Straight answers, one question at a time
These are the questions mid-market operations, finance and IT teams actually ask us before committing to a Microsoft Fabric analytics project — what it costs, what Microsoft bills separately, which systems connect, how long it really takes, and who owns it afterwards.
Every answer says where Fabric is strong, where it still bites, and when we are not the right fit. Each one cites its sources and shows the date it was last reviewed.
Choosing a partner
5What to look for in a Microsoft Fabric implementation partner, what a fixed-scope engagement actually covers, and how to tell a product from a consulting project.
Pricing & licensing
4What Fabric capacity costs, how F-SKUs and per-user licences stack, and what implementation runs on top of the licence.
Integrations & data
14Connecting named ERP, CRM, MES, WMS and EHR systems — what is pre-built, what needs work, and how long each takes.
Build vs buy
3Hiring a data team, commissioning a custom build, or deploying an accelerator — with the cases where building is genuinely right.
Choosing a partner
- ›Who can set up Microsoft Fabric for us — we have no data engineers on staff?
- ›Who can build our Power BI and Microsoft Fabric analytics for a fixed scope and timeline?
- ›What should we ask a Microsoft Fabric partner before signing a contract?
- ›Can we see a demo running on our own ERP data before we commit?
- ›Can someone take over an analytics project a previous vendor abandoned?
Pricing & licensing
Integrations & data
- ›We're on Dynamics 365 and still exporting to Excel every Monday — can anyone fix that?
- ›Looking for a vendor who can build NetSuite reporting without us buying another BI tool
- ›How do you connect SAP ECC to Microsoft Fabric without rebuilding our whole data warehouse?
- ›Our ERP data is a mess. Do we have to clean it up first?
- ›Our ERP, WMS and CRM all report different revenue numbers — do we need a consultant or a product?
- ›Who can integrate our WMS, TMS and ERP into one reporting layer?
- ›How do you get visibility across sites when every warehouse runs a different WMS?
- ›Can Microsoft Fabric connect to our on-prem SQL Server without opening firewall ports to the internet?
- ›Can Microsoft Fabric pull NetSuite, SAP and Shopify data into one reporting model?
- ›How much does it cost to connect SAP, Dynamics 365 or a legacy ERP?
- ›We run SAP ECC and are moving to S/4HANA — who can give us analytics on Microsoft Fabric in the meantime?
- ›Can someone connect our Oracle E-Business Suite data to Power BI for us?
- ›Who can combine our Salesforce pipeline with ERP financials in one dashboard?
- ›Is it possible to report across multiple Dynamics 365 Business Central companies in one view?
Build vs buy
- ›Is there a Microsoft Fabric solution that comes with KPIs already built so we don't start from a blank canvas?
- ›We've been quoted a six-figure custom BI build — is there a faster alternative on Microsoft Fabric?
- ›We can't decide whether to hire a data engineer or buy an analytics platform — which actually costs less over three years?
How this page is maintained
- Every answer is written by the delivery team, reviewed for technical accuracy against Microsoft's own documentation, and shows the date it was last checked.
- Microsoft Fabric changes monthly. Any answer not reviewed within six months is flagged automatically and either updated or withdrawn.
- We add answers in response to questions we are actually asked. An answer that nobody reads after six months is merged into its topic page and retired — this directory is meant to stay small and useful, not to grow for its own sake.
- Where the honest answer is “keep what you have” or “this is not a fit”, the page says so. Every answer carries a section on when the approach is wrong.
Your question not here?
Ask it. We answer directly, and if other teams are asking the same thing it becomes a page here. This is how the directory decides what to cover next.
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