Can we see a demo running on our own ERP data before we commit?
Yes. Folio3 can run an IntelliFabric demo on a customer's own data two ways: a scoped extract loaded into a Folio3 Fabric workspace under NDA, or a read-only connection into the customer's own Azure tenant with zero data egress. Either path shows pre-built KPIs populated with real records. Allow five to ten business days from access granted to a data-backed demo.
- 01Two shapes of data-backed demo exist: a scoped extract loaded into a Folio3 Fabric workspace under NDA, or a read-only connection into your own Azure tenant. The extract is faster to arrange; the in-tenant version moves no data at all.
- 02Minimum to make a demo real: one source system rather than all of them, read-only credentials or a single extract, and two or three KPIs your team has already agreed on internally.
- 03Five to ten business days is the honest window from access granted to a demo on your records. Most of that is your side — service account, firewall rule, change ticket — not build time.
- 04The read-only path itself splits: a OneLake shortcut over storage you already hold in Azure, or a Fabric Data Factory pipeline. For a database-backed ERP like SAP S/4HANA or Oracle EBS that pipeline should read a replica rather than production; for SaaS systems like Dynamics 365 or NetSuite it reads the vendor API instead.
- 05On the in-tenant path the demo artifacts need not be disposable: the same pipeline, OneLake tables and Direct Lake semantic model can become the first increment of the four-to-six-week first module — provided the workspace ends up on paid Fabric capacity, because items built on a trial capacity stop being usable once the trial lapses.
- 06Honest limit: if your real question is whether the KPI definitions match how your business measures margin or scrap, sample data answers it in 45 minutes and a data-backed demo adds two weeks for nothing.
Where to go deeper
Related questions, answered
What do we need to provide before a demo on our own data?
Three things: one source system rather than all of them, either a read-only service account or a single scoped extract, and two or three KPIs your team has already agreed on. A named person who can settle a metric definition matters more than the credentials. Adding a fourth and fifth source extends the setup without making the demo more convincing.
Where does our data sit during the demo, and what happens to it afterwards?
On the read-only path, nothing moves: the pipelines and semantic model are deployed into your Azure subscription and the records never leave it. On the extract path, the file is transferred under a signed NDA and data-processing terms, loaded into a dedicated Folio3 Fabric workspace, and deleted at the end of the evaluation with written confirmation.
Which kinds of vendor demo should we distrust?
Any demo where a number cannot be traced back to a row in a source system. Ask which table each tile reads from, ask to see the pipeline that loaded it, and ask for one figure to be reconciled against a report your ERP already produces. A demo that cannot survive those three questions is a screenshot tour with a cursor on it.
Does the demo work count towards the paid implementation?
On the in-tenant path, yes, with one condition. The Fabric Data Factory pipeline, OneLake tables and semantic model built for the evaluation are the same artifacts the first module extends, so phase one of the four-to-six-week build starts part-done. Reassign that workspace to paid capacity before any trial lapses, or the items stop being usable. Extract-based demos get rebuilt, because a one-off file is not a pipeline.
When is a sample-data demo the better use of everyone's time?
When the open question is definitional rather than technical. If you want to know whether 200+ pre-built KPIs match how your business measures margin, scrap or fill rate, a 45-minute walkthrough on sample data answers it today. If security review for a read-only account runs six weeks, sample data plus a reconciliation session on a report you export yourself is faster.
Do we need our own Fabric capacity to run the demo in our tenant?
Yes, some capacity has to be available: either a Fabric trial capacity or an existing F-SKU in your subscription. Confirm current trial terms and SKU options against Microsoft's own documentation, since both change. If no capacity can be provisioned inside the evaluation window, the extract-based demo runs in a Folio3 workspace instead and costs you nothing in licensing.
Sources
- Microsoft Fabric — licensing and capacity concepts · checked 2026-10-06
- Microsoft Fabric trial capacity · checked 2026-10-06
- OneLake shortcuts · checked 2026-10-06
- Direct Lake mode for Power BI semantic models · checked 2026-10-06
Figures on this page: 4–6 weeks · 200+ · 50+ · data stays in your tenant
Want this scoped against your actual systems?
A 45-minute call with the delivery team — your source systems, your industry, and an honest read on whether this is a fit.
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