Summary:
As a Microsoft Fabric partner, Columbus helps organisations bring data integration, engineering, warehousing and AI into one connected environment. We connect fragmented data across your business and build trusted data foundations that support more consistent reporting, scalable analytics and better-informed decisions.
Accelerate value with the right Microsoft Fabric partner
We’re a multi-award-winning Microsoft partner combining technology expertise with data strategy and industry knowledge. We work with you to understand your current environment, prioritise the use cases that matter and design a Microsoft Fabric approach around your wider business and data priorities.
Whether you’re consolidating an existing data platform, modernising analytics or building stronger foundations for AI, we can support your journey from strategy and assessment through implementation, migration, governance and ongoing development, helping you realise the benefits of Microsoft Fabric across your organisation.
We have supported companies like yours
Take control of your data with Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric brings together the capabilities needed to ingest, store, transform, analyse and report on data within one SaaS platform. Its workloads share OneLake as a common data layer, helping teams work with data across analytics and AI without relying on separate services and unnecessary data duplication.
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OneLake provides a shared data layer across Microsoft Fabric, giving teams a consistent place to store, access and govern analytics data. It can also connect to external data through shortcuts, reducing the need to copy or move data between systems.
OneLake provides a shared data layer across Microsoft Fabric, giving teams a consistent place to store, access and govern analytics data. It can also connect to external data through shortcuts, reducing the need to copy or move data between systems.
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Data Factory supports data ingestion, preparation and transformation across on-premises and cloud sources. It helps organisations connect fragmented data and build repeatable data pipelines within Fabric.
Data Factory supports data ingestion, preparation and transformation across on-premises and cloud sources. It helps organisations connect fragmented data and build repeatable data pipelines within Fabric.
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Data Engineering gives teams the tools to process and prepare large volumes of data using Spark, notebooks and scheduled transformation jobs. This supports scalable analytics, machine learning and other data-intensive workloads.
Data Engineering gives teams the tools to process and prepare large volumes of data using Spark, notebooks and scheduled transformation jobs. This supports scalable analytics, machine learning and other data-intensive workloads.
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Fabric Data Warehouse provides a scalable SQL-based environment for structured analytics. It separates compute from storage and uses open data formats, making it easier to manage performance and work with shared data across Fabric.
Fabric Data Warehouse provides a scalable SQL-based environment for structured analytics. It separates compute from storage and uses open data formats, making it easier to manage performance and work with shared data across Fabric.
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Fabric Data Science enables teams to build, train and operationalise machine learning models within the same platform as their wider analytics data. Predictions can then be used in reporting and other business applications.
Fabric Data Science enables teams to build, train and operationalise machine learning models within the same platform as their wider analytics data. Predictions can then be used in reporting and other business applications.
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Power BI turns Fabric data into interactive reports, dashboards and semantic models that can be shared across the organisation. This gives business users a more consistent way to work with trusted data and insights.
Power BI turns Fabric data into interactive reports, dashboards and semantic models that can be shared across the organisation. This gives business users a more consistent way to work with trusted data and insights.
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Real-Time Intelligence supports the ingestion, analysis and monitoring of data as it arrives, including IoT, application and event data. Teams can use it to identify patterns quickly and respond to changes as they happen.
Real-Time Intelligence supports the ingestion, analysis and monitoring of data as it arrives, including IoT, application and event data. Teams can use it to identify patterns quickly and respond to changes as they happen.
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Fabric Activator monitors data for defined conditions and can trigger actions when those conditions are met. This can include alerts, workflows or other automated responses based on live or regularly updated data.
Fabric Activator monitors data for defined conditions and can trigger actions when those conditions are met. This can include alerts, workflows or other automated responses based on live or regularly updated data.
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OneLake Catalog provides a central place to discover, manage and govern Fabric data and analytics assets. Microsoft Purview extends this with additional data protection, compliance, audit and risk controls across supported Fabric workloads.
OneLake Catalog provides a central place to discover, manage and govern Fabric data and analytics assets. Microsoft Purview extends this with additional data protection, compliance, audit and risk controls across supported Fabric workloads.
OneLake
OneLake provides a shared data layer across Microsoft Fabric, giving teams a consistent place to store, access and govern analytics data. It can also connect to external data through shortcuts, reducing the need to copy or move data between systems.
Data Factory
Data Factory supports data ingestion, preparation and transformation across on-premises and cloud sources. It helps organisations connect fragmented data and build repeatable data pipelines within Fabric.
Data Engineering
Data Engineering gives teams the tools to process and prepare large volumes of data using Spark, notebooks and scheduled transformation jobs. This supports scalable analytics, machine learning and other data-intensive workloads.
Data Warehouse
Fabric Data Warehouse provides a scalable SQL-based environment for structured analytics. It separates compute from storage and uses open data formats, making it easier to manage performance and work with shared data across Fabric.
Data Science
Fabric Data Science enables teams to build, train and operationalise machine learning models within the same platform as their wider analytics data. Predictions can then be used in reporting and other business applications.
Power BI
Power BI turns Fabric data into interactive reports, dashboards and semantic models that can be shared across the organisation. This gives business users a more consistent way to work with trusted data and insights.
Real-Time Intelligence
Real-Time Intelligence supports the ingestion, analysis and monitoring of data as it arrives, including IoT, application and event data. Teams can use it to identify patterns quickly and respond to changes as they happen.
Activator
Fabric Activator monitors data for defined conditions and can trigger actions when those conditions are met. This can include alerts, workflows or other automated responses based on live or regularly updated data.
Governance and data discovery
OneLake Catalog provides a central place to discover, manage and govern Fabric data and analytics assets. Microsoft Purview extends this with additional data protection, compliance, audit and risk controls across supported Fabric workloads.
Proven expertise tailored to your industry
From improving production visibility and forecasting to strengthening reporting, governance and AI readiness, Microsoft Fabric can support your industry-specific needs.
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Manufacturers can connect data from ERP, production, IoT and other operational systems to create a more consistent view across operations. This supports use cases including production reporting, predictive maintenance, quality analysis, forecasting and energy monitoring, while providing a governed data platform for analytics and AI.
Manufacturers can connect data from ERP, production, IoT and other operational systems to create a more consistent view across operations. This supports use cases including production reporting, predictive maintenance, quality analysis, forecasting and energy monitoring, while providing a governed data platform for analytics and AI.
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Life sciences organisations can bring together data from clinical, operational, research and commercial systems to support more consistent reporting and analysis. Fabric provides a governed environment for analytics, predictive modelling and AI, helping teams work with complex data while maintaining control over access, quality and compliance.
Life sciences organisations can bring together data from clinical, operational, research and commercial systems to support more consistent reporting and analysis. Fabric provides a governed environment for analytics, predictive modelling and AI, helping teams work with complex data while maintaining control over access, quality and compliance.
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Retailers and distributors can connect data from ecommerce, POS, ERP, loyalty and supply chain systems to improve visibility across customers, inventory and operations. Fabric supports forecasting, inventory optimisation, customer analytics and real-time reporting, giving teams a more consistent basis for faster decisions.
Retailers and distributors can connect data from ecommerce, POS, ERP, loyalty and supply chain systems to improve visibility across customers, inventory and operations. Fabric supports forecasting, inventory optimisation, customer analytics and real-time reporting, giving teams a more consistent basis for faster decisions.
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Food and beverage organisations can connect production, ERP, supply chain, sales and IoT data to improve visibility across the value chain. Fabric supports production analysis, forecasting, traceability, waste reduction and sustainability reporting, while creating stronger data foundations for analytics and AI.
Food and beverage organisations can connect production, ERP, supply chain, sales and IoT data to improve visibility across the value chain. Fabric supports production analysis, forecasting, traceability, waste reduction and sustainability reporting, while creating stronger data foundations for analytics and AI.
Manufacturing
Manufacturers can connect data from ERP, production, IoT and other operational systems to create a more consistent view across operations. This supports use cases including production reporting, predictive maintenance, quality analysis, forecasting and energy monitoring, while providing a governed data platform for analytics and AI.
Life Sciences
Life sciences organisations can bring together data from clinical, operational, research and commercial systems to support more consistent reporting and analysis. Fabric provides a governed environment for analytics, predictive modelling and AI, helping teams work with complex data while maintaining control over access, quality and compliance.
Retail and distribution
Retailers and distributors can connect data from ecommerce, POS, ERP, loyalty and supply chain systems to improve visibility across customers, inventory and operations. Fabric supports forecasting, inventory optimisation, customer analytics and real-time reporting, giving teams a more consistent basis for faster decisions.
Food and beverage
Food and beverage organisations can connect production, ERP, supply chain, sales and IoT data to improve visibility across the value chain. Fabric supports production analysis, forecasting, traceability, waste reduction and sustainability reporting, while creating stronger data foundations for analytics and AI.
Frequently asked questions
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Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end data and analytics platform that brings together data integration, engineering, warehousing, data science, real-time intelligence, Power BI and AI capabilities in one SaaS environment. Its workloads share OneLake as a common data layer, helping organisations work with data more consistently across analytics and AI.
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end data and analytics platform that brings together data integration, engineering, warehousing, data science, real-time intelligence, Power BI and AI capabilities in one SaaS environment. Its workloads share OneLake as a common data layer, helping organisations work with data more consistently across analytics and AI.
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Power BI is focused on business intelligence, reporting, semantic models and data visualisation. Microsoft Fabric is a broader data and analytics platform that includes Power BI alongside capabilities for data integration, engineering, warehousing, data science and real-time intelligence.
Power BI is focused on business intelligence, reporting, semantic models and data visualisation. Microsoft Fabric is a broader data and analytics platform that includes Power BI alongside capabilities for data integration, engineering, warehousing, data science and real-time intelligence.
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Azure Synapse Analytics is a platform-as-a-service offering that combines data warehousing, Spark and data integration capabilities. Microsoft Fabric is a SaaS platform that brings a broader set of data and analytics workloads together under a shared capacity model and OneLake data layer, with less infrastructure management required.
Azure Synapse Analytics is a platform-as-a-service offering that combines data warehousing, Spark and data integration capabilities. Microsoft Fabric is a SaaS platform that brings a broader set of data and analytics workloads together under a shared capacity model and OneLake data layer, with less infrastructure management required.
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Yes. Microsoft provides migration paths from several Azure Synapse workloads to Microsoft Fabric, including dedicated SQL pools and Spark workloads. The right approach depends on your existing architecture, code, data and dependencies, and some workloads may require redesign or refactoring rather than a direct migration.
Yes. Microsoft provides migration paths from several Azure Synapse workloads to Microsoft Fabric, including dedicated SQL pools and Spark workloads. The right approach depends on your existing architecture, code, data and dependencies, and some workloads may require redesign or refactoring rather than a direct migration.
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Look for a Microsoft Fabric partner with experience across data strategy, architecture, migration, governance and implementation, rather than focusing only on platform configuration. Industry knowledge and experience across the wider Microsoft ecosystem can also help connect Fabric with your existing systems, business priorities and future data and AI plans.
Look for a Microsoft Fabric partner with experience across data strategy, architecture, migration, governance and implementation, rather than focusing only on platform configuration. Industry knowledge and experience across the wider Microsoft ecosystem can also help connect Fabric with your existing systems, business priorities and future data and AI plans.
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Microsoft Fabric implementation times vary depending on the size and complexity of your data estate, the number of source systems, migration requirements, governance needs and the use cases being prioritised. Columbus can assess your current environment and define a phased implementation plan based on your architecture, business priorities and existing Microsoft technologies.
Microsoft Fabric implementation times vary depending on the size and complexity of your data estate, the number of source systems, migration requirements, governance needs and the use cases being prioritised. Columbus can assess your current environment and define a phased implementation plan based on your architecture, business priorities and existing Microsoft technologies.
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Microsoft Fabric pricing is primarily based on capacity, with Fabric Capacity Units shared across workloads such as data engineering, warehousing, business intelligence and AI. Costs depend on the capacity required, usage patterns, storage and licensing, with pay-as-you-go and reserved capacity options available. Columbus can help assess your expected workloads and capacity requirements to build a clearer view of likely costs before implementation.
Microsoft Fabric pricing is primarily based on capacity, with Fabric Capacity Units shared across workloads such as data engineering, warehousing, business intelligence and AI. Costs depend on the capacity required, usage patterns, storage and licensing, with pay-as-you-go and reserved capacity options available. Columbus can help assess your expected workloads and capacity requirements to build a clearer view of likely costs before implementation.
What is Microsoft Fabric?
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end data and analytics platform that brings together data integration, engineering, warehousing, data science, real-time intelligence, Power BI and AI capabilities in one SaaS environment. Its workloads share OneLake as a common data layer, helping organisations work with data more consistently across analytics and AI.
What is the difference between Microsoft Fabric and Power BI?
Power BI is focused on business intelligence, reporting, semantic models and data visualisation. Microsoft Fabric is a broader data and analytics platform that includes Power BI alongside capabilities for data integration, engineering, warehousing, data science and real-time intelligence.
What is the difference between Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse?
Azure Synapse Analytics is a platform-as-a-service offering that combines data warehousing, Spark and data integration capabilities. Microsoft Fabric is a SaaS platform that brings a broader set of data and analytics workloads together under a shared capacity model and OneLake data layer, with less infrastructure management required.
Can you migrate from Azure Synapse to Microsoft Fabric?
Yes. Microsoft provides migration paths from several Azure Synapse workloads to Microsoft Fabric, including dedicated SQL pools and Spark workloads. The right approach depends on your existing architecture, code, data and dependencies, and some workloads may require redesign or refactoring rather than a direct migration.
How do I choose a Microsoft Fabric implementation partner?
Look for a Microsoft Fabric partner with experience across data strategy, architecture, migration, governance and implementation, rather than focusing only on platform configuration. Industry knowledge and experience across the wider Microsoft ecosystem can also help connect Fabric with your existing systems, business priorities and future data and AI plans.
How long does it take to implement Microsoft Fabric?
Microsoft Fabric implementation times vary depending on the size and complexity of your data estate, the number of source systems, migration requirements, governance needs and the use cases being prioritised. Columbus can assess your current environment and define a phased implementation plan based on your architecture, business priorities and existing Microsoft technologies.
How much does Microsoft Fabric cost?
Microsoft Fabric pricing is primarily based on capacity, with Fabric Capacity Units shared across workloads such as data engineering, warehousing, business intelligence and AI. Costs depend on the capacity required, usage patterns, storage and licensing, with pay-as-you-go and reserved capacity options available. Columbus can help assess your expected workloads and capacity requirements to build a clearer view of likely costs before implementation.