What is included in the IntelliFabric price and what do we buy from Microsoft separately?
Two separate invoices. The IntelliFabric subscription from Folio3 covers the pre-built industry module, 200+ KPI definitions, 50+ connector templates, the Fabric pipeline and Lakehouse build, the Power BI semantic model, dashboards, access configuration, live user training and ongoing support. Microsoft bills Fabric capacity, OneLake storage and per-consumer Power BI licences directly to the customer's own Azure subscription.
- 01Two invoices, always: Folio3 bills the IntelliFabric subscription, Microsoft bills Fabric capacity, OneLake storage and per-consumer Power BI licences on your own Azure subscription.
- 02The subscription covers the industry module, 200+ pre-built KPI definitions, 50+ connector templates, the Data Factory pipelines and Lakehouse build, a Power BI semantic model in Direct Lake mode, dashboards, access configuration, live training and support after go-live.
- 03Not included: connectors to systems outside the 50+ templates, KPI changes after sign-off, custom data-science work, and fixes to source-system data quality — those stay with the system owner.
- 04A first-year budget has five lines, not one: Fabric capacity, OneLake storage, per-consumer Power BI licences, the IntelliFabric subscription, and your own team’s time across the four-to-six-week build.
- 05The two expensive mistakes are symmetrical: over-provisioning capacity for a peak that happens twice a year, and under-counting report consumers so the per-seat line arrives after the budget is approved.
- 06If the budget stretches to capacity or to implementation but not both, buy capacity first and revisit the accelerator later. Two half-funded line items deliver nothing.
Where to go deeper
For the full explainer on this topic rather than this specific question, see the detailed guide on the blog.
Related questions, answered
Does Folio3 resell our Microsoft licensing, or do we buy it directly?
You buy it directly. Fabric capacity, OneLake storage and Power BI licences are purchased from Microsoft on your own Azure subscription, which is what keeps the data in your tenant and keeps any enterprise agreement discount yours. Folio3 sizes the starting SKU during discovery and configures the capacity. Mid-market deployments normally start at the lower end of the F-SKU ladder; confirm the current SKUs and rates with Microsoft, because the ladder moves.
If we move to a bigger Fabric capacity, do the per-user licences go away?
Above a large enough capacity SKU, yes: report consumption in workspaces assigned to that capacity is covered by it, and consumers no longer each need a Power BI Pro or Premium Per User licence. Below that threshold, every consumer needs a seat. Report authors still need Pro or PPU either way. Verify the current threshold on Microsoft Learn before budgeting, because the crossover point decides whether seats or capacity dominate the bill.
What is explicitly not included in the IntelliFabric subscription?
Microsoft licensing, first. Then connectors to systems outside the 50+ pre-built templates, which are scoped and quoted separately. Changes to KPI logic after sign-off, which run as change requests. Fixes to source-system data quality, which stay with the system owner. Custom data-science work beyond the packaged AI insights is also separate scope.
Is user training and support an extra line, or part of the subscription?
Part of the subscription. Every plan includes hands-on implementation, in-tenant deployment and live user training, and support continues after go-live rather than ending at handover. What sits outside is new scope: a connector to a system with no pre-built template, an additional industry module, or a KPI definition changed after it was signed off.
Which cost lines should we put in a first-year budget?
Five. Fabric capacity from Microsoft, either pay-as-you-go or reserved. OneLake storage, billed on volume. Power BI Pro or Premium Per User licences for report consumers. The IntelliFabric subscription from Folio3. And internal time: source-system access, metric sign-off and user testing across the four-to-six-week build, which is the line most teams forget entirely.
When is buying it this way the wrong call?
When the budget cannot carry two line items. A team that can fund Fabric capacity or an implementation, but not both, is better off starting with capacity and Power BI alone, then revisiting an accelerator once the reporting load justifies it. It is also wrong where the entire requirement is one bespoke model no pre-built KPI library would contain.
Sources
- Microsoft Fabric — licensing and capacity concepts · checked 2026-10-06
- Buy Microsoft Fabric capacity (Azure F SKUs or via a CSP) · checked 2026-10-06
- Microsoft Fabric pricing — capacity and OneLake storage rates · checked 2026-10-06
- Power BI service features by license type · checked 2026-10-06
- OneLake overview · checked 2026-10-06
- Direct Lake mode in Power BI semantic models · checked 2026-10-06
Figures on this page: 200+ · 50+ · 4–6 weeks · data stays in your tenant
What this costs for an operation your size
Three engagement tiers, what each includes, and the Microsoft licensing you need alongside it.
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