Data is the lifeblood of business. As the famous quote goes, “Data is the new oil.” But simply having data is not enough – you need the capability to extract insights to drive informed decision-making. This is where Microsoft Fabric comes in.
Microsoft Fabric is a cloud-based data integration platform that empowers you to easily ingest, transform, integrate, and analyze data from disparate sources. With its user-friendly, no-code interface, Microsoft Fabric makes it simple to build scalable data solutions and leverage the power of your data.
Some key capabilities of Microsoft Fabric include:
With Microsoft Fabric, you get a centralized platform to manage your entire data lifecycle – from extraction to visualization. This eliminates data siloes and provides a “single source of truth” for business insights.
We know what is Microsoft Fabric by now. But do we know that it is a versatile platform that can support a wide variety of data integration scenarios across industries and use cases. To know Microsoft Fabric use cases, here are some of the most common ways organizations leverage Microsoft Fabric:
Manufacturing
In manufacturing, here what is Microsoft Fabric used for. It can ingest sensor data from connected machines and production systems to provide operational visibility. Manufacturers can use analytics on this data to:
By leveraging industrial IoT data with Microsoft Fabric, manufacturers can drive continuous improvement.
Insurance
For insurance companies, Microsoft Fabric use cases are very useful. It enables better risk assessment using analytical models on aggregated data. Insurers can gain customer insights to enhance pricing, underwriting and claims management.
Non-Profit Organizations
For non-profits, Microsoft Fabric can consolidate data from disparate sources like donors, volunteers, programs, finances, social media etc. Insights from this data help NPOs make better decisions on resource allocation, performance measurement and goal setting.
Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI)
In BFSI, one of Microsoft Fabric use cases is that it can generate insights for customer experience improvement, risk mitigation and identifying new revenue opportunities. Financial organizations can also use Fabric to meet regulatory compliance requirements.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics companies can use Microsoft Fabric to extract value from data across the supply chain – inventory, warehousing, transportation, IoT sensor streams. This data can optimize routes, improve predictability, reduce costs, and enhance service levels.
As we’ve seen, Microsoft Fabric use cases and applications of Microsoft Fabric are across domains. But where does this data come from? Let’s look at some industry-specific data sources.
To make use of Microsoft Fabric, you first need access to relevant data sources. The tools and systems used by different industries provide the raw data that can fuel Fabric analytics.
Manufacturing Data Sources
In manufacturing, data resides in:
By connecting these systems to Microsoft Fabric, manufacturers can extract production data for analysis.
Insurance Data Sources
For insurance companies, data comes from:
Bringing this data into Microsoft Fabric drives better risk insights.
Non-Profit Data Sources
For non-profits, data is generated from:
Analyzing these sources with Microsoft Fabric provides insights to help NPOs fulfill their missions.
BFSI Data Sources
In banking, financial services, and insurance, key data comes from:
Fabric enables exploiting this wealth of BFSI data.
Logistics Data Sources
In logistics, data is produced by:
Microsoft Fabric can connect to these systems for supply chain insights.
We’ve looked at some of the data sources common in different verticals. But how can we actually get this data into Microsoft Fabric?
A key strength of Microsoft Fabric is its extensive connectivity to ingest data from diverse sources. Some ways to integrate data include:
Using Native Connectors
Microsoft Fabric provides hundreds of pre-built connectors to popular applications and databases. This includes connectors for:
These native connectors make importing data seamless.
Leveraging REST APIs
For custom applications or unique data sources, Microsoft Fabric enables connecting via REST APIs. This provides flexibility to extract data from any platform exposing APIs.
Loading Files
For on-premises systems without direct connectivity, files and folders can be periodically loaded into Microsoft Fabric. This lets you leverage existing export capabilities.
Streaming IoT Data
Time-series data from IoT devices can be streamed into Microsoft Fabric using Event Hubs. This enables real-time analytics on sensor data.
Pulling from Other Cloud Storage
If data already resides in Azure Storage, AWS S3 etc., it can be directly accessed via linked services without copying. This avoids data duplication.
As shown above, Microsoft Fabric is extremely versatile in ingesting data from diverse systems. Once data is available in Fabric, where is it stored?
Storing Data in Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric provides two main options for storing and analyzing data:
Lakehouse – For Big Data
The Lakehouse is best suited for “big data” use cases with large volumes of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data. It combines the flexibility of a data lake with analytical capabilities of a data warehouse. Data is stored in open Apache formats.
Datamart – For Analytics
Datamarts are used for analytical workloads that require a relational data warehouse optimized for performance. Data is stored in Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools.
Let’s look at some ways of loading data into Lakehouse and Datamarts:
Direct Copy via Pipelines
Data from source systems can be directly copied into Lakehouse or Datamarts using drag-and-drop pipelines in Microsoft Fabric. This is the easiest way for one-time data loads.
Notebooks for Transformation
For more complex ETL, Azure Databricks notebooks can be leveraged to transform data before loading into Lakehouse. This provides code-based data prep capabilities.
Incremental Refresh
Once full data is available in Lakehouse or Datamart, pipelines can be scheduled to refresh it incrementally. This ensures latest data is always available for analytics.
Business User Uploads
Data upload applications allow business users to easily upload data files through a simple interface. The data is stored securely in the Lakehouse.
Creating Shortcuts
Instead of copying data, shortcuts can be created to data already present in external storage. This provides unified data access.
As we’ve seen, Microsoft Fabric offers great flexibility in how data is imported, stored, and prepared for analytics. What are some real-world examples of the business insights it enables?
The true measure of any data solution is the business value it ultimately enables. With Microsoft Fabric, data can be turned into meaningful analytics to drive growth. Let’s look at examples for different functions:
Supply Chain Analytics
By connecting ERP, WMS, TMS and inventory data, Microsoft Fabric allows building dashboards showing:
These insights help optimize supply chain operations.
Customer Analytics
Linking customer data from CRM systems, websites, stores and other touchpoints enables fabric to produce analytics on:
This drives better customer engagement.
Financial Analytics
For finance teams, Microsoft Fabric can pull data from multiple accounting systems and ERPs into reports on:
These insights support strategic and operational decision making.
Production Analytics
By leveraging IoT and factory data, Microsoft Fabric allows creating analytics on:
This enables continuous improvement initiatives.
As shown above, actionable and impactful analytics can be built in Microsoft Fabric by blending data from all relevant sources. But Fabric doesn’t stop there…
Microsoft Fabric allows going beyond traditional analytics by leveraging Azure AI and ML capabilities. Some ways to boost performance include:
Using ML Models
Predictive machine learning models built in Azure ML can be operationalized and integrated into Microsoft Fabric analytics. This enables scoring data for richer insights.
Applying Cognitive Services
Azure’s pre-built Cognitive Services like Vision, Language and Decision can be leveraged to enrich data. For example, extracting text from images or sentiment analysis on customer surveys.
Embedding Power BI
Reports and dashboards built in Power BI can be embedded into custom applications of Microsoft Fabric. This allows interactive analytics and data discovery.
Enabling Advanced Analytics
For data scientists, Azure Databricks allows running advanced analytics like machine learning, geospatial analysis, time series forecasting on Fabric data.
By complementing its core ETL and BI capabilities with Azure AI, Microsoft Fabric enables building smarter, proactive and automated data solutions.
We’ve explored the key features and applications of Microsoft Fabric. But why should you choose it over alternatives for your data needs? Some key advantages include:
For any enterprise looking to maximize the value of data, Microsoft Fabric provides the most versatile, scalable and future-proof solution.
Yes, MS Fabric consolidates data into one place. For analytics and insights. But Fabric is Complex if you try leveraging it alone. Many companies struggle to implement MS Fabric. And maximize its value. This is Where Beyond Key comes in. We are experts in Microsoft Azure Fabric. We make Fabric work for you.
Beyond Key helps connect the dots via
Certified Fabric Know-How
Our team has deep knowledge of Fabric’s capabilities.
Vendor-Agnostic Guidance
We focus on your needs. Not any one vendor.
Solutions Scaled to Your Business
We help both young startups and large enterprises.
Cost Optimization
We find ways to cut costs. And get better pricing.
Targeted Services
Migration, performance, security, management.
Let us guide your MS Fabric journey. We’re eager to listen and understand. How we can maximize Fabric’s value for you. And make your Fabric journey a success. Let’s start shaping your data-driven future together!
Microsoft Fabric overcomes barriers with an end-to-end platform for data consolidation, preparation, enrichment, and governance. By making enterprise-grade data integration accessible to technical and non-technical users alike, Microsoft Fabric accelerates delivering data into the hands of those who need it most.
With Microsoft Fabric and Beyond Key’s consultation, organizations across every industry can more easily leverage data to guide strategies, uncover opportunities, streamline operations, and exceed customer expectations.
Want unified data to create breakthrough products, experiences and business models?
Microsoft Fabric lays the data foundation for building the future.
