SQL Meets Fabric: Why SQL Databases Are a Game-Changer

Setting the Stage

For decades, SQL databases have powered applications of all sizes—from mission-critical systems managing complex stored procedures, schemas, and workflows, to smaller in-house applications. The vast time and resources invested in developing these databases make them invaluable to organizations.

However, as modern data architectures evolve, there's a growing emphasis on datalakes and delta lakes for ingestion and analytics. While these systems are ideal for analytical workloads, they fall short in supporting the transactional logic embedded in SQL databases. Migrating to these architectures often requires rebuilding SQL logic into notebooks or Spark jobs, an impractical and costly endeavor for many organizations.

Enter Microsoft Fabric's SQL Database experience, a revolutionary feature in public preview. This offering not only integrates SQL databases seamlessly into the Fabric ecosystem but also ensures that organizations can preserve their existing SQL workloads, including stored procedures, views, and schemas, without the need for extensive refactoring.

Watch the Demo

In this section, I’ll demonstrate how to create a SQL Database in Microsoft Fabric, explore its Git-enabled workspace integration, and showcase how existing SQL workloads can be migrated seamlessly.

Step 1: Setting Up the Workspace and SQL Database

To begin, I created a workspace called SQL Database Experience Dev. The process of adding a SQL database is straightforward:

1. Navigate to the workspace in Microsoft Fabric.
2. Click New Item > SQL Database, assign it a name (e.g., Fabric SQL DB), and click Create.

The result is a fully functional SQL database with support for tables, views, stored procedures, and scalar or table-valued functions. These are the core building blocks of most modern databases.

Step 2: Git-Enable the Workspace

Once the database was created, I enabled Git integration for the workspace. This connects the database to a branch in a Git repository, allowing changes to be tracked, version-controlled, and deployed with ease.

• After syncing, the database’s code representation appeared in the branch as a Database Project.
• This project structure organizes schema elements (tables, views, stored procedures, etc.) into folders, ensuring consistency and enabling CI/CD workflows.
• Check my prev. article if you'd like to know more on Database Project

Create a Visual Studio Database project, host in DevOps Git-repo and deploy with pipelines

Learn to create a Visual Studio Database project, host it in a DevOps Git repo, and deploy it using Azure DevOps pipelines.

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Step 3: Migrating Existing SQL Workloads

To demonstrate the migration of an existing database, I used a sample database. This database was already defined in a Database Project created using Visual Studio.

The steps to migrate were simple:

1. Export the schema from the existing SQL database into the Database Project.
2. Copy the project files into the Git branch linked to the Fabric workspace.
3. Push the changes to the repository.

Using Azure Data Studio, I validated and synchronized the schema with Fabric’s SQL Database. This process ensured that all database components—tables, views, stored procedures—were deployed correctly without manual scripting.

Step 4: Operating the SQL Database in Fabric

Finally, I connected to the Fabric SQL Database using standard tools like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

• I ran stored procedures and queried data directly, just like I would with any traditional SQL database.
• The seamless integration with Fabric allows the database to benefit from Fabric’s analytical capabilities while retaining SQL’s transactional strengths.

Conclusion

The SQL Database experience in Microsoft Fabric is a game-changer for organizations looking to modernize without sacrificing years of investment in SQL logic and development. By embedding Database Projects directly into Fabric, Microsoft has created a platform that supports:

• Seamless migration of existing SQL workloads.
• Full integration with Git for version control and CI/CD.
• Flexibility to operate SQL databases as part of a unified analytics ecosystem.

For SQL professionals, this is an opportunity to extend the value of traditional databases into a modern, cloud-first environment. Whether you’re managing transactional workloads or planning large-scale migrations, Fabric SQL Database offers the best of both worlds.

I encourage you to try it yourself—migrate your existing databases, experiment with the features, and experience the future of data management. Feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments!