Microsoft Fabric – Here’s How to Get Started

What is Fabric? How does it work alongside Power BI? Do we need it? How do we get started with it? How much does it cost?

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Microsoft Fabric – what is it and how does it relate to Power BI?

Microsoft Fabric is the backend infrastructure for Power BI and is home to all the data you may want to visualise in Power BI.

You may be thinking – Power BI does this already. Well, it does, but it’s limited. As organisations accumulate more and more data, they need a way to store and organise it. Furthermore, you may want to start seeing real-time insights, which is tricky without the correct setup.

Microsoft Fabric offers this enhanced data management and infrastructure. It’s the backbone of your Power BI environment.

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Do we need it?

If your organisation doesn’t already have a data warehouse or data platform i.e., you’re uploading data directly into Power BI, you may want to consider Fabric.

The main symptoms of needing a platform like Microsoft Fabric include:

• Data siloes – very common and leads to huge inefficiencies/lack of collaboration.
• Complex integration that requires constant manual efforts.
• High costs of managing various tools and systems.
• Poor data quality due to inefficient integration and outdated data.
• Security risks due to data being housed in various places.
• Inability to leverage AI tech for deeper insights.

Essentially, there’s usually a widespread feeling of frustration at the time taken to visualise data as well as a distrust in the output.

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How can you get started?

1. Book a Free Fabric Discovery Session

If you want a closer look at Fabric and how it could work for your organisation, we’d recommend booking a Free Microsoft Fabric Discovery session with us.

This includes:

• An introduction to the Microsoft Fabric platform.
• A guided walkthrough of the capabilities and features that you’ll benefit from most.
• A dive into your current state and what your future state could be.
• Comparing alternate platform comparisons to assess alignment.
• Business case overview.
• Estimated cost for implementation.

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2. Microsoft Fabric Implementation

If you’re further down the track and ready for a complete implementation, we also offer a fixed-price Microsoft Fabric Implementation: a fast, secure rollout over a period of 5 weeks.

First, we’ll meet with you to understand your end goals and business objectives. We’ll evaluate your current situation and determine your desired outcomes by the end of the project. This initial assessment typically takes less than a week, after which we can begin the implementation process.

Working with our cross-functional team means you also have access to our testing specialists, who will run a series of tests to ensure your new system runs smoothly with existing applications and technology. We also have cyber security specialists to oversee that your existing data is transferred and stored securely in Fabric.

By the end of it all, you’ll have a robust, secure home for all your data. Not to mention, you’ll solve lots of your existing data challenges. You’ll have better visibility of accurate insights, be able to see ‘real-time’ updates and make faster and more trustworthy business decisions as a result.

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How much does it cost?

Fabric and Power BI pricing can be quite complex. As part of our discovery session, we’ll give you a cost estimate and guidance on optimal licensing.

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Our expertise

We have extensive experience building Power BI data models, reports and dashboards. We also help many organisations with Power BI training. With the evolution of Microsoft Fabric, our data specialists would be happy to help you navigate how this could work for your organisation.