Explicit Measures Podcast 502: Trusting In Microsoft Fabric
Feb 13, 2026
A conversation about whether Microsoft Fabric can be trusted like Power BI and which components already feel reliable. They dig into Semantic Link becoming generally available and the strengths of notebooks, Spark, Python and Fabric SQL. The hosts compare Fabric's power and complexity to Power BI simplicity and highlight who benefits most from adopting Fabric.
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Migrate Old Excel Imports Before Deprecation
- Accept deprecations and move legacy Excel/CSV import workflows into Fabric/OneLake or Dataflows Gen2 before refreshes stop.
- Mike points to migration paths: lakehouses, Dataflows Gen2, or storing files in OneLake.
Switching From Power Query To Python Notebooks
- Tommy rebuilt a client's timesheet/project process by connecting APIs and preferring Python/Spark over Power Query.
- He now often starts with notebooks and Python instead of Power Query for richer developer workflows.
Fabric Blurs Engineer And Analyst Roles
- Fabric blurs lines between data engineers and BI analysts by giving both notebook, lakehouse, and SQL workloads in one platform.
- Mike uses Fabric SQL as a transactional backend for web apps and praises pay-as-you-go Spark autoscale.