How ProArch Moved from Azure Synapse to Microsoft Fabric for Reporting Modernization
Moving from Azure Synapse to Microsoft Fabric involves bringing ingestion, data engineering, warehousing, and real-time analytics into a unified SaaS analytics platform, with OneLake as the common data foundation.
Unlike Azure Synapse, which combines multiple Azure services for reporting, Microsoft Fabric unifies analytics in one platform to reduce data movement, simplify operations, strengthen governance, and scale for future data and AI needs.
TL;DR
- ProArch’s Azure Synapse environment successfully supported internal project management and Power BI reporting.
- The architecture used connected Azure services across ingestion, storage, transformation, SQL modeling, security, and reporting.
- As ProArch’s data and AI needs grew, data movement between services increased maintenance effort, latency, and observability complexity.
- Microsoft Fabric brought more of the analytics lifecycle into one connected environment, with OneLake as a shared data foundation.
- The goal was to simplify a working reporting architecture and create a scalable foundation for reporting, governance, data, and AI.
The broader context is that modern analytics platforms need to do more than move data from one place to another. They need to support:
- Reliable reporting for future data and AI initiatives, with secure access
- Scalable data processing and faster decision-making across the business
At ProArch, we used Microsoft Fabric to simplify our Azure Synapse-based reporting architecture as our data and AI needs started grew.
The move was not about replacing a broken system. It was about:
- Creating a unified environment for future reporting, governance, data, and AI initiatives.
- Simplifying a working analytics foundation, and
- Reducing operational overhead
If your reporting architecture is difficult to scale or you are still evaluating Fabric, read What Is Microsoft Fabric? A Practical Guide for Enterprises before planning your migration.
Why Did ProArch Modernize Its Azure Synapse Reporting Environment?
Our Azure Synapse environment supported internal project management reporting, including project financials, resource utilization, and allocation of hours.
Data from Autotask APIs, Azure DevOps, XLSX files, billing records, time entries, projects, tasks, and tickets was prepared for Power BI reporting.
Although the platform met our reporting needs, it relied on multiple Azure services for ingestion, storage, transformation, data modeling, security, and reporting. Continuous data transfer between these services increased:
- Data movement,
- Maintenance effort, and
- Observability complexity.
Microsoft Fabric offered a more unified SaaS operating model by bringing ingestion, data engineering, warehousing, real-time analytics, and Power BI closer together.
OneLake provided a shared foundation for structured and unstructured data, helping reduce silos, unnecessary copies, and handoffs between services.
The goal was to simplify a working architecture and create a more scalable foundation for reporting, governance, data, and AI.
How Did ProArch’s Azure Synapse Reporting Architecture Work?
Our Azure Synapse environment used Synapse and related Azure services to support business reporting and operational dashboards.
The architecture followed a flow, moving data from source systems into a curated reporting layer for Power BI consumption.
- Data was extracted from Autotask APIs, Azure DevOps, and XLSX files. Azure Functions managed the extraction logic, while Azure Key Vault secured credentials and tokens.
- Raw JSON data was stored in Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) and organized into structured folders by entity and device.
- Spark notebooks cleaned and transformed the raw data, applying business rules and aggregations to prepare it for analytics.
- The processed data was loaded into SQL databases with curated tables, views, stored procedures, and reporting models optimized for performance.
- Power BI queried the SQL layer to refresh semantic models and deliver operational dashboards to business teams.
This architecture efficiently supported our current business reporting needs, but moving data through different systems and formats added latency to the overall reporting cycle.
This became one of the key reasons we started looking at Microsoft Fabric as a more unified approach.
Which Microsoft Fabric Capabilities Supported ProArch’s Migration?
Microsoft Fabric helped ProArch modernize its reporting architecture by bringing data storage, engineering, warehousing, governance, and Power BI into one connected platform. The following capabilities reduced data movement, simplified administration, and created a more scalable foundation for reporting and AI.
- OneLake as a Shared Data Foundation
OneLake provides a common storage layer for structured and unstructured data, reducing unnecessary duplication across ingestion, transformation, warehousing, and reporting. - Connected Analytics Experiences
Data engineering, Data Factory, data warehousing, real-time analytics, and Power BI work together inside the same platform, reducing handoffs between services. - Simplified Governance
Workspace roles and domain-oriented workspaces simplify access management while maintaining governance across business teams. - Shared Capacity
Instead of managing compute independently across multiple Azure services, Fabric introduces a shared capacity model for analytics workloads.The result is a more connected analytics environment with fewer moving parts, simpler administration, and a stronger foundation for AI.
Before and After: ProArch’s Reporting Architecture with Microsoft Fabric
| Area | Azure Synapse Architecture | Microsoft Fabric |
| Data storage | Data stored across ADLS, SQL, and reporting layers | OneLake provides one shared data foundation |
| Data movement | Data copied between multiple systems and stages | Fewer data copies and handoffs |
| Reporting | Power BI connected through a separate SQL layer | Power BI connects more directly within Fabric |
| Governance | Access and ownership managed across separate services | Workspace roles make access and ownership clearer |
| Operations | Multiple services to monitor, secure, and maintain | One connected environment simplifies management |
Planning an Azure Synapse to Microsoft Fabric Modernization?
ProArch can help you evaluate your current reporting architecture, identify what to migrate, retain, or redesign, and create a practical roadmap for Microsoft Fabric.
FAQs About Moving from Azure Synapse to Microsoft Fabric
Q: What Is the Difference Between Azure Synapse and Microsoft Fabric?
A: Azure Synapse and Microsoft Fabric can both support enterprise analytics, but they operate differently.
- An Azure Synapse architecture commonly relies on a combination of Azure services for orchestration, storage, transformation, SQL modeling, and reporting.
- Microsoft Fabric brings many of those capabilities into a unified SaaS analytics platform, with OneLake as the common data foundation and Power BI integrated more directly into the experience.
Q: Is Data Factory in Fabric the Same as Data Factory in Synapse?
A: It is similar in many ways, but Fabric includes enhancements such as Dataflow Gen2, which is based on Power Query and supports more integrated transformation experiences.
Q: Does OneLake Support Both Structured and Unstructured Data?
A: Yes. OneLake provides a unified storage layer that can support different data types and analytical workloads across the Fabric environment.
Q: Can Microsoft Fabric Fully Replace Azure Services?
A: Not always. Fabric consolidates many analytics capabilities, but some Azure services, such as Azure Key Vault, may still be needed depending on the architecture and security model.
Q: How Does Microsoft Fabric Handle Security and Governance?
A: Fabric uses workspace roles for access management, allowing teams to assign access based on responsibilities.
Separate BI workspaces can be created for different business domains and controlled read access can be provided for AI agents to learn from curated data without exposing unnecessary information.
Considering a Move to Microsoft Fabric?
Modernizing reporting architecture is less about moving to a new platform and more about simplifying how data flows through the organization.
Microsoft Fabric provides the tools to consolidate analytics workloads, but the biggest value comes from redesigning the architecture rather than recreating existing complexity.
Our own modernization reinforced that principle, and it’s the same approach we help clients apply as they evaluate or implement Microsoft Fabric.
As a Microsoft Fabric Featured Partner, ProArch is among a select group recognized by Microsoft for proven expertise in designing, implementing, and scaling Microsoft Fabric solutions.
Talk to our Microsoft Fabric experts to create a practical modernization roadmap for your data and analytics goals.
More Fabric resources to help your data modernization journey:
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