Forum Discussion
Advocate IFabric Dataverse - Synapse Link versus Fabric Link
Good follow-up question.
For the pattern you described :
Dataverse → Azure Synapse Link → ADLS Gen2 → Fabric Shortcut
you don't necessarily need to deploy a full Azure Synapse Workspace if the goal is only to land the Dataverse data into Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 and then consume it from Fabric through shortcuts.
Microsoft documents an option to create Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. In that setup, the key Azure component is the ADLS Gen2 storage account. A Synapse Workspace is a separate option, mainly needed if you also want to use Synapse Analytics capabilities directly.
So the lighter architecture would be :
Dataverse → Azure Synapse Link service → ADLS Gen2 → Fabric Shortcut
A few things to keep in mindv:
- The ADLS Gen2 account must be in the same Microsoft Entra tenant as the Power Apps tenant.
- Hierarchical namespace must be enabled.
- Required storage roles must be assigned correctly.
- Change tracking must be enabled on the Dataverse tables you want to export.
- If you need Delta/Parquet output, check the Delta Lake export requirements as well.
Useful Ms docs:
Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/azure-synapse-link-data-lakeExport Dataverse data in Delta Lake format :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/azure-synapse-link-delta-lakeAzure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Azure Synapse Analytics workspace :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/azure-synapse-link-synapseSo in short, if Fabric is already the analytics layer and you only need ADLS Gen2 as the landing zone, I would start with the ADLS Gen2-only option to keep the architecture lighter. A Synapse Workspace can always be added later if there is a real Synapse-specific requirement.
Advocate IThanks, that's very helpful.
One follow-up question regarding the Azure Synapse Link option:
In my scenario, the customer already has Microsoft Fabric, but there is currently no Azure Synapse environment deployed.
If I choose the architecture:
Dataverse → Azure Synapse Link → ADLS Gen2 → Fabric Shortcut
would it be sufficient to provision only an Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 account, or is an Azure Synapse Workspace also required?
The reason I'm asking is that introducing a Storage Account is usually acceptable, but deploying and managing a dedicated Synapse Workspace solely for Dataverse integration would significantly increase the complexity and cost of the solution.
Thanks!
Super UserGood follow-up question.
For the pattern you described :
Dataverse → Azure Synapse Link → ADLS Gen2 → Fabric Shortcut
you don't necessarily need to deploy a full Azure Synapse Workspace if the goal is only to land the Dataverse data into Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 and then consume it from Fabric through shortcuts.
Microsoft documents an option to create Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. In that setup, the key Azure component is the ADLS Gen2 storage account. A Synapse Workspace is a separate option, mainly needed if you also want to use Synapse Analytics capabilities directly.
So the lighter architecture would be :
Dataverse → Azure Synapse Link service → ADLS Gen2 → Fabric Shortcut
A few things to keep in mindv:
- The ADLS Gen2 account must be in the same Microsoft Entra tenant as the Power Apps tenant.
- Hierarchical namespace must be enabled.
- Required storage roles must be assigned correctly.
- Change tracking must be enabled on the Dataverse tables you want to export.
- If you need Delta/Parquet output, check the Delta Lake export requirements as well.
Useful Ms docs:
Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/azure-synapse-link-data-lake
Export Dataverse data in Delta Lake format :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/azure-synapse-link-delta-lake
Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Azure Synapse Analytics workspace :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/azure-synapse-link-synapse
So in short, if Fabric is already the analytics layer and you only need ADLS Gen2 as the landing zone, I would start with the ADLS Gen2-only option to keep the architecture lighter. A Synapse Workspace can always be added later if there is a real Synapse-specific requirement.