Step-by-Step Guide to Integrating Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse Analytics

You can link Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse Analytics. This helps you make one place for all your data. It is easy to move data, do analytics, and make workflows. You get tools like full data pipelines, real-time analytics, and one spot for rules.

• Move data between platforms with little effort

• Use built-in connectors to process data quickly

• Work with your team on the same data

Tip: Look at your data setup now and set your goals before starting.

Key Takeaways

• Get your accounts and permissions ready before you start. This helps you have easy access and control.

• Connect Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse Analytics with storage connections. Use built-in connectors to move data and work together easily.

• Use Synapse Pathway and tools like Azure Data Factory to move your data. Move your schema and pipelines with little downtime.

• Set up strong login steps with Microsoft Entra ID. Use multi-factor authentication to keep your data safe.

• Follow best steps like using incremental refresh and tuning for speed. Watch your data pipelines to keep them fast, reliable, and current.

Prerequisites

Accounts and Permissions

Before you begin, check if you have the right accounts. You must have access to both Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse Analytics. Give yourself or your team the Synapse Administrator role. This role lets you control all Synapse resources. You can work with SQL pools, Spark pools, and integration runtimes. You can also create, read, update, and delete code artifacts. You are able to manage linked data and give out roles.

To connect storage, do these steps:

1. Make an Azure Data Lake Gen2 Storage Account. Turn on Hierarchical namespace.

2. Give your user account the Owner role using Access Control (IAM).

3. Link this storage account to your Microsoft Fabric Workspace in the settings.

4. Link the same storage account to your Power BI workspace for easy integration.

You might need an administrator with the Entra ID Global Administrator role. This person can add Azure AD apps to your tenant if needed. Use Azure Active Directory interactive authentication for safe connections.

Tip: Always match your security settings in Fabric and Synapse to keep your data safe.

Environment Setup

Set up your environment before you start integration. First, make a migration plan. Map your current Synapse setup to your new Microsoft Fabric Data Warehouse. Build ETL or ELT processes in Fabric. This lets you run both systems at the same time. You can check if your data matches.

Here is a checklist to help you set up:

• Move your schema and data.

• Make Synapse SQL pools bigger if you want faster migration.

• Use the same security settings in Fabric as in Synapse.

• Test loading new data to make sure it matches.

• Watch performance, cost, and security during migration.

• Move your apps and reports to Fabric when you are ready.

Install the main connectors, like the Azure Synapse Analytics connector and the Azure Data Factory connector. These tools help you move and work with data between platforms.

For system requirements, use a computer with at least 8 GB RAM and 4 CPU cores for the self-hosted integration runtime (SHIR). Bigger jobs may need more power. Make sure your firewall lets the right ports work for data movement.

Note: Getting both platforms ready and installing the right connectors helps your integration go smoothly.

Microsoft Fabric Integration

Storage Connection

You can link OneLake in Microsoft Fabric to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. This makes one place for your data. You do not have to copy data between systems. You can move and look at your data easily. Here are the steps to set up the storage connection:

1. Open Microsoft Fabric and go to Data Integration.

2. Click Settings and pick Manage connections and gateways.

3. Press New to add a data source.

4. In any Fabric item, choose Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 under Get Data and click Connect.

5. Type the URL for your Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 account.

6. Pick the file system view or the Common Data Model folder view.

7. If you use on-premises data, pick an on-premises data gateway.

8. Log in with your organization’s account.

9. In the Azure Portal, give your workspace identity the Storage Blob Data Reader role.

10. Turn on trusted workspace access in the connection settings.

11. Make sure the workspace identity, your account, or a service principal can get to the storage account.

12. Set up resource instance rules for trusted workspace access.

Tip: OneLake uses a special URI format. You must give the workspace, item, and item type or GUIDs for stable links. Authentication uses Microsoft Entra ID tokens to keep your data safe.

You might have some problems during this step. Issues often happen with on-premises connections or staging accounts. To fix these, turn on gateway use, check that your data gateway is working, and make sure your storage account lets gateway connections. If you use a firewall, connections might show as offline. Always follow the right order: create and register the integration runtime, set up the source with gateway on, and set up your destination and staging connections.

Data Factory Connector

The Data Factory connector helps you move data between Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse Analytics. It has over 90 built-in connectors. You can bring in data from many places, like on-premises systems, SaaS apps, and big data platforms. You can make ETL and ELT pipelines without code, or use code if you want.

To set up the Azure Synapse Analytics connector in Data Factory:

1. Assign a Microsoft Entra administrator to your Synapse server in the Azure portal.

2. Make contained database users for the managed identity by connecting to the data warehouse and running:

CREATE USER [your_resource_name] FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER;

1. Give the managed identity the right permissions, usually by adding it to the db_owner role:

EXEC sp_addrolemember db_owner, [your_resource_name];

1. For user-assigned managed identities, add the identity to your Data Factory and make credentials for each.

2. In Data Factory, set up the Azure Synapse Analytics linked service. Enter the server name, database, encryption, and authentication type. You can use a JSON snippet like this:

{
  "name": "AzureSqlDWLinkedService",
  "properties": {
    "type": "AzureSqlDW",
    "typeProperties": {
      "server": "<server-name>",
      "database": "<database-name>",
      "encrypt": "<true|false>",
      "trustServerCertificate": false,
      "authenticationType": "SystemAssignedManagedIdentity"
    },
    "connectVia": {
      "referenceName": "<Integration Runtime name>",
      "type": "IntegrationRuntimeReference"
    }
  }
}

1. You can also use the Azure portal UI to make the linked service. Go to the Manage tab, pick Linked Services, and fill in the details.

Note: The Data Factory connector works with many file types, like Parquet, JSON, and CSV. It lets you schedule, watch, and automate your data pipelines. This keeps your data up to date and ready for analytics.

Authentication Setup

Authentication keeps your data safe when you connect Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse Analytics. You have a few ways to set up authentication:

• Environment-based authentication

• Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code authentication

• Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell module authentication

• Microsoft Entra (Azure Active Directory) authentication, including password, integrated, and multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• Service principal authentication using a client secret or certificate

You can set up authentication in both your tenant and workspace settings. In tenant settings, turn on "Service principals can use Fabric APIs" to let service principals use Fabric APIs. In the workspace, add users or service principals to roles like Admin, Member, Contributor, or Viewer.

Security Tip: Always use Microsoft Entra ID as your main authentication method. Use MFA to protect sign-ins. Store secrets in Azure Key Vault, not in code. Use conditional access policies to limit access by network or device. Only give users the permissions they need. Watch activity with Azure Policy and Microsoft Defender for Cloud.

Microsoft Fabric uses Microsoft Entra ID for both authentication and authorization. When you sign in, the system checks who you are and then checks your access to workspaces and data. The platform runs in secure virtual networks and blocks public internet access. You can add more protection, like making sure devices follow rules with Microsoft Intune.

Note: Managed Identity authentication does not work yet for Microsoft Fabric Data Warehouse, so use other ways for now.

Migration and Data Pipelines

When you move your data and work from Azure Synapse Analytics to Microsoft Fabric, you need a good plan. This part will help you move your schema, code, and data pipelines. It also shows how to connect Dataverse to your new setup.

Synapse Pathway Migration

You can use Synapse Pathway to move your database schema and SQL code to Microsoft Fabric. This tool changes your SQL scripts so they work in Fabric. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Look at your setup. Write down your databases, tables, stored procedures, and what they depend on.

2. Plan your move. Pick tools like Azure Data Factory, Database Migration Service, SSMS, or Azure Data Studio.

3. Export your schema. Use SSMS or Azure Data Studio to get your database schema. Change the scripts if you need to for Fabric.

4. Get Synapse Pathway. Download and install it on your computer.

5. Get your scripts ready. Put all your DDL and DML scripts in one folder.

6. Run the translation. Use Synapse Pathway to change your scripts. The tool makes new scripts for Fabric and gives you a summary.

7. Set up the schema. Use the new scripts to make your tables and objects in Fabric.

8. Move your data. Use Bulk Copy (BCP), Azure Data Factory, Synapse Pipelines, or PolyBase. Move your data in parts to keep downtime low.

9. Make your ETL or ELT pipelines again. Build new ones in Fabric or change your old ones.

10. Check and test. Make sure your data is right and your apps work.

11. Switch over. Do a last sync and update your app connections.

12. Watch and improve. Check your new setup, make it faster, and write down what you changed.

Tip: Synapse Pathway saves time by changing your SQL code for you. You do not have to rewrite everything yourself.

Pipeline Migration

Moving your data pipelines to Microsoft Fabric takes some work. There is no direct upgrade, so you must rebuild or change your pipelines. Some things, like Mapping Data Flows and OPENROWSET, do not work in Fabric. But Fabric gives you faster Spark pools and a better way to build.

You can use different tools and ways to move your data:

You should:

• Use OneLake Shortcuts to stop copying lots of data.

• Try mssparkutils fastcp API for quick data moves in Spark.

• Use AzCopy or Azure Storage Explorer to move files between storage accounts.

• Rebuild your Spark jobs and notebooks in Fabric. You might need to change some code.

• Use Azure Data Factory Copy Activity for big data moves.

Note: Fabric starts Spark pools in seconds, not minutes. You do not have to manage Spark clusters. This makes your pipelines run faster and saves time.

Dataverse Link

You can connect Dataverse to Microsoft Fabric using Synapse Link. This lets you look at Dataverse data in Fabric without moving it. Here is how you set up the link:

1. Sign in to Power Apps at

https://make.powerapps.com

1. .

2. Go to the 'Tables' section.

3. Pick the Dataverse tables you want to link.

4. Click the three dots and choose 'Link to Microsoft Fabric'.

5. Follow the steps and click 'Next'.

6. Pick the Fabric workspace for your data.

7. Check your choices and click 'Link' to start.

8. Watch the progress in Power Apps.

9. When done, open your Fabric workspace. You will see the linked tables as shortcuts.

10. Use Fabric tools like SQL, Spark, or dataflows to look at your Dataverse data.

Tip: Turn on 'Parquet/Delta lake' to see your data in Fabric. CSV-based links and managed identities do not work for this.

You can also pick which tables sync and set how often they refresh. This keeps your data ready for analysis.

Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Data Sync and Scheduling

You can keep your data up to date with smart sync and scheduling. Microsoft Fabric uses a lakehouse design, so you do not need to copy data many times. Plan your move to fit the new setup. Try to use your old code if you can. Use direct queries on lakehouse data to make things easier and save money.

Here are some best ways to sync and schedule data:

• Use incremental refresh to update only new or changed data. This saves time and resources.

• Organize your data with the medallion architecture. Move data from bronze to silver to gold layers for better control.

• Run big jobs when fewer people are working. This helps stop slowdowns.

• Watch your sync jobs with built-in tools. Look for errors or delays.

• Use mirroring or real-time copying if you need your data to always be current.

Tip: Set up automatic refresh so your data stays fresh without extra work.

Performance Tips

You can make things faster by following these steps:

1. Build your data models with star or snowflake schemas. These help your queries run faster.

2. Load only new or changed data with incremental loading.

3. Pick the best mode for your needs. Use DirectQuery for live data or Import for speed.

4. Split big tables by date or another key. This helps with speed and storage.

5. Use dedicated capacity for Power BI if you have big datasets.

6. Automate your data prep and checks with Microsoft Fabric tools.

7. Use Azure Data Factory or Synapse Pipelines to manage data loads.

8. Watch your system with Azure Monitor or Log Analytics.

Note: If jobs are slow, check your computer power and change it if needed.

Common Issues

You might see some common problems when you connect systems. Here are some issues and how to fix them:

• Connectivity errors: Check your firewall and network settings. Make sure ports like 1433 are open.

• Permission problems: Give your account the right roles, such as Storage Blob Data Contributor.

• Authentication failures: Use only one method, like SQL Authentication or Managed Identity. Do not mix them.

• Schema mismatches: Make sure your table columns match between systems.

• Performance bottlenecks: Watch for resource limits or too many parallel jobs. Change your settings if needed.

If you get error codes like SqlFailedToConnect or Msg 105208, check your network, permissions, and authentication setup. Always look at logs for more details.

Tip: Use Microsoft documentation for step-by-step help if you get stuck.

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You now know how to link your data, build pipelines, and move work between platforms. This setup lets you see your data in real time. You can use AI tools to help with tasks. Your data stays safe with strong rules. Try out more features to make your work better:

If you want to learn more, go to Microsoft Learn or look at the P3 Adaptive guide for easy steps.

FAQ

How do you connect Microsoft Fabric to Azure Synapse Analytics?

You connect them by making storage links and using connectors. Go into your Fabric workspace and add Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. Use Data Factory to move your data between the systems. Always check your permissions before you begin.

Can you migrate existing Synapse pipelines to Fabric?

You cannot move pipelines straight over. You must rebuild them in Fabric with Data Factory or Spark. Use tools like AzCopy or mssparkutils to move your data. Test each pipeline after you build it again.

What authentication method should you use?

You should use Microsoft Entra ID for authentication. This keeps your data safe from harm. Turn on multi-factor authentication for more security. Store secrets in Azure Key Vault, not in your code.

What should you do if data does not sync?

First, check your network and firewall settings. Make sure your account has the right roles. Look at logs to find error messages. Try running the sync job again. If you still have trouble, use Microsoft documentation for help.

Is there a way to automate data refresh in Fabric?

Yes! You can set up automatic refreshes in Data Factory or Power BI. Use incremental refresh to update only new data. This keeps your reports up to date and saves resources.