The direct answer
Yes. EPC Group builds the data platform and the reporting as one solution, with Microsoft Fabric as the platform. Data lands in OneLake, and each workload gets the store Microsoft's decision guide points to: a Lakehouse where the team develops in Apache Spark or the data is unstructured, a Warehouse where the team develops in T-SQL or needs multi-table transactions. Many estates use both, a Lakehouse for ingestion and transformation and a Warehouse for the refined, star-schema data that reporting reads (Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-29).
Power BI comes second and reads the same tables. Semantic models use Direct Lake, which loads Delta tables from OneLake into memory without importing a copy; a Direct Lake refresh only updates metadata, where an Import refresh copies the data (Microsoft Learn, Direct Lake overview, accessed 2026-10-29). Row-level security is designed into the models and tested per role. Where a client already runs Azure Synapse and Data Factory, EPC Group rebuilds that estate in Fabric, runs it in parallel against production and cuts over in stages. The build ends with deployment pipelines for releases, written runbooks and data definitions, and training for the team that will run it.
What EPC Group builds at each layer
| Layer | Fabric choice | What EPC Group delivers |
|---|---|---|
| Ingestion | Pipelines, Dataflow Gen2, Copy job, OneLake shortcuts | Source inventory, incremental load schedules, pipeline runbooks |
| Storage | Lakehouse, Warehouse or both, in OneLake | Store decision recorded per data product; bronze, silver and gold zones |
| Modeling | Star-schema tables in the Warehouse or gold zone | KPI definitions and dimensional models |
| Semantic model | Direct Lake, Import where a source is outside Fabric | Semantic models with row-level security tested per role |
| Release and handover | Deployment pipelines | Development, test and production stages; runbooks, data definitions, training |
Documented work
EPC Group engagement data for end-to-end builds includes a delivered move of a multi-location specialty retailer's Azure Synapse and Data Factory estate into Microsoft Fabric, rebuilt, run in parallel against production and cut over in three staged events (anonymized engagement summary), a delivered move of an industrial construction contractor's weld quality and project-controls integrations from Azure Synapse to a Fabric warehouse, with the Power BI reports rebuilt and reconciled (anonymized engagement summary), and an engagement to build an Azure data warehouse with Data Factory, Data Lake Storage and Synapse Analytics, plus dimensional models and role-secured Power BI dashboards, for a medical device manufacturer (anonymized engagement summary). Client names are not published. Source records are in the Evidence Center.
Primary sources
- Microsoft Fabric decision guide: Choose between Warehouse and Lakehouse — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-29
- Store data in Microsoft Fabric — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-29
- Direct Lake overview — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-29
Frequently Asked Questions
Does EPC Group build on Azure Synapse or on Microsoft Fabric?
EPC Group builds new analytics platforms in Microsoft Fabric and migrates existing Azure Synapse and Data Factory estates into it. The legacy estate is rebuilt in Fabric and run in parallel against production before any cutover, because Fabric behaviors such as case sensitivity and its isolation model can break stored procedures that ran on Synapse.
Does EPC Group use Direct Lake for Power BI reports?
EPC Group uses Direct Lake where a semantic model reads Delta tables that Fabric already maintains, so reports query OneLake without an imported copy and a refresh only updates metadata. Import tables stay where a source sits outside Fabric.
Does EPC Group hand the platform over to the client’s own team?
EPC Group writes the runbooks, data definitions and transformation logic down and trains the client’s finance and technical teams to run the pipelines and reports, so the platform is owned by the client after go-live.
Talk to a senior architect
A one-hour scoping call with a senior EPC Group architect covers your sources, the Fabric stores and the reports they feed. Email contact@epcgroup.net or call 888-381-9725.
Documented and anonymized engagements
Named engagements come first; anonymized summaries follow under the anonymized-engagement rule — the client is not named and every statement is EPC-reported. Documents behind named engagements are in the Evidence Center.
- Power BI Weld QA/QC and Fabric: Industrial Contractor (2026)Anonymized engagement summary · Industrial construction contractor · 2026
- Synapse to Microsoft Fabric Migration: Retailer (2026)Anonymized engagement summary · Multi-location specialty retailer · 2026
- Azure Data Warehouse and Power BI: Medical Devices (2025)Anonymized engagement summary · Medical device manufacturer · 2025
- Data Warehouse and Partner Power BI: Healthcare (2025)Anonymized engagement summary · Healthcare services company working with partner clinics · 2025
- Power BI and Copilot Training: Truck Dealer Group (2023–25)Anonymized engagement summary · Commercial truck dealership group · 2023–2025
- Power BI, Data Warehouse and External Reports: Gaming (2021)Anonymized engagement summary · Entertainment and gaming operator · 2021