Wednesday 12:40 PM - 1:00 PM · Expo Innovation Theater

AI for BI: A Practical Guide to Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Every BI platform now includes AI—from Microsoft Fabric CoPilot to standalone chatbots. Yet without a unified strategy, these tools create fragmented user experiences and governance risks. This session introduces a clear Reference Architecture for implementing AI for BI at scale—helping enterprises eliminate silos, ensure control, and build a sustainable, scalable system.

Wednesday 12:40 PM - 1:00 PM · Expo Insight Theater

Vortex: AI-Powered Migration to Power BI / Microsoft Fabric Made Simple

Legacy platforms create data silos blocking innovation. Manual migrations take 12+ months with 83% failing. See how AI automation transforms this: smart rationalization prioritizes assets, automated conversion handles apps and pipelines, and optimization ensures quality. Watch live demos and hear how one organization migrated an app portfolio in months, unlocking Fabric's modern capabilities.

Wednesday 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM · Expo Innovation Theater

Brewing Better Decisions for a Dunkin Donuts Franchisee with Microsoft Fabric

Learn how Bluemont Group transformed Data & AI across 100 Dunkin’ locations by replacing a vendor-controlled data warehouse with a modern, fully owned Microsoft Fabric platform. Learn how Collectiv helped them eliminate multi-day data delays, unlock historical insights, and empower managers with real-time, location-level visibility.

Wednesday 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM · C111-C112

CORENOTE: Fabric Data Factory: What's New and Roadmap

Are you looking at how you can get started with Fabric Data Factory? In this session, you will learn how Fabric Data Factory is empowering developers to build data integration solutions. This session will get you up to speed with exciting product innovations and Fabric Data Factory roadmap.

Wednesday 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM · C211-C213

Decoding Fabric Licensing

Navigate the complexities of Microsoft Fabric licensing with real-world scenarios. Learn the differences between Pro, Premium, and Fabric licenses. We will compare pricing models, estimate costs, and avoid budgeting traps to enable smarter, cost-savvy decisions about your data environment.

Wednesday 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM · C302

Planning & Writeback on Top of Semantic Models

Unlock hidden ROI by turning your existing semantic layer into a full planning engine. This innovation eliminates duplicate EPM systems, unifies actuals and plans, and delivers real-time, governed insights. By activating write-back directly to Fabric, organizations cut cost, boost agility, and transform planning into a seamless extension of analytics.

Wednesday 3:05 PM - 4:05 PM · C113-C114

CORENOTE: The Fabric Data Warehouse Future-Proof Advantage

Fabric Data Warehouse has been built from the ground up in 2020s, inspired by industry state-of-the-art. In this session we unveil new features designed to make it easier to manage and get the most out of your analytics workloads with Fabric Data Warehouse.

Wednesday 3:05 PM - 4:05 PM · B401-B402

CORENOTE: Create a Single Source of Truth for Your Data, AI, and Actions

When business data, models, and AI agents operate in silos, your organization struggles with inconsistent insights and fragmented decision-making. Microsoft Fabric solves this by providing a unified semantic foundation that connects everything into a single intelligent framework. Explore customer stories and see how enterprise-wide semantic clarity improves AI agent reasoning. Learn to design semantic models that unify your data assets and enable your organization to operate with greater clarity and agility.

Wednesday 3:05 PM - 4:05 PM · TMB 4

Make Managed Self-Service BI Work for You with Power BI and Purview (the BI Mullet Approach)

When designed well, a managed self-service BI approach strikes the perfect balance between centralized data discipline and flexible self-service reporting. This session will demonstrate how smart Power BI implementation (including centrally maintained semantic models, report templates, and administration) saves time, money, and headaches when paired with Purview's Unified Catalog.

Wednesday 4:25 PM - 5:25 PM · B401-B402

Transform Your Business with Fabric Real-Time Intelligence

Real Time Intelligence helps businesses transform with real-time insights, analytics and actions built for the era of AI. This session will cover key features, capabilities, and the impact it has on operational efficiency and decision-making processes. We will also highlight customer success stories and showcase how you can revolutionize your data strategy and unlock new opportunities for growth.

Wednesday 4:25 PM - 5:25 PM · TMB 4

Driving Cost-Efficient Data Architectures for SQL Server, Azure SQL and Fabric using FinOps

Learn how to optimise SQL Server, Azure SQL and Fabric costs using FinOps practices and AI-driven insights. We’ll explore key cost drivers, show how AI detects inefficiencies, forecasts spend, recommends right-sizing, and helps design smarter, cost-efficient data architectures across hybrid and cloud environments.

Wednesday 4:25 PM - 5:25 PM · C108-C109

Talk to Your Data: The Future of Data Interaction with AI

In the evolving world of data, the ability to interact with your datasets and databases using natural language is a game-changer. This session will introduce you to the power of Azure OpenAI, Azure SQL, and Microsoft Fabric, showing you how to break down barriers that have traditionally required.

Wednesday 4:25 PM - 5:25 PM · C301

AI-Driven MDM on Microsoft Fabric: Build the Intelligent Golden Record

Discover how to build an AI-powered Master Data Management solution on Microsoft Fabric. Learn how AI models identify duplicates, enrich data, and create a reliable golden record. See practical patterns that improve data quality, downstream analytics, and enterprise operational efficiency.

Thursday 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM · C105-C106

Sharing Experiences: Customer Journeys migrating to Microsoft Fabric

Join this session to hear firsthand from customers who have transformed their data estates with Microsoft Fabric. From global enterprises modernizing complex legacy systems to agile teams embracing Fabric native services, these stories highlight the strategies, challenges, and breakthroughs that defined their journeys. Discover how organizations accelerated time to value and unlocked new insights by harnessing Fabric’s unified platform.

Thursday 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM · Expo Insight Theater

The Fabric Effect at CDW: Built by the Business, Supercharged by IT

See how CDW brought business and IT together to build something bigger. Christopher shows how he used Fabric to turn scattered data into a single operational portal that runs the business. Julie adds technical insights and reveals how partnership unlocked even more value. A fast, energetic look at the power user revolution inside Fabric.

Thursday 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM · C108-C109

How Much is Fabric | Strategies for Managing and Estimating Fabric Capacity Expense

Learn how to accurately estimate and control Microsoft Fabric capacity costs in today’s cloud‑driven world. We’ll cover key drivers like workload patterns, utilization, and scaling, and walk through practical models, examples, and best practices to align Fabric spend with your organization’s performance and budget goals.

Thursday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM · B406b-B407

Blueprint for Modern Data Teams: A Customer Story with Mirroring, Warehouse, and dbt

Learn how a real customer unlocked fast, reliable analytics by combining Mirroring, Fabric Warehouse, and dbt. They’ll share their challenges, architecture, and business outcomes—plus the patterns you can take back to your own organization to accelerate your data journey.

Thursday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM · TMB 4

Building a Microsoft Fabric CoE That Works: What We Learned and How You Can Start

Whether you’re a Microsoft Fabric/Power BI enterprise architect or a grassroots champion, learn how you can take steps towards establishing an approachable Microsoft Fabric Center of Excellence that grows with your organization. We’ll share real lessons on enablement, distributing best practices, hosting office hours, and how a simple start became a launchpad for inclusive community & governance.

Thursday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM · C101

Busy is a Four-Letter Word

If I ask you, "How are you?", is your default answer, "I'm so busy!"? Why do we measure our worth by how much we are doing, rather than by the value of what we do? What does this have to do with a technical conference? Join me as I share with you how I, too, was too busy for too long, but am learning how to do less, be more productive, and have bigger impact at work, the community, and at home.

Thursday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM · C301

SAP Data Integration Made Easy: From SAP to Fabric in Real Time

In this session, we showcase our SAP Clean Core Certified integration with Microsoft Fabric, enabling seamless, real-time replication into OneLake. Discover how to simplify SAP data workflows, accelerate insights with ready-to-use pipelines, and apply proven best practices—supported by a live demo and guidance from dab experts.

Thursday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM · C302

Engineering Fabric at Scale: Accelerating Time to Value

PwC and a global software client unpack how they re-engineered a large-scale data platform on Microsoft Fabric to help meet ambitious service-level agreements (SLAs) and accelerate business value. This technical deep dive covers hybrid Lakehouse–Warehouse design, metadata-driven ingestion, performance tuning, and early adoption of new Fabric capabilities for an AI-ready foundation.

Thursday 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM · C4

Women in Data: Leading the Way

Join us for an inspiring panel discussion featuring leading women in the field of data. This session will cover a range of topics from technical career discussions & guidance, overcoming challenges, the value of a strong network, where tech is going in the future. All with a special focus on being a woman in a technical field.

Whether you are just starting your career, looking to advance or searching for a way help others, this panel will provide valuable insights and practical advice to help you navigate the dynamic world of data.

Thursday 1:00 PM - 1:20 PM · Expo Innovation Theater

Where Data Meets Opportunity: Drive Business Value with Location Insights

Join Esri to see how location intelligence can revolutionize your data strategy and give your organization a competitive edge. Esri's ArcGIS technology brings interactive mapping and advanced location-based analytics to Microsoft Fabric. Discover real-world success stories and learn how organizations are using location intelligence to uncover patterns, predict trends, and make smarter decisions.

Thursday 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM · Expo Insight Theater

Enterprise Write-back: Driving Data-Driven Transformation with Power BI

Ready to see how modern planning is being redefined? Acterys showcases how a leading manufacturer moved from fragmented, Excel-based planning to streamlined, data-driven decision-making. Discover how Enterprise Write-Back in Power BI enables faster processes, greater accuracy, and efficiency—plus a live demo of the architecture, workflows, and best practices behind the transformation.

Thursday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM · C301

How Health Systems Can Join the EMR Cloud Journey

Major electronic medical records (EMRs) including Epic are transitioning their data offerings to Fabric. This session will investigate how to integrate this data with client data and platforms. We will describe the journey of Corewell Health including Cogito Cloud, a clinical Fabric instance, bi-directional shortcuts, Snowflake integration, and AI-enabled migration to PowerBi.

Thursday 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM · C101

Talking about mental health - For you and for them

Looking after more than just 1's and 0's is important for us all.

Everyone experiences, or is adjacent to people who experience, challenges with mental health. In both the workplace and personal life, it can feel very difficult to talk with people about these challenges.

Friday 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM · C105-C106

SQL database in Fabric: The Fast Path to Modern, Scalable Analytics

Learn how SQL databases deliver scalable, secure, and cost-effective analytics in Microsoft Fabric. Explore design patterns, migration strategies, and performance tuning to modernize your data platform while ensuring governance, AI readiness, and seamless Power BI integration.

Friday 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM · C101

Sharing Experiences: Real-Time Intelligence —Customer Stories from the Frontlines of Fabric

In this session, we spotlight how leading organizations are transforming operations and decision-making with Microsoft Fabric’s Real-Time Intelligence capabilities. From connected factories and autonomous logistics to fraud detection and energy optimization, customers are harnessing streaming data, event-driven architectures, and AI-powered automation to act in the moment. Hear firsthand how these customers experienced their Fabric journey to reduce latency, cut operational costs, and unlock new business models. These stories go beyond technology—they reveal the strategic shifts, cultural changes, and measurable outcomes that define real-time success in the era of AI.

Friday 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM · Expo Innovation Theater

Building an AI-Ready Data Platform: Data Agents, Ontology, and Governance in Microsoft Fabric

AI agents and Copilots are only as effective as the data platforms behind them. Learn how to build an AI-ready Frontier Data Platform using Microsoft Fabric, powered by Data Agents, shared ontology, & governance. Learn how OneLake, semantic definitions, lineage, and policy-driven access enable safe AI at scale, & how Sonata’s Lightning Data Suite accelerates readiness with prebuilt accelerators.

Friday 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM · Expo Insight Theater

From Stalled to Scaled: How Tolmar Built a Trusted Fabric Platform for Agents

Enterprises are moving quickly toward Copilot and agentic AI, but most struggle to scale beyond pilots because the data foundation isn’t ready. In this session, Adastra and Tolmar share how building a reliable, governed data estate in Microsoft Fabric and OneLake is the critical first step to enabling trusted AI and enterprise agents.

Friday 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM · C4

DEI Lunch Session: Adversity Leadership - Leading with Clarity in High-Pressure Environments

Modern IT teams operate under constant pressure—governance demands, rapid change, rising burnout, and high-stakes decision-making. Teams from all backgrounds, across the spectrum must work together to achieve goals. Attendees will learn to work together to convert pressure into precision, lead with confidence when it matters most, and build resilient, high-performing environments where people can thrive.

Friday 1:00 PM - 1:20 PM · Expo Insight Theater

The Hybrid Data Future: When to Persist, When to Let Agents Fetch

The "persist everything" era of data architecture is ending. Microsoft Fabric is the first platform that lets organizations make a genuine choice: persist strategically in OneLake, access external data via shortcuts and mirroring, or let AI agents retrieve directly from source systems at runtime - all under one security and governance model. This session explores the decision framework: when does persistence remain critical, and when can agents reason on-demand? Learn how the semantic layer - the Fabric IQ that grounds agents in trusted business data - becomes the governance backbone for agentic queries, and how leading organizations are compressing implementation timelines from months to weeks - shifting from project delivery to efficient, repeatable, scalable outcomes.

Friday 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM · TMB 4

Building modern data architectures with Microsoft Fabric

Learn how Microsoft Fabric can be leveraged with the architectures: Data fabric, data lakehouse, and data mesh. Get a tour of each architecture and explore their pros and cons. By the end of the session, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to use Microsoft Fabric to build and optimize these diverse data architectures.