The art of simplifying the complex: Microsoft Fabric’s superpower
The art of simplifying the complex involves distilling intricate ideas, processes, and systems into their essential elements to create a unified experience accessible to a broader audience. When done correctly, it does not reduce capability but rather enables innovation.
Microsoft Fabric has embraced this mission by integrating multiple products and services needed for an end-to-end analytics and AI solution, redefining existing processes to make them simpler and more intuitive. It has significantly simplified how one interfaces with such a comprehensive solution by creating a turnkey software-as-a-service experience that is easy to use with a much simpler and singular capacity usage model.
At Ignite 2024, Fabric took another bold step forward by adding operational databases to the Fabric portfolio with SQL database in Fabric. Adding operational data alongside Fabric’s analytical OLAP (Online Analytics Processing) data and real-time streaming data (RTI) opens a host of new scenarios for AI agentic applications. It also provides our customers with a unified data estate where consistent security and governance policies can be applied.
SQL database in Fabric leverages the proven mission-critical SQL Server database engine. It applies the core principles of Fabric to make deploying and managing an operational database simpler, more autonomous, secure by default, and optimized for AI. For example, deploying and configuring a database only requires a name, and the database is ready in seconds. It is secure by default with encryption at rest and in transit enabled. Networking security is also enabled via Private Link, and high availability and zone redundancy are automatically configured.
SQL in Fabric includes native AI capabilities like support for vector and RAG (Retrieval-augmented Generation). You can also make calls directly to Azure AI services from the database and connect your database to Azure AI Foundry, VSCode, and GitHub for an integrated developer experience. In addition, you will find Microsoft Copilot integrated into every workload in Fabric including SQL in Fabric, simplifying administrative and management tasks for the databases.
Beyond just the OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) database, Fabric introduces new agentic AI application scenarios by providing access to real-time streaming data from IoT sensors, alongside your system of record with SQL in Fabric and other data sets securely stored in OneLake.
OneLake is at the heart of enabling a unified data estate. OneLake is built on top of Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) Gen2 and can support any type of file, structured or unstructured. All Fabric data items like data warehouses and lakehouses store their data automatically in OneLake in Delta Parquet format. With the addition of SQL database in Fabric you now also have access to your mirrored SQL data in OneLake and mirroring data in Fabric is free.
Fabric also provides a rich ecosystem to support agentic AI applications using your operational data. Changes from your data can be seamlessly sent to Azure OpenAI for business recommendations using Fabric Real-time Intelligence Eventstream, Spark, OneLake, and Power BI.
This unification of data is incredibly powerful, enabling dynamic improvements to customer prompt responses and proactive, personalized offers. From a security standpoint, Fabric can enable consistent data protection from when the data is born to business insights via PowerBI. The same goes for data governance.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of new scenarios that Fabric can enable by creating a unified data estate. SQL database in Fabric is just the first Azure Database to be added to Fabric, with more Azure Databases to follow, so stay tuned.
Get started today
SQL database in Fabric is simple, autonomous, secure, and optimized for AI. We highly encourage you to try it today and see how you can build new AI apps faster and easier than ever!
Learning with Fabric
We have multiple resources to help you and your teams swiftly ramp up on SQL database in Fabric:
- Explore the documentation and build with our end-to-end tutorials.
- Skill up with the new Fabric Databases learn modules.
- Watch new Data Exposed episodes.
- Watch the new Microsoft Mechanics episode.
- Get the latest product news here on the Fabric updates blog.
- Check out an AI chatbot application example built on SQL database in Fabric.
Fabric Community Conference Vegas: A must-attend event for database professionals! Be sure to take advantage of the discount code MSCUST for $150 off the registration price.
FabCon Vegas is the perfect opportunity to connect with experts and data leaders to build your skills with Fabric Databases and Azure Databases and see how your peers are implementing their solutions.
- Microsoft Fabric Community Conference March 31st – April 2nd, in Vegas! Workshops will also be available on March 29th, 30th, and April 3rd, making this the most comprehensive Microsoft Fabric learning experience to date.
- SQL pros can take advantage of a dedicated track for SQL in Fabric Databases and Azure Databases.
- Connect with product specialists for 1:1 support in the Ask the Experts area.
- You’ll get endless opportunities all week to engage with the Fabric and data communities through sessions, thoughtful discussions, attendee mixers, and interactive activations.
- In touch with your Microsoft account team? Ask them if they have any special discounts to share.
Database experts at FabCon
- CVP of Azure Databases: Shireesh Thota, speaking at the event1.
- Sessions from the Microsoft Databases Product team: Rie Merritt, Bob Ward, Mazuma Zahid, Erin Stellato, Davide Mauri, and more.
- Sessions from Database Community MVPs: Joey D’Antoni, John Morehouse, Monica Rathbun, Denny Cherry, Karen Lopez, Anthony Nocentino, Erwin de Kreuk, Warwick Rudd, Kelly Broekstra, Heidi Hasting, and Hamish Watson.
Microsoft Fabric
Unify your teams and data to accelerate AI innovation with a complete data platform
1speakers subject to change
