Tuesday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM · Room A403

Understanding Microsoft Fabric: A Practical Deep Dive

Jason Himmelstein

BIFocal.show host

John White

CTO of tyGraph and Evangelist with AvePoint.

This full-day tutorial delivers a clear and practical introduction to Microsoft Fabric—what it is, how it works, and why it matters. Built for BI professionals, Microsoft 365 practitioners, and data geeks alike, this session offers a guided, real-world tour through the platform that's redefining Microsoft’s data and analytics landscape. Through rich demos and expert commentary, we’ll explore the full Fabric ecosystem—from OneLake to Real-Time Intelligence—and how it all connects to Power BI and Microsoft 365. What you’ll learn: • How Microsoft Fabric is structured—and how to actually explain it to others • What OneLake is, and why it’s more than just “Microsoft’s data lake” • When to use Lakehouses vs Warehouses (and what SQL people really need to know) • How governance, security, and licensing play into real-world adoption • Where Fabric fits for Power BI creators, M365 admins, and data teams alike If you're looking for a clear, no-fluff view of Microsoft Fabric from people who live at the intersection of collaboration and analytics, this session is for you.