direct: ignore UC-managed schema property defaults

acceptance/bundle/resources/schemas/drift/managed_properties/databricks.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+bundle:
+  name: test-bundle
+
+resources:
+  schemas:
+    schema1:
+      name: myschema
+      catalog_name: main

acceptance/bundle/resources/schemas/drift/managed_properties/output.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+
+=== Initial deployment
+>>> [CLI] bundle deploy
+Uploading bundle files to /Workspace/Users/[USERNAME]/.bundle/test-bundle/default/files...
+Deploying resources...
+Updating deployment state...
+Deployment complete!
+
+=== Plan is a no-op despite UC auto-populating managed properties
+>>> [CLI] bundle plan
+Plan: 0 to add, 0 to change, 0 to delete, 1 unchanged
+
+=== Redeploy is a no-op (no UpdateSchema call)
+>>> [CLI] bundle deploy
+Uploading bundle files to /Workspace/Users/[USERNAME]/.bundle/test-bundle/default/files...
+Deploying resources...
+Updating deployment state...
+Deployment complete!
+
+>>> print_requests.py //unity
+json.method = "POST";
+json.path = "/api/2.1/unity-catalog/schemas";
+json.body.catalog_name = "main";
+json.body.name = "myschema";

acceptance/bundle/resources/schemas/drift/managed_properties/script

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+echo "*" > .gitignore
+
+title "Initial deployment"
+trace $CLI bundle deploy
+
+title "Plan is a no-op despite UC auto-populating managed properties"
+trace $CLI bundle plan | contains.py "Plan: 0 to add, 0 to change, 0 to delete, 1 unchanged"
+
+title "Redeploy is a no-op (no UpdateSchema call)"
+trace $CLI bundle deploy
+trace print_requests.py //unity | gron.py | contains.py '!json.method = "PATCH"'

acceptance/bundle/resources/schemas/drift/managed_properties/test.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+RecordRequests = true
+
+# Terraform issues a spurious PATCH for enable_predictive_optimization on every
+# deploy, which is outside the scope of backend-default handling in resources.yml.
+EnvMatrix.DATABRICKS_BUNDLE_ENGINE = ["direct"]

acceptance/bundle/resources/schemas/recreate/output.txt

@@ -83,6 +83,9 @@ Error: Resource catalog.SchemaInfo not found: main.myschema
   "metastore_id": "[UUID]",
   "name": "myschema",
   "owner": "[USERNAME]",
+  "properties": {
+    "unity.catalog.managed.delta.defaults.delta.enableRowTracking": "true"
+  },
   "schema_id": "[UUID]",
   "updated_at": [UNIX_TIME_MILLIS][0],
   "updated_by": "[USERNAME]"

bundle/direct/bundle_plan.go

@@ -452,19 +452,56 @@ func shouldSkipBackendDefault(cfg *dresources.ResourceLifecycleConfig, path *str
 		return "", false
 	}
 	for _, rule := range cfg.BackendDefaults {
-		if !path.HasPatternPrefix(rule.Field) {
-			continue
-		}
-		if len(rule.Values) == 0 {
-			return deployplan.ReasonBackendDefault, true
-		}
-		if matchesAllowedValue(ch.Remote, rule.Values) {
+		if matchesBackendDefaultRule(path, ch.Remote, rule) {
 			return deployplan.ReasonBackendDefault, true
 		}
 	}
+	if matchesBackendDefaultMap(cfg, path, ch.Remote) {
+		return deployplan.ReasonBackendDefault, true
+	}
 	return "", false
 }
 
+func matchesBackendDefaultRule(path *structpath.PathNode, remote any, rule dresources.BackendDefaultRule) bool {
+	if !path.HasPatternPrefix(rule.Field) {
+		return false
+	}
+	if len(rule.Values) == 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+	return matchesAllowedValue(remote, rule.Values)
+}
+
+// matchesBackendDefaultMap handles the nil-vs-map case from structdiff, where a
+// remote-only map change is emitted at the parent path rather than per key.
+// We only skip the parent map if every remote entry matches a configured
+// backend-default child rule; any unmanaged key must still surface as drift.
+func matchesBackendDefaultMap(cfg *dresources.ResourceLifecycleConfig, path *structpath.PathNode, remote any) bool {
+	rv := reflect.ValueOf(remote)
+	if !rv.IsValid() || rv.Kind() != reflect.Map || rv.IsNil() || rv.Type().Key().Kind() != reflect.String || rv.Len() == 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	iter := rv.MapRange()
+	for iter.Next() {
+		childPath := structpath.NewBracketString(path, iter.Key().String())
+		childRemote := iter.Value().Interface()
+
+		matched := false
+		for _, rule := range cfg.BackendDefaults {
+			if matchesBackendDefaultRule(childPath, childRemote, rule) {
+				matched = true
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		if !matched {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true
+}
+
 // matchesAllowedValue checks if the remote value matches one of the allowed JSON values.
 // Each json.RawMessage is unmarshaled into the same type as remote for comparison.
 func matchesAllowedValue(remote any, values []json.RawMessage) bool {

bundle/direct/bundle_plan_test.go

@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@ package direct
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/databricks/cli/bundle/deployplan"
+	"github.com/databricks/cli/bundle/direct/dresources"
 	"github.com/databricks/cli/libs/dyn"
+	"github.com/databricks/cli/libs/structs/structpath"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestDynPathToStructPath(t *testing.T) {
@@ -35,3 +39,86 @@ func TestDynPathToStructPath(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(t, tc.expected, node.String())
 	}
 }
+
+func TestShouldSkipBackendDefault_SchemaManagedPropertiesOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := dresources.GetResourceConfig("schemas")
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		path     string
+		remote   any
+		expected bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "managed delta row tracking property",
+			path:     "properties['unity.catalog.managed.delta.defaults.delta.enableRowTracking']",
+			remote:   "true",
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "managed iceberg catalog property",
+			path:     "properties['unity.catalog.managed.iceberg.defaults.delta.feature.catalogManaged']",
+			remote:   "true",
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "unmanaged remote-only property is not skipped",
+			path:     "properties['custom.remote_only']",
+			remote:   "true",
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "managed-only parent properties map is skipped",
+			path:     "properties",
+			remote:   map[string]string{"unity.catalog.managed.delta.defaults.delta.enableRowTracking": "true"},
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "mixed parent properties map is not skipped",
+			path:     "properties",
+			remote:   map[string]string{"unity.catalog.managed.delta.defaults.delta.enableRowTracking": "true", "custom.remote_only": "true"},
+			expected: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			path, err := structpath.ParsePath(tt.path)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			reason, ok := shouldSkipBackendDefault(cfg, path, &deployplan.ChangeDesc{
+				Old:    nil,
+				New:    nil,
+				Remote: tt.remote,
+			})
+
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, ok)
+			if tt.expected {
+				assert.Equal(t, deployplan.ReasonBackendDefault, reason)
+			} else {
+				assert.Empty(t, reason)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// Map drift handling synthesizes child paths to match against rules. structdiff
+// always emits map keys in bracket notation, so synthetic child paths must too;
+// otherwise rules wouldn't match for identifier-like keys.
+func TestShouldSkipBackendDefault_MapDriftUsesBracketKeys(t *testing.T) {
+	field, err := structpath.ParsePattern("properties['simple']")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	cfg := &dresources.ResourceLifecycleConfig{
+		BackendDefaults: []dresources.BackendDefaultRule{{Field: field}},
+	}
+
+	path, err := structpath.ParsePath("properties")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	reason, ok := shouldSkipBackendDefault(cfg, path, &deployplan.ChangeDesc{
+		Remote: map[string]string{"simple": "v"},
+	})
+	assert.True(t, ok)
+	assert.Equal(t, deployplan.ReasonBackendDefault, reason)
+}

bundle/direct/dresources/resources.yml

@@ -323,6 +323,12 @@ resources:
         reason: immutable
       - field: storage_root
         reason: immutable
+    backend_defaults:
+      # UC auto-populates these system-managed keys after create.
+      # Without this, every subsequent plan produces an Update whose payload is empty,
+      # and UC rejects it with "UpdateSchema Nothing to update".
+      - field: properties['unity.catalog.managed.delta.defaults.delta.enableRowTracking']
+      - field: properties['unity.catalog.managed.iceberg.defaults.delta.feature.catalogManaged']
 
   external_locations:
     recreate_on_changes:

libs/testserver/schemas.go

@@ -39,6 +39,13 @@ func (s *FakeWorkspace) SchemasCreate(req Request) Response {
 	schema.MetastoreId = TestMetastore.MetastoreId
 	schema.Owner = s.CurrentUser().UserName
 	schema.SchemaId = nextUUID()
+	if schema.Properties == nil {
+		// Mirror UC behavior: managed system defaults are populated when the user
+		// doesn't specify any properties. Required to cover backend-default drift.
+		schema.Properties = map[string]string{
+			"unity.catalog.managed.delta.defaults.delta.enableRowTracking": "true",
+		}
+	}
 	s.Schemas[schema.FullName] = schema
 
 	return Response{