Principle 2: Keep It Simple

About 8 months, I was called into a financial services client who had already “adopted” Fabric — at least on paper. When I arrived, they proudly showed me their environment: 11 different “data lakes,” three overlapping pipeline tools, a mixture of SQL endpoints, and a Power BI landscape full of duplicated reports. They weren’t short on technology; they were drowning in it.

The CIO admitted, “We bought everything because we didn’t want to miss out. Now nobody knows which tool to use.”

Instead of diving deeper into the chaos, we hit pause. We stripped the conversation back to two capabilities:

1. Land all curated data into OneLake — a single foundation everyone could agree on.
2. Deliver a handful of DirectLake-backed Power BI reports for executive decision-making.

That was it. Nothing fancy, no Copilot demos, no streaming dashboards. Just clarity. Within weeks, executives had faster reports they trusted. The business gained confidence, and only then did we start layering in pipelines and governance.

That experience taught me the core truth: Fabric is huge, but momentum starts small.

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Practical Ways to Keep It Simple

1. Anchor to Two or Three Capabilities
Focus on the immediate pain points:

• Unify siloed data with OneLake. One home for data.
• Accelerate reporting with DirectLake. Instant analytics without refresh delays.
• Orchestrate pipelines with Data Factory. Only if data movement is today’s issue.

2. Keep Architecture Diagrams Minimal
Start with “data in → OneLake → reports out.” Add complexity only when necessary.

3. Phase the Rollout

• Phase 1: Land curated datasets in OneLake.
• Phase 2: Deliver high-value reports.
• Phase 3: Introduce orchestration and governance.

4. Avoid “Feature of the Month” Syndrome
Fabric evolves monthly. Resist preview-chasing unless it directly solves a client’s need.

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A Word on Fabric + AI

No conversation about Fabric today is complete without AI. Copilot is on everyone’s lips, and data leaders are eager to prove they’re “AI-ready.” But again: keep it simple.

1. Start with AI on Top of Trusted Data
The best Fabric AI story isn’t about advanced models — it’s about Copilot in Power BI or Data Factory. For example:

• Business users can ask Copilot to generate DAX queries in plain English.
• Data engineers can let Copilot draft pipeline transformations they refine later.

These are tangible, low-barrier wins that showcase Fabric’s AI power without requiring a PhD or a GPU cluster on day one.

2. Don’t Jump Straight Into Models
Yes, Fabric integrates ML models, Azure ML, and Python notebooks. But most organisations struggle more with getting clean data than with training models. Simplicity means anchoring AI conversations in enabling the foundation: a single OneLake, reliable datasets, and governed access. Models can come later — and will be stronger because the data platform is solid.

3. A Simple AI Roadmap Example

• Phase 1: Enable Copilot in Power BI for self-service insights.
• Phase 2: Use Fabric notebooks for basic ML experiments on centralised data.
• Phase 3: Expand into governed ML workflows with Azure ML integration.

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Simplicity Doesn’t Mean Exclusion

Here’s the key: keeping it simple doesn’t mean ignoring AI. It means staging the conversation so that AI enthusiasts see a clear, low-friction path forward without overwhelming business leaders who just want trusted reports.

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The Balancing Act

The lesson from that client has stuck with me: complexity is easy, simplicity is hard. It’s tempting to prove expertise by listing every Fabric feature. But real impact comes from restraint — knowing which two or three levers will build momentum without overwhelming.

And that balance is even sharper with AI. Show Copilot to get people excited. Hold off on end-to-end ML pipelines until the data foundation is ready. The art is in pacing.

I know I’m not alone in this balancing act. Have you faced the challenge of keeping it simple versus showing everything Fabric (and now AI) can do? Reach out to me — I’d love to hear your stories, your lessons learned, and how you’ve navigated this tension.