Microsoft Enhances Fabric with Real-Time Intelligence and New Development Toolkit

At the Build 2024 developer conference, Microsoft announced significant updates to Fabric, its cloud-based data analytics suite. The enhancements include a new Real-Time Intelligence module, a comprehensive toolkit for customizing Fabric workflows, and the general availability of Copilot for Power BI.

Fabric, launched in May last year, integrates Microsoft’s data warehousing, business intelligence, and analytics tools into a unified platform, simplifying workload management and reducing IT complexity. The platform includes seven core modules: Data Factory, Synapse Data Engineering, Synapse Data Science, Synapse Data Warehouse, Synapse Real-Time Analytics, Power BI, and Data Activator.

A notable addition is the Real-Time Intelligence module, merging Synapse Real-Time Analytics and Data Activator. This new feature allows enterprises to derive real-time insights, making it easier to respond to dynamic data conditions with a low-code interface.

Additionally, Microsoft introduced the Fabric Workload Development Kit, enabling developers to build native applications within Fabric, which can then be marketed through Azure Marketplace. The updates also include new features for developers, such as the API for GraphQL and user data functions, enhancing data access and application development.

Copilot for Power BI is now generally available, facilitating the creation and summarization of reports. Other Copilot features within Fabric remain in preview, promising to streamline data flows, code generation, and machine learning model development using natural language processing.

Further updates include OneLake shortcuts for broader data source connectivity and upcoming integrations with Snowflake and Azure Databricks, ensuring seamless interoperability and data management across platforms.