Power BI in Microsoft Fabric Licensing Explained
Understanding Power BI in Microsoft Fabric licensing can help you get the most out of these integrated solutions, which can help you manage data and analytics workloads efficiently.
Combining these two powerful tools helps you meet these needs, offering a positive user experience across various data and analytics capabilities. However, like any other software solution, you can get the most out of it by having a solid understanding of its licensing requirements. In this blog, we'll dive into the intricacies of Microsoft Fabric licensing to help you better understand how to optimize your investment and discuss how Power BI factors into the equation.
What is Microsoft Fabric?
Microsoft Fabric is a comprehensive platform integrating multiple data and analytics services into a cohesive solution. It includes components such as Data Factory, Synapse Data Engineering, Synapse Data Warehouse, Synapse Data Science, Synapse Real-Time Analytics, Data Activator, and Power BI. This unified approach simplifies the management of data and analytics workloads, providing a streamlined user experience.
Key Components of Microsoft Fabric Licensing
When considering licensing in Microsoft Fabric, there are some core concepts you should keep in mind:
Compute
Microsoft Fabric's compute capacity is a shared pool that powers all its capabilities. The billing is based on two variables: the amount of computing you provide and the amount of storage you use. Compute capacity is priced uniquely across regions, and you can choose between pay-as-you-go and 1-year reservation options.
Storage
Storage in Microsoft Fabric is managed through OneLake, a single unified SaaS data lake automatically provisioned with every tenant. Data storage is charged at $0.023 per GB per month at West US 2. OneLake also offers additional storage options like BCDR storage and cache storage, each with its pricing.
Pricing and Capacity Units
Microsoft Fabric offers various SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) to cater to different business needs. For example, an F64 SKU allows free Power BI users to consume Power BI apps and shared content in a Premium capacity in the Power BI service. Smaller SKUs require a paid license to consume Power BI content.
Power BI in Microsoft Fabric
Only SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) equivalent or higher than an F64 SKU allow free Power BI users to consume Power BI apps and shared content in Premium capacity in the Power BI service. Smaller F SKUs require a paid license to consume Power BI content. You should consider Microsoft Fabric if you are approaching 350 Power BI Pro licenses. Keep in mind, that even with an F64 SKU, users are still required to have a valid per-user license, if they are publishing reports to the Fabric workspace, collaborating and sharing Power BI content with others, and consuming shared content in workspaces not assigned to Premium or Fabric capacity. The Power BI in Microsoft Fabric is not required for Users consuming content (e.g., reports and dashboards) hosted in a Premium-enabled capacity like your F64 Fabric, as long as the workspace is configured for Premium use.
Below is a table comparing Power BI Pro licenses and how some of them tie into Microsoft Fabric:
How Microsoft Fabric and Power BI Work Together
Microsoft Fabric and Power BI handle the two key areas of data management: effective storage and engaging analytics. Fabric provides a very effective way to store and centralize data so you can view it all in one location. Power BI then works with that data to create visualizations that lead to more effective reporting and highly informed decision-making. When combined, these two important processes form a unified data analytics platform. Here are some specific benefits of using these tools together:
- Data Integration and Transformation
- Microsoft Fabric is the foundation for integrating and transforming data from various sources using Data Factory and Dataflows.
- Transformed data is stored in OneLake, Fabric's centralized data storage.
- Analytics and Modeling
- Synapse in Fabric enables advanced analytics, data warehousing, and big data processing.
- This data is directly accessible in Power BI for creating models and visualizations.
- Real-Time Collaboration
- Data prepared and stored in Fabric is live-connected with Power BI, ensuring up-to-date insights without redundant exports or syncing.
- Governance and Security
- Unified governance via Microsoft Purview across Fabric and Power BI ensures compliance and security.
- AI and Automation
- Fabric's integration with Azure AI enables advanced ML models embedded into Power BI for predictive analytics and automation.
Reach out to Stoneridge to Unlock the Benefits of Power BI and Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric offers a powerful and flexible solution for managing data and analytics workloads. By understanding its licensing model, you can optimize your investment and ensure your organization benefits from its comprehensive capabilities. Whether you're looking to enhance your data processing, storage, or analytics, Microsoft Fabric provides the tools you need to succeed.
Visit the Stoneridge website to learn more about Microsoft Fabric and what our Data Insights team can do for you. Additionally, Stoneridge has a dedicated licensing team that can help you manage and streamline license management and will even conduct a free licensing review of your environment.
Contact the Stoneridge experts to streamline your data management processes.
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