Forum Discussion
Power BI Architecture with Databricks
Hi powerbihelp87 ,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.
Thank you Ritaf1983 HarishKM for the prompt response.
If you're already using Databricks and moving toward Fabric (Premium), a hybrid approach works well. You can continue using Databricks for heavy data processing and land curated data into Fabric (OneLake or Warehouse) for reporting.
Fabric integration with Power BI (especially DirectLake) offers cost efficiency and tight ecosystem alignment, but it’s still maturing - some bugs and limitations are expected. On the other hand, Databricks SQL endpoints are more stable for large-scale data but can be more costly.
Recommendation: Start hybrid, evaluate Fabric’s readiness in your use case, and gradually shift based on performance and governance needs.
Thank you.
When it comes to Power BI architecture with Databricks or other platforms, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach — it really depends on the client’s needs and their data governance preferences.
Here’s a breakdown of common scenarios:
Clients who prefer to manage RLS (Row-Level Security) at the database level often choose Snowflake with DirectQuery. This allows them to centralize data access policies and keep the logic within the data warehouse, reducing the need to duplicate it in Power BI.
Databricks and Fabric (OneLake) are conceptually similar in terms of enabling lakehouse architecture, but each has its own strengths:
Databricks is more mature and has strong enterprise adoption, especially for advanced analytics, ML/AI, and performance at scale.
Fabric is newer but rapidly gaining momentum, with tighter integration into the Microsoft ecosystem, lower total cost of ownership (especially for Microsoft 365 clients), and promising roadmap alignment with Power BI.
That said, Fabric still experiences some early-stage friction — bugs, inconsistent behaviors, and missing parity with mature solutions. These “growing pains” are expected, but should be considered when planning enterprise adoption.
Note: I'm a Power BI front-end developer — not a data architect — so architecture isn’t my area of expertise.
That said, this perspective is based on several years of working in a project-based company with diverse clients, giving me exposure to real-world architectures, implementation patterns, and plenty of hallway conversations with architects and engineers.
Take this as a practitioner's viewpoint from the front lines, not a formal architectural recommendation.
If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Thanks we are already utilizing Databricks but debating if should connect to via PBI Onelake or via Databricks SQL. Fabric being so new is definitely the main factor of steering away but we already invest in (Premium moving on to Fabric)
