The first Fabric Community Conference was a blast! It was packed with previews and practical insights that are set to reshape how we approach data, AI, and analytics. With our colleague Justine Hanssens serving as an official speaker (more on that later), element61 was there on the first row and left feeling inspired!
In this insight, Justine shares here top 10 insights that caught her attention. 10 actionable things-to-remember when kickstarting our pursuing Fabric ambitions. Here we go:
1. CI/CD for Everyone: Fully integrated by year-end
By the end of this year, expect all major items in Fabric to support Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD). This will streamline the development and deployment processes across data pipelines, lakehouses, and notebooks.
2. Seamless Data Transfer: Copy job items with incremental load
Copy Job elevates the data ingestion experience to a more streamlined and user-friendly process from any source to any destination. With just a few clicks, you can create a Copy Job to move your data. Once the job is running, you’ll receive a comprehensive view of the data movement, ensuring seamless and transparent monitoring. The new Copy Job Item in Data Factory supports incremental loads, even for files, allowing efficient data management across environments.
For more info, click here. Check out an example here.
3. AI in Your Notebooks: Data magic with built-in AI functions
A standout feature is the AI functions in notebooks. Whether it’s translating a column, classifying data, or finding the closest store based on specific criteria, these embedded AI functions simplify complex tasks and accelerate data-driven decision-making.
4. Streamlining Data Governance: Mirrored Azure Databricks Catalog
One of the standout highlights from FabConEurope was the announcement of Azure Databricks Unity Catalog's mirroring capability within Microsoft Fabric. This new feature enables seamless integration of Databricks' robust data and AI governance solution, significantly minimizing friction in data governance processes and bolstering security.
For more info, click here.
5. Tag it, Organize it: Item tagging for smarter workspaces
Fabric introduces the capability of tagging items, making it easier to organize and search for datasets, models, and other assets within the workspace.
For more info, click here.
6. Ditch the Default: Create your own semantic models
Why settle for defaults? The key to success lies in building custom semantic models tailored to your organization’s unique needs, giving you better control over your data.
7. Cloud-Based Editing: Direct Lake Model Editing in Power BI Desktop
For the first time, you can now directly edit lake models in Power BI Desktop, with automatic saving in the cloud. The best part? There’s no need to publish changes manually.
For more info, click here.
8. NFC-Powered Reports: Mobile Power BI with NFC support
A futuristic addition to Power BI’s mobile app is NFC support. Users can scan a barcode or NFC tag to filter reports instantly, making on-the-go analysis even more intuitive.
For more info, click here.
9. IoT meets Power BI: Real-time dashboards at your fingertips
Another exciting possibility is the ability to embed IoT dashboards within Power BI apps, allowing real-time IoT data visualization directly in your reports, enhancing operational oversight.
10. Data visualisation is alive!!
Last but not least, the session that our colleague Justine Hanssens gave, "Creating Impactful Power BI Reports - Beyond Beauty", went exceptionally well! It’s great to see that so many people show interest in a topic that often doesn't receive the attention and investment it deserves and needs. It's clear that more organizations are realizing the value of creating reports that are not only visually appealing but also provide data correctly, quickly and efficiently.
Some of here slides (though nothing covers the magic & content as shared live on the conference...)
In conclusion
A special thank you to Microsoft for organizing such a fantastic event! Their dedication to fostering knowledge-sharing and innovation within the community made this conference an incredible experience. It’s exciting to see how the new developments in Microsoft Fabric are helping businesses stay ahead in the ever-evolving data landscape. We are looking forward to next year's event and the continued growth of this vibrant community!
