metadata for a data lakehouse external project

        1. Log in to the DataWorks console and select a region in the upper-left corner.

        2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Workspace.

        3. On the Workspaces page, in the Actions column of the target workspace, choose Shortcuts > Data Map.

          Select the workspace that is bound to the external project.

        4. To search for a table name in an external project, use the search box on the Shortcuts Data Map page, or click the image icon in the left navigation bar and search on the Directory List tab on the right.

        The metadata in the table is updated on a T+1 basis. This means if you modify a table schema on the mapping side, such as in Hive, the changes appear in DataWorks Data Map the next day. Metadata on the MaxCompute engine side is updated in real time.

    In the Public Tables pane, enter keywords in the search box to quickly filter tables from external projects. When you select a target table, the Column Information, Partition Information, and Data Preview tabs appear below, showing the detailed table schema. In the SQL editor on the right, write and run queries against the external table. The query results are displayed in the Result tab below.

    Related documents

    For data lakehouse solutions that use Data Lake Formation (DLF), ApsaraDB RDS or Flink, and Object Storage Service (OSS) with Delta Lake or Hudi, see Using DLF, RDS or Flink, and OSS with Delta Lake or Hudi.