[This repository contains the raw data for the manuscript "Restoring the strange metal phase via suppression of charge density waves in an underdoped cuprate superconductor" (arXiv:2009.08398)] The normal state of cuprates is dominated by the “strange metal” phase that, near optimal doping, shows a linear temperature dependence of the resistivity persisting down to the lowest T, when superconductivity is suppressed. For underdoped cuprates this behavior is lost below the pseudogap temperature T*, where Charge Density Waves (CDW) together with other intertwined local orders characterize the ground state. Here we show that the T-linear resistivity of highly strained, ultrathin and underdoped YBa2Cu3O7-δ films is restored when the CDW amplitude, detected by Resonant Inelastic X-ray scattering, is suppressed. This observation points towards an intimate connection between the onset of CDW and the departure from T-linear resistivity in underdoped cuprates, a link that was missing until now. It also illustrates the potentiality of strain control to manipulate the ground state of quantum materials.