Microsoft Fabric: The data platform for the era of AI

Many organisations have identified the need for a unified approach to data management and analytics. Finding a software solution that consolidates data across the board provides easy access and can extract actionable insights at speed, has become a top priority for businesses.

If we add the additional speed that AI-powered solutions offer, integrating them into data management and analytics is now also a must. Microsoft Fabric emerges as a single solution that solves all these challenges.

What is Microsoft Fabric?

Microsoft Fabric is an all-encompassing analytics platform designed to simplify and streamline data management for organisations of all sizes. At its core, Fabric introduces the innovative OneLake concept, providing centralised data storage and sharing capabilities. This unified data lake is built on the open-source Apache Foundation Delta parquet format, ensuring interoperability and flexibility.

The platform integrates various components crucial for modern data analytics:

• Data Factory: Orchestrates data workflows and pipelines.
• Synapse Data Engineering: Develops and manages big data.
• Synapse Data Science: Builds and operationalises machine learning.
• Synapse Data Warehousing: Stores and analyses large datasets.
• Synapse Real-Time Analytics: Analyses streaming and real-time data.
• Power BI: Visualises and reports data insights.
• Data Activator: Monitors and triggers data actions.
• OneLake: Unified data lake for storage.

By consolidating these technologies, Fabric eliminates the need for multiple disparate systems, offering a cohesive environment for end-to-end data management and analysis.

“We are very happy that we chose Microsoft Fabric. It allowed us to integrate multiple data sources and create a single source of truth. Its deployment was fast and slick, and we have really benefited from its flexibility and scalability, which have adapted to our needs. With Fabric, we can look forward to ingesting our data properly and giving more data-driven insights to policymakers that can better serve the people of Ireland" – Sorcha O’Callaghan, Head of Data & Analytics at the Department of Transport, Ireland.

How does Microsoft Fabric capitalise on AI technology?

Microsoft Fabric takes data analysis to the next level by incorporating cutting-edge AI capabilities. This AI integration is primarily achieved through Microsoft Copilot, an intelligent AI-powered assistant that enhances Fabric's already powerful toolkit.

Copilot enhances data analytics capabilities with intelligent support, bringing AI-driven assistance to various aspects of the analytics process, from data preparation to insight generation. In simple terms, Copilot acts as a virtual data scientist. For example, it generates insightful reports in Power BI, simplifies pipeline creation in Data Factory, speeds up SQL queries in Synapse, and accelerates app development in Power Apps.

Flexible architecture for diverse needs

While empowering data-driven decision-making is crucial, organisations often find themselves at various stages of data maturity. Recognising this, Microsoft Fabric offers a flexible architecture with three main scenarios that accommodate the user’s diverse needs and scalability when needed:

• Simple Data Lake: Ideal for organisations starting their data journey, allowing storage and basic processing of raw data.
• Warehouse: Suited for well-defined data processes and reporting requirements.
• Lakehouse (hybrid approach): Combines the best of both worlds, organising data into bronze (raw), silver (cleaned and transformed), and gold (fully processed) layers for progressive refinement.

To provide a reliable experience, Fabric uses two techniques called ‘Bursting’ and ‘Smoothing’. Bursting refers to handling temporary spikes in data processing needs by scaling resources dynamically and preventing the system from crashing. Smoothing, on the other hand, is about maintaining consistent system performance over time. It involves distributing workloads evenly over time to avoid resource overload and maintain a steady flow.

This flexibility ensures that Fabric can meet the diverse needs of different departments and use cases within a single organisation with the same level of performance.

Security, compliance, and governance for your data

Concerns about data breaches and privacy are paramount, and this is where Microsoft Fabric stands out with its robust security features and compliance capabilities. The platform offers end-to-end data encryption, granular access controls, and comprehensive auditing functionalities.

Fabric's integration with Microsoft Purview provides advanced data governance capabilities across the entire suite of Microsoft products. This integration allows organisations to maintain data quality, implement data catalogues, create data lineage, and ensure compliance with various regulatory standards such as GDPR and HIPAA.

As a government department, the security element is very important to us. We manage sensitive data from our citizens, so we're very happy that Microsoft Purview is integrated with Fabric, as it allows us to define sensitivity labels on our data and ensure it is stored securely straight from the intake right until the end reports. –– Sorcha O’Callaghan, Head of Data & Analytics at Department of Transport of Ireland.

Cost efficiency: Fabric’s capacity-based pricing model

One of Fabric's most compelling aspects is its unique pricing model. Unlike traditional platforms that charge separately for individual services, Fabric operates on a capacity-based model. Organisations pay for a single subscription that grants access to all of Fabric's features and capabilities, eliminating the need to make individual service payments. This way, users can scale their usage within their chosen capacity without incurring additional costs.

Knowing that you have the same cost every month, regardless of the usage, simplifies budgeting and cost management, with the added value of being able to scale usage up or down as needed without having to worry about incurring additional costs.

How can Microsoft Fabric help your organisation?

Want to learn more about Microsoft Fabric?  View our on-demand webinar: Microsoft Fabric: how to build a robust data platform and generate AI insights hosted by Agustina Lazzarini, Azure Data & AI Solution Architect from Codec in conjunction with Paul Norris, Senior Data & AI Solutions sales specialist with Microsoft.  It also featured Sorcha O'Callaghan, Head of Data and Analytics from the Department of Transport who discussed their experience of implementing Microsoft Fabric in their environment.

To access the full recording of the webinar please complete the form below.