Fabric Foundations

Build the right foundations for Microsoft Fabric from day one

Whether you are migrating from an existing platform or starting a new data initiative, our Fabric Foundations service helps you establish a secure, scalable Microsoft Fabric environment that is ready for reporting, analytics, and AI.

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What do we mean by Fabric Foundations?

Many organisations know they want Microsoft Fabric, but aren't sure where to begin.

Fabric Foundations is Purple Frog Data's structured implementation service, designed to get your organisation up and running quickly while following Microsoft best practices.

Instead of jumping straight into development, we help you build the core platform correctly, ensuring your environment is secure, governed, scalable, and ready to grow.

Layer 1

Governance

Security

Architecture

Foundations

Layer 2

Lakehouse

Warehouse

Pipelines

Data platform

Layer 3

Reporting

Analytics

Business value

Why start with Fabric Foundations?

Build properly. Build once.

Without the right foundations, common data challenges quietly undermine your reporting, governance, and AI ambitions. Fabric Foundations is designed to address them head-on, before they become expensive problems.

Common challenge

What Fabric Foundations delivers

Inconsistent reporting across teams

Different teams, different numbers, different sources, with no agreed single version of the truth.

One governed semantic model, trusted by everyone

A structured data model and Power BI layer that gives every team the same reliable numbers, consistently.

Weak governance and security controls

Data in the wrong places, accessed by the wrong people, with no audit trail or visibility over what exists where.

Security, lineage, and access control from day one

Governance best practice built into the platform from the start, so compliance and control are never an afterthought.

Duplicated and siloed data

The same data copied across multiple systems and spreadsheets, with no clear owner or agreed standard.

One unified data store in OneLake

All your data in a single, well-structured environment, giving every team one clear, consistent source to work from.

Costly rework and difficult migrations

Rushing into implementation without proper architecture leads to expensive rebuilds and disruption further down the road.

Architecture designed to grow with you

We design your Fabric environment with your future in mind, so scaling is straightforward and rework is avoided.

Unpredictable and rising infrastructure costs

Unmanaged compute and redundant pipelines quietly draining budget with little visibility into what is being spent or why.

Optimised, cost-efficient delivery from the start

Efficient pipelines and right-sized capacity built in from day one, keeping your Fabric costs predictable and under control.

AI initiatives that never get off the ground

AI and Copilot projects stall because the underlying data is messy, inconsistent, or simply not trusted by the business.

Clean, trusted data that is ready for AI

Fabric Foundations prepares your data environment for AI and Copilot from day one, so when you are ready to move forward, your data already is.

What's included

Building the foundations for long-term success

Every organisation is different, but successful Microsoft Fabric implementations share the same core building blocks. Fabric Foundations brings these together in a structured engagement that prepares your platform for reporting, analytics, and AI.

Phase 1

Discovery and planning

Goals and objectives

Understanding what success looks like for your organisation

Current platform review

Assessing your existing data infrastructure and sources

Architecture workshop

Defining the right Fabric design for your needs

Success criteria

Agreeing measurable outcomes before we start building

Phase 2

Platform setup

Fabric workspace

Configured and ready for your organisation

OneLake and Lakehouse

Your unified data store, properly structured

Capacity planning

Right-sized resources to keep costs under control

Security and access

Role-based controls and data lineage from day one

Phase 3

Data integration

Source connections

Your core data sources connected into Fabric

Pipeline development

Reliable ETL pipelines built and tested

Initial data modelling

A clean, well-structured schema for your data

Data ingestion

Automated, scheduled refreshes keeping data current

Phase 4

Governance and reporting

Permissions and access

Who can see what, clearly defined and enforced

Naming standards

Consistent conventions across your entire environment

Monitoring and alerts

Visibility into pipeline health and data freshness

Power BI dashboards

Business-ready reports built on your new platform

Phase 5

Knowledge transfer and handover

Team training

Hands-on sessions to get your team confident and self-sufficient

Documentation

Everything your team needs to manage and extend the platform

Best practice guidance

Recommendations to keep your environment healthy long term

Future roadmap

A practical plan for what to tackle next as your needs grow

Project timeline

A structured journey to Microsoft Fabric

Every implementation is different, but many organisations can establish their Microsoft Fabric foundations in as little as four weeks. Our structured approach ensures each stage is completed in the right order, giving you a secure, scalable platform that is ready for reporting, analytics, and AI.

Week 1

Discover and plan

Goals, platform review and success criteria

Week 2

Design the architecture

Platform setup, OneLake structure and data modelling

Week 3

Build and configure

Pipelines, integration, governance and dashboards

Week 4

Validate and handover

Testing, training, documentation and roadmap

Many organisations are operational in as little as four weeks. The exact timeline depends on the complexity of your data landscape

Is it right for you?

Is Fabric Foundations right for your organisation?

Fabric Foundations is designed for organisations at a crossroads with their data. Whether you are moving away from a legacy platform or building something new, it is the right starting point if any of these sound familiar.

You are migrating from

Azure Synapse

SQL Server

A legacy data warehouse

Power BI only, with no data platform behind it

Databricks

Or you are looking to

Build a new data platform from scratch

Prepare your data for AI and Copilot

Replace fragmented or unreliable reporting

Consolidate data from multiple siloed systems

Modernise your analytics environment

Not sure if Fabric Foundations is the right fit?

Book a free 60-minute discovery call with one of our Microsoft Fabric specialists. We will take a look at your current setup and give you an honest view on whether Fabric Foundations is the right starting point for you.

Book a discovery call

Why Purple Frog?

A partner that puts your
outcomes first

Microsoft Solutions Partner for Data and AI independently accredited by Microsoft for our expertise across the data and AI ecosystem.

20+ years of experience helping organisations turn data into real business value, across a wide range of sectors and platforms.

Two Microsoft MVPs recognised for deep expertise in data and AI, as part of our core delivery team.

Honest, independent advice. We recommend what is right for you. If Fabric is not the right fit, we will tell you.

Long-term partnership. Many of our clients have worked with us for five years or more. We are in it for the long term, not just the project.

Nurture GroupClient

"Partnering with Purple Frog has made a real difference to how we work at Nurture Group. Whether it's delivering large, business-changing projects or providing everyday support when we need it, Purple Frog brings the same dedication and attention to detail throughout. Very easy to work with, wouldn't hesitate to recommend them."

The Gym GroupClient

"Working with Purple Frog Data has been a fantastic experience. Not only do they offer great technical expertise, the personal connection built over the years has translated directly into the quality of delivery. Their deep understanding of our goals enables them to create data products that are genuinely aligned to how The Gym Group operates."

Geoff BarberHead of Financial MI Systems, Principality Building Society

"I have worked with Purple Frog on two separate projects and cannot recommend them highly enough. The depth of their technical skill is matched by their ability to quickly get to grips with the dynamics of the core business and propose innovative solutions. We would work with Purple Frog again."

Alex SmithHead of Management Information, Liberty Syndicates

"Purple Frog enabled Liberty to rapidly implement a full Business Intelligence suite across our business. Purple Frog remained professional and flexible throughout, understanding our requirements very quickly and surpassing all expectations."

Martyn RogersProject Manager, Target Group

"Purple Frog are professional and friendly, proving excellent knowledge in both technical design expertise and the software tools. They met the deadlines we agreed. We would have no reservations in recommending Purple Frog to other businesses."

Darren ThorpeDirector of Software Development, Strategic Thought

"Purple Frog helped us redesign our reporting platform. They were quick to understand our business needs and designed an impressive system that we are proud to showcase. We are happy to recommend Purple Frog's services to others."

John NotherCTO, Card Factory

"Thanks for the support you have given us through the year. The work you do and speed with which you react to problems is fantastic. Glad to have you as our partner."

Nurture GroupClient

The Gym GroupClient

Geoff BarberHead of Financial MI Systems, Principality Building Society

John NotherCTO, Card Factory

"Thanks for the support you have given us through the year. The work you do and speed with which you react to problems is fantastic. Glad to have you as our partner."

Free resources

Explore, learn, and go further with Microsoft Fabric

From case studies and practical guides to expert video content, our resources are designed to help you understand what Microsoft Fabric can do and how to get started with confidence.

Case study

Sustainable reporting with Microsoft Fabric

Fabric Foundations in action

See how Purple Frog Data used Microsoft Fabric Foundations to unify fragmented environmental data into a scalable reporting platform.

Flyer

Microsoft Fabric Foundations

What it is and how to get started

An introduction to Fabric Foundations — what it includes, how it works, and how we can get your organisation up and running in as little as four weeks.

Getting started with Power BI and Fabric

Guide

Getting started with Power BI and Microsoft Fabric

Practical guide

A practical guide to getting Power BI and Microsoft Fabric working together, covering key concepts, architecture decisions, and first steps.

Video

The Microsoft Fabric tools your team isn't using yet

With Laura-Jayne Adamson

A walkthrough of underused Microsoft Fabric features that could be making a real difference to your team's productivity and reporting capability right now.

Watch now

Get in touch

Ready to explore Microsoft Fabric?

Whether you have a specific challenge in mind or just want to explore what is possible, our experts are here to help. Book a free 60-minute discovery call directly in our team's diary, or send us a message and we will get back to you.

Book a discovery call

Speak directly with one of our Microsoft Fabric specialists to discuss your requirements and receive practical, independent advice.

Fabric Foundations

Starting your data platform journey with Microsoft Fabric

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Full Fabric implementation

Microsoft Fabric, Azure, Databricks, SQL Server

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