Platform Evaluation Guide
Let Us Help You Choose.
Consideration | Microsoft Fabric | Databricks |
|---|---|---|
Deployment Model | SaaS (Software as a Service) - Managed by Microsoft | PaaS (Platform as a Service) - fine-grained control over infrastructure |
Infrastructure Setup | No configuration required | Requires Infrastructure as Code (IaC) setup for customization |
Data Location Control | Limited control (data resides in your OneLake, which is linked to your Fabric Tenant) | More control over data residency and network isolation |
Architecture | Delta format, Spark Engine & cluster-based | Similar core architecture, but Databricks offers more configuration options |
Data Warehouse | Offers native TSQL & stored procedures compatibility, but also PySpark & Spark SQL | Relies on PySpark & Spark SQL |
Data Catalog & Governance | Purview (still in preview) - can be a joined venture with Unity Catalog | Unity Catalog |
Development Environments | Distinction between environments is handled by creating different workspaces | Full support for separate DTAP environments |
CI/CD Compatibility | Limited support (Preview features) & limited branching support | Full compatibility with CI/CD pipelines with Git & DevOps |
Business Intelligence Integration (Power BI) | Connection possible with Import & Direct Query & Direct Lake for optimized performance | Connection possible with Import & Direct Query with cluster or SQL warehouse |
Data Sharing | Fabric API offers some sharing but is still limited (preview features) | Delta Sharing & Databricks API |
Data Ingestion | Fabric Data Factory for (Low) Code & Dataflow Gen 2 for No-Code & Full code possible in Lakehouse | Full code in Databricks or (Low)-Code via Azure Data Factory |
Data Transformation | Low-code with Dataflow Gen 2 & Lakehouse for Spark-based transformations & Warehouses for SQL-based Transformation | PySpark or Spark SQL transformations in Notebooks & Delta Live Tables |
Access Control | Very basic currently, as OneSecurity is not available yet | Mature & comprehensive suite of security features with Unity Catalog |
Advanced Analytics (Machine Learning & Streaming) | Supported | Supported - Native integration with MLflow |
AI Assistant | CoPilot is available in each step of your data warehouse journey | Available as a code helper in notebooks and in the SQL editor
|
Overall Maturity | Less mature but rapidly evolving | More mature & established platform (10+ years of evolution) |
Choosing the best Platform for Your Requirements
Deciding between Microsoft Fabric and Databricks for data analytics can be challenging. Both platforms are robust and cloud-based, each offering unique benefits. To assist you, we will analyse their features and functionalities, providing insights on how they can serve your organization and simplify your decision-making process.
The Key Points to Consider
Deciding between Microsoft Fabric and Databricks for data analytics can be challenging. Both platforms are robust and cloud-based, each offering unique benefits. To assist you, we will analyse their features and functionalities, providing insights on how they can serve your organization and simplify your decision-making process.
Microsoft Fabric
Easier setup, but customization might be required for on-premises data sources or private endpoints. Fabric offers convenience, while Databricks provides more fine-grained control.
Databricks
This requires manual setup and infrastructure management (IaC is recommended). You'll need to configure additional components for your data platform, such as storage and networking.
