Microsoft Fabric is Microsoft's unified data and analytics platform, bringing together Power BI, data engineering, data integration, real-time analytics and data science into a single product built on a shared data foundation called OneLake. It is designed for organisations that need to combine and analyse data from multiple systems at a larger scale than standard Power BI reporting alone.
How Microsoft Fabric works
Fabric stores all data in OneLake, a single unified data lake, rather than requiring separate storage for each analytics tool. Data engineers can build pipelines to bring data in from multiple source systems, data scientists can build and train models on that same data, and Power BI reports can be built directly on top without needing to move or duplicate the underlying data. This shared foundation reduces the data silos that often build up when different teams use separate, disconnected analytics tools.
How UK businesses use Microsoft Fabric
- A growing distributor with several systems, including an ERP, an e-commerce platform and a warehouse management system, uses Fabric to bring all the data together into one place for unified reporting.
- A business builds data pipelines in Fabric to combine Business Central financial data with CRM and operational data, supporting more advanced cross-system analysis than Power BI alone could provide.
- A data team uses Fabric's data science capabilities to build a demand forecasting model trained on several years of historical sales data.
- An organisation consolidates several previously separate data warehouses and reporting tools onto Fabric, reducing licensing complexity and duplicate data storage.
How Advantage helps businesses assess Microsoft Fabric
Advantage advises businesses on whether Microsoft Fabric is the right step, often for organisations that have outgrown standard Power BI reporting connected directly to Business Central, and helps plan a practical migration path where it is.
Frequently asked questions
How is Microsoft Fabric different from Power BI?
Power BI is one component within Microsoft Fabric, focused on reporting and visualisation. Fabric is a much broader platform that also includes data engineering, data integration, real-time analytics and data science capabilities, all built on a shared data foundation called OneLake.
Do I need Microsoft Fabric if I already use Power BI and Business Central?
Not necessarily. Many SMEs get everything they need from Power BI connected directly to Business Central. Fabric becomes valuable when a business needs to combine and analyse data from multiple different systems at a larger scale, or needs advanced data engineering and data science capabilities beyond standard reporting.
What is OneLake in Microsoft Fabric?
OneLake is the single, unified data lake that underlies all of Microsoft Fabric. Rather than creating separate data storage for each analytics tool, all Fabric capabilities, including Power BI, data engineering and data science, read from and write to the same OneLake storage layer.
