A working session on service delivery

Microsoft Fabric Consulting and Azure Data Engineering Services

Microsoft Fabric consulting and Azure data engineering: OneLake, Data Factory, Synapse to Fabric migration, Purview governance and Azure AI for enterprise data.

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We reply from [email protected], usually within one working day. We do not add you to a mailing list.

01

One Microsoft data platform, designed rather than accumulated

Most Microsoft organisations did not choose their data platform in one go. They have Azure Data Factory pipelines from one project, a Synapse workspace from another, Azure SQL databases behind line-of-business apps, and Power BI on top of all of it. Microsoft Fabric brings those pieces into one product with one storage layer, but it only simplifies things if the move is planned.

Our Microsoft Fabric consulting and Azure data engineering services cover both sides: building new on Fabric where it fits, and running, tuning or migrating the Azure services you already have. We work in your tenant and subscriptions, follow your security model, and hand over pipelines and models your team can run.

A large share of our work is for pharma and life sciences teams. Our founder, Harsh Khubchandani, came up through pharma commercial operations consulting at ZS, so we design the platform around the data and reports a commercial or patient services team actually uses. If Power BI is where most of your effort sits, see our Power BI consulting page.

02

What we build on Microsoft Fabric and Azure

  • Fabric lakehouse and warehouse

    OneLake as the single storage layer, with lakehouses for engineering work and a Fabric warehouse for SQL users, organised by domain and workspace.

    • Workspace and domain design
    • Lakehouse and warehouse modelling
    • Shortcuts and mirroring instead of copies where possible
  • Data Factory, in Fabric and Azure

    Pipelines, Dataflow Gen2 and copy jobs in Fabric, or Azure Data Factory where it is already in place, with parameterised, monitored loads for every source.

    • Metadata-driven pipelines
    • Incremental and change-based loads
    • Failure alerts and rerun logic
  • Power BI on Fabric

    Semantic models built directly on OneLake data, so reports read fresh data without heavy refresh schedules.

    • Direct Lake semantic models
    • Row-level security by role
    • Deployment pipelines
  • Governance with Purview

    The OneLake catalog for discovery inside Fabric, and Microsoft Purview for tenant-wide classification, sensitivity labels and data loss prevention.

    • Sensitivity labels on regulated data
    • Lineage from source to report
    • Workspace roles and access reviews
  • Azure AI on your data

    AI use cases built with Microsoft Foundry (the platform previously called Azure AI Foundry) and Azure OpenAI models, grounded in governed data rather than ad hoc extracts.

    • Document extraction and classification
    • Question answering over governed data
    • Evaluation before rollout
  • Azure data services

    Azure SQL, Synapse and Data Factory estates reviewed, tuned and kept running where a move to Fabric is not yet worth it.

    • Performance and cost review
    • Security and networking checks
    • Documentation of what runs where

03

Azure Synapse to Fabric migration

There is no single right path; it depends on what the Synapse workspace does today.

  • Dedicated SQL pools move to a Fabric warehouse. Microsoft provides a migration assistant in Fabric that converts schema from a DACPAC or a direct connection and flags objects that need manual fixes; data is then copied with Fabric Data Factory.
  • Spark workloads move to Fabric lakehouses and notebooks, usually with modest code changes.
  • Synapse and Azure Data Factory pipelines are rebuilt or migrated into Fabric Data Factory, source by source.
  • Power BI reports are repointed and, where it helps, rebuilt on Direct Lake.

Throughout, the old and new outputs run side by side and are reconciled before anything is switched off. Some estates are better left on Azure services for now, and we will say so when that is the case.

04

Where Fabric and Azure fit for pharma and life sciences teams

Commercial data: syndicated prescription and sales data, CRM activity and territory alignments modelled in OneLake and reported in Power BI
Specialty pharmacy and hub feeds: vendor files loaded by Data Factory pipelines with checks for late, duplicate or incomplete deliveries
HCP and HCO master data: one prescriber and account master that CRM, sales and SP data all join to
De-identified patient-level data: claims and patient journey analysis with Purview labels and workspace security keeping access narrow
Existing Snowflake or Azure Databricks data: Fabric can mirror or shortcut it into OneLake, so Power BI users see it without another copy pipeline

05

Case snapshot: patient access reporting

A specialty therapy provider was rebuilding its patient access reporting by hand each cycle, with identifiers that did not match between sources. We built clean identifiers and an MDM structure, automated case pipelines, standardised reporting and dashboards. Manual work fell by 60 to 80 percent and reporting stayed stable. In a Microsoft estate, the same pattern is Data Factory pipelines feeding a governed master and Power BI models in Fabric.

06

How an engagement runs

Assess

We map your Azure and Power BI estate: what runs, what it costs, who uses it and what breaks.

Design

Target architecture, workspace and capacity plan, security and migration order are agreed before any build.

Build or migrate

Pipelines, lakehouses, warehouses and semantic models go in source by source, with tests and monitoring.

Reconcile and cut over

Reports and outputs are compared with the current ones and switched over only when they match.

Hand over and support

Documentation and walkthroughs for your team, with ongoing support as sources and capacity needs change.

07

How we handle your data

NDA signed before any data is shared
Built in your Microsoft tenant and Azure subscriptions
De-identified data wherever the work allows
Protected health information only under your Business Associate Agreement
Work within the licence terms of your third-party data

08

Microsoft Fabric and Azure questions

What does Microsoft Fabric consulting include?
Workspace and capacity design, OneLake lakehouses and warehouses, Data Factory pipelines, Power BI semantic models, Purview governance and migration from Synapse or other platforms. Most engagements begin with an assessment of your current Azure and Power BI estate.
Should we move from Azure Synapse to Fabric?
Often, but not always immediately. Fabric reduces the number of services to manage and works closely with Power BI. If your Synapse estate is stable and heavily customised, a phased move or staying put for now can be the better call.
Do we still need Azure Data Factory if we use Fabric?
Fabric includes its own Data Factory with pipelines, Dataflow Gen2 and copy jobs, so new work usually goes there. Existing Azure Data Factory pipelines can keep running while they are migrated in order.
What is OneLake?
It is Fabric's single storage layer for the whole tenant. Every Fabric item stores data there in open Delta format, and shortcuts and mirroring let it reference data in other clouds or platforms without copying it again.
Can we use Azure OpenAI on our own data safely?
Yes, with care. We build in your Azure subscription through Microsoft Foundry, ground answers in governed data, keep identifiable data out of prompts where possible, and evaluate outputs before anyone relies on them.
Are you a Microsoft partner?
We are an independent consultancy and do not claim a vendor partnership or certification. We build on Microsoft Fabric and Azure in your tenant, and recommend what suits your estate.

09

Related services

See Power BI consulting for the reporting layer, Databricks consulting if you run Azure Databricks, ETL services for pipeline work on any platform, and pharma commercial analytics for what we build on top for brand teams.

Tell us what your Microsoft data estate looks like today

List the Azure services and reports you run and what is not working. We will come back with a view on Fabric, migration order and where to start.

A reply from a consultant, usually within one working day.

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Tell us where the week goes

Two weeks, fixed scope, a costed plan at the end. No obligation after it.

  • We map your workflows and where the time actually goes
  • You get the three that cost the most, with what automating them takes
  • Delivered as a document, in 5 to 7 working days

We reply from [email protected], usually within one working day. We do not add you to a mailing list.

Tell us where the week goes

A senior consultant will map where the time goes, name what is worth automating and what it takes. No obligation after it.