Many organisations run data estates assembled over a decade: separate integration tools, warehouses, data lakes and reporting platforms, each with its own security model and cost. Microsoft Fabric offers an alternative, a single software as a service platform built around OneLake, a shared data lake for the whole organisation.
What Fabric brings together
- Data Factory pipelines and dataflows for integration.
- Lakehouse and warehouse experiences on open Delta formats.
- Real time analytics for streaming data.
- Power BI for reporting, using the same data without copies.
- Governance through integration with Microsoft Purview.
When Fabric is a strong fit
Fabric suits organisations already invested in Microsoft 365, Azure and Power BI, those wanting to reduce the number of separate data tools, and teams that prefer a managed platform over assembling infrastructure.
Questions to answer first
What is the capacity model?
Fabric uses shared capacity. Sizing and workload management determine both performance and cost.
How will data be governed?
Workspaces, domains, access roles and lineage must be designed before teams start building.
What happens to existing investments?
Synapse, SQL Server and Databricks estates can coexist with Fabric through shortcuts and mirroring, so migration can be phased.
A pragmatic path
Start with a high value reporting domain, prove performance and governance, then extend domain by domain. Our Data Platform Assessment compares Fabric objectively with alternatives, and our Microsoft Fabric services deliver the platform.
