What is a Unified Analytics Platform?
A unified analytics platform consolidates all your data workloads—engineering, warehousing, science, real-time analytics, and business intelligence—into a single, integrated environment. No more data silos, redundant copies, or fragmented governance.
Microsoft Fabric delivers this vision as a SaaS platform built on OneLake, a unified logical data lake trusted by over 230,000 organizations worldwide, including 95% of the Fortune 500.
Fabric Workloads on OneLake
Data Engineering
Build data pipelines with Spark notebooks and Data Factory
Data Warehousing
T-SQL analytics with serverless and provisioned compute
Data Science
ML experiments with MLflow integration and model management
Real-Time Analytics
Stream processing with KQL and event-driven insights
Business Intelligence
Power BI semantic models with DirectLake mode
Data Activator
Automated actions triggered by data conditions
2026 Platform Capabilities
Microsoft Fabric has evolved rapidly since launch. Here are the key capabilities we implement for enterprise unified analytics platforms.
OneLake Foundation
Single logical data lake built on Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. All Fabric workloads operate over OneLake with automatic Delta Parquet storage.
- Unified storage layer
- Delta Parquet format
- ADLS Gen2 foundation
- Automatic data organization
Lakehouse Architecture
Combine the best of data lakes and data warehouses. Build medallion or data mesh architectures with full SQL and Spark support.
- Bronze/Silver/Gold layers
- Data mesh support
- SQL + Spark access
- Schema enforcement
Zero-ETL Integration
Connect data sources without complex ETL pipelines. Mirroring for PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, SQL Server 2016-2025 now generally available.
- Database mirroring
- Shortcut references
- No data duplication
- Real-time sync
Unified Security Model
OneLake security provides role-based access control with granular folder-level permissions across all Fabric compute engines.
- RBAC at folder level
- ReadWrite permissions
- Consistent across engines
- Audit trails
AI-Powered Transformations
Convert unstructured text into Delta tables using AI-powered summarization, sentiment analysis, and PII detection—no pipelines required.
- Text summarization
- Sentiment analysis
- PII detection
- Automatic structuring
Multi-Format Support
OneLake now supports automatic virtualization of Delta Lake tables as Iceberg format for cross-platform compatibility.
- Delta Lake native
- Iceberg virtualization
- Parquet optimization
- Cross-platform access
Migration & Modernization Paths
Microsoft has made it easier than ever to migrate to a unified analytics platform. We help you choose the right path for your existing investments.
Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL Pools
Migration Assistant for Fabric Data Warehouse now GA. Guided experience for modernizing analytical workloads.
On-Premises SQL Server
Mirroring support for SQL Server 2016-2022 and 2025 enables zero-ETL integration.
PostgreSQL Databases
Native mirroring brings PostgreSQL data into OneLake without ETL pipelines.
Cosmos DB
Real-time mirroring of Cosmos DB into unified analytics platform.
Legacy Data Warehouses
Schema and data migration with automated transformation mapping.
Why Choose EPC Group Over Large Consultancies?
While Accenture and Avanade have 4,000+ Fabric-certified professionals and massive training programs, EPC Group delivers practical, compliance-first implementations with senior architects.
Practical Implementation Focus
While large consultancies like Avanade have 10,000+ Fabric-trained employees, we focus on hands-on implementation with senior architects who have delivered 600+ enterprise projects.
Compliance-First Architecture
Every unified analytics platform we design incorporates HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, or FedRAMP requirements from day one—not as an afterthought.
Power BI Integration Expertise
With 28+ years of Microsoft BI experience, we optimize DirectLake mode, semantic models, and governance that large consultancies often overlook.
Right-Sized Engagement
Unlike Accenture's enterprise-only focus, we serve organizations of all sizes with fixed-price implementations and transparent timelines.
Industry-Specific Use Cases
Every unified analytics platform we design is tailored to your industry's compliance requirements and business needs.
HIPAA-Compliant Patient Analytics
Unify clinical, operational, and financial data with built-in PHI protection, consent management, and audit trails.
Real-Time Risk Analytics
Consolidate trading, risk, and compliance data with sub-second latency and SOC 2 certified security.
Shop Floor Intelligence
IoT sensor data, quality metrics, and supply chain analytics unified with AI-powered anomaly detection.
Customer 360 Platform
POS, e-commerce, loyalty, and inventory data unified for real-time personalization and demand forecasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft Fabric and how does it differ from Azure Synapse?
Microsoft Fabric is a unified SaaS analytics platform that consolidates data engineering, warehousing, science, real-time analytics, and Power BI into one environment built on OneLake. Unlike Azure Synapse, which requires managing multiple separate services, Fabric provides a single, integrated experience with shared governance, security, and compute capacity.
What is OneLake and why is it important?
OneLake is the unified logical data lake that underpins Microsoft Fabric. It provides a single storage layer built on Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 where all Fabric workloads store data in Delta Parquet format. This eliminates data silos, reduces redundant copies, and ensures consistent governance across all analytics workloads.
What is the difference between DirectLake and DirectQuery in Fabric?
DirectLake reads data directly from Delta Parquet files in OneLake without importing it into Power BI, providing near-import performance with real-time data freshness. DirectQuery sends queries to the source at report time, which can be slower but always shows live data. DirectLake is the recommended mode for Fabric as it combines the best of both approaches.
How is Microsoft Fabric licensed and what does it cost?
Fabric uses capacity-based licensing measured in Capacity Units (CUs). Organizations purchase F-SKUs (F2, F4, F8, F16, F32, F64, etc.) with pricing starting around $260/month for F2. Power BI Pro or PPU licenses are still needed for content sharing. A free Fabric trial is available for evaluation.
Can we migrate our existing data warehouse to Microsoft Fabric?
Yes. Microsoft provides the Migration Assistant for Fabric Data Warehouse (now GA) for Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools. For on-premises SQL Server (2016-2025), database mirroring enables zero-ETL integration. EPC Group has migrated 600+ enterprise analytics environments and can plan your migration path.
How does Fabric handle data security and compliance?
Fabric provides unified security through OneLake role-based access control with folder-level permissions, sensitivity labels via Microsoft Purview, and audit trails. It supports HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, and FedRAMP compliance requirements. Security policies apply consistently across all compute engines (T-SQL, Spark, Analysis Services).
Ready to Unify Your Analytics Platform?
Let's discuss how Microsoft Fabric and OneLake can consolidate your data workloads into a single, governed, AI-ready platform.