A Guide to Microsoft Fabric

By Ben Gardiner, Content and Comms Executive, BJSS

In the ever-evolving landscape of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), the need for robust, integrated solutions is paramount. This week at Microsoft Ignite in Seattle, Fabric was finally made generally available, offering a unified approach to streamline data analytics and AI capabilities, offering a unified approach to streamline data analytics and AI capabilities.

This blog explores Fabric’s capabilities and strengths, as well as the key considerations your business should keep in mind when adopting it.

What is Fabric?

Microsoft Fabric is an all-in-one analytics platform designed to address the complexity of modern data. It serves as a single, AI-infused platform that connects various data sources and analytics services. Its goal is to simplify the integration of disparate data sets, allowing organisations to bring different data camps together.

What does it do?

Fabric encompasses a range of services and capabilities:

Data Engineering

Leverages the Spark compute platform for large-scale data transformation and democratisation through the lakehouse.

Data Factory

Combines Power Query with the scale of Azure Data Factory for easy ingestion, preparation, and orchestration of data from diverse sources.

Data Science

Facilitates building and deploying AI models on a single foundation without data movement, reducing time to value.

Data Warehouse

Provides a high-performance SQL engine capable of handling large volumes of structured and semi-structured data for complex queries and reports.

Real-Time Analytics

Enables analysis of streaming data in real-time using Azure Stream Analytics for monitoring and immediate reaction to events.

Power BI

Allows users to create and share visualisations and dashboards, enhancing data exploration and communication of insights.

What are the strengths?

At BJSS, we’ve been able to experiment with early builds of Fabric, and we believe its strengths lie in its comprehensive suite of services covering the entire data analytics spectrum. The platform's simplicity in connecting data across different platforms, integration with Power BI, and the ability to cater to diverse user personas make it a robust solution for organisations seeking an integrated analytics environment.

What Do businesses need to consider if adopting fabric?

Early Adoption Challenges

Adopters should be prepared for potential challenges during the early phase, understanding that issues and limitations may be addressed in future updates as the platform evolves.

Microsoft Cloud Presence

Assess how Microsoft Fabric aligns with your existing Microsoft Cloud presence and usage of services like Power Platform or other Cloud data services.

Alignment with AI Goals

Consider how Microsoft Fabric’s capabilities can align with and support your organisation's AI goals.

Cost

Understand the pricing model of Microsoft Fabric, especially the introduction of Capacity Units, and how it may differ from traditional cloud pricing models.

Security and Compliance

Leverage enterprise-level features for security and compliance, ensuring governance and data control regardless of its location.

Ownership and Experience

Recognise the responsibilities for configuration and ownership, understanding that Microsoft may handle more configuration responsibilities as the provider.

Power BI Integration

Understand that Power BI serves as the foundation for Fabric visualisations, providing a seamless transition for existing Power BI users.

How BJSS Can Help

Now that Microsoft Fabric is available, organisations have the opportunity to reshape how they interact with their data. The platform's ability to streamline data analytics and AI capabilities makes it an exciting offering. Microsoft Fabric represents a significant step towards harnessing the power of data for resilient business transformation.

Careful planning and consideration of factors outlined above are essential for a successful adoption. BJSS can play a pivotal role in guiding organisations through the adoption of Microsoft Fabric. From setting up a roadmap to assisting with the engineering side and bringing in AI solutions, BJSS ensures organisations get the best out of the tooling and seamlessly integrate Fabric into their data analytics and AI strategies.

Visit our AI page to learn more.