Master Data Service in Fabric ?

[Cookistador]

Hello everyone,

At my job, I'm facing a migration issue. Currently, my company is using MDS (Master Data Services) as a central repository to consolidate values that were previously stored in CSV files across the company.

The general process for a user to insert data is as follows:

1. The user opens an Excel file with the Excel add-in and selects their entity.

2. Once the modifications are done, they click on "Publish."

3. Publishing starts a validation workflow.

4. If the workflow is approved, the data is written to the MDS database and used in our ETL process

Now, here's the challenging part: MDS is no longer supported, and our organization needs to move to the cloud. As a Fabric advocate, I suggested moving to Fabric, but we are now facing the issue of replacing the MDS functionality.

I took the time to analyze the alternatives I see, and this is what I've considered:

• Using a third-party tool like Profisee (though I'm not sure it's the right solution for this use case).

• Creating a similar tool in SharePoint/Dataverse with Power Automate (for the business rules).

(they need to keep the copy & paste actions so I could not use a power BI report with translytical Task Flows )

Do you have any other ideas?

Thank you for your advice.

[vivien57 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Cookistador ,

Indeed, MDS is no longer available as such in the Microsoft Cloud. Personally, the first option I would consider is Microsoft Purview.

The second one promoted by Microsoft is CluedIN : https://www.cluedin.com/home (which is a native MDM platform in Azure)

If you ever decide to go with an in-house solution, you also have the Azure Data Factory / Azure SQL Database and Azure Logic Apps suite, which you could also do in Fabric (but perhaps with more limitations without Azure Logic App).

Please feel free to give me a Kudo.

Have a nice day,

Vivien

[burakkaragoz · Accepted solution]

Hi @Cookistador ,
Fabric does not have a built in replacement for legacy Master Data Services. You pick either a 3rd party MDM or you compose the pieces.

Quick options:

1. Full MDM (Profisee, Semarchy, Informatica, etc). Choose this if you need survivorship rules, fuzzy match, hierarchy stewardship, golden record management. Output mastered dimensions to OneLake (Lakehouse or Warehouse).
2. Lightweight build on Power Platform + Fabric. Dataverse tables = entities (users can still copy paste or open in Excel). Power Automate = validation + approval. Dataflow Gen2 or Pipeline loads to Lakehouse staging (Bronze). Notebook or SQL script validates and MERGEs approved rows into curated (Gold) Delta tables. Delta time travel = versioning. Purview adds glossary and lineage.
3. Minimal Excel pattern. Controlled Excel templates in SharePoint or OneDrive. Save triggers Power Automate for validation then pipeline promotes to Gold.
4. Hybrid. Use commercial MDM only for complex domains (Customer, Vendor) and Power Platform pattern for simple reference lists.

How to choose (fast):

• Need match/merge, hierarchy, survivorship, stewardship dashboards: Option 1.
• Mostly simple controlled reference dimensions with approval: Option 2.
• Very small scope and low license appetite: Option 3.
• Mixed complexity: Option 4.

Suggested next step: Pilot one entity using Option 2. Measure effort and governance gaps. If heavy rules appear, reassess a commercial MDM.

Core components if you build: Dataverse (author) -> Power Automate (rules + approval) -> Lakehouse Staging (Delta) -> Validation + MERGE to Gold -> Purview scan -> Semantic model consumption.

Key links:

• Master Data Services overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/sql/master-data-services/master-data-services-overview
• Fabric get started: https://learn.microsoft.com/fabric/get-started
• Medallion architecture: https://learn.microsoft.com/fabric/data-engineering/lakehouse-medallion-architecture
• Dataverse intro: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-apps/maker/data-platform/data-platform-intro
• Power Automate approvals: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-automate/approvals-overview
• Purview overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/overview

Happy to sketch a sample MERGE script or validation flow if you pick an option.

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful. This response was assisted by AI for translation and formatting purposes.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi Cookistador,

We wanted to see if the information we gave helped fix your problem. If you need more help, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[AritraB · Accepted solution]

Great question! Thanks for raising this. You’re right that Master Data Services (MDS) has reached end of support, and organizations moving to the cloud need a modern way to handle master data management (MDM). Fabric doesn’t have a direct, like-for-like MDS replacement today, but there are several strong approaches you can consider depending on your requirements:

• Dataverse + Power Platform: A common pattern is to use Dataverse as the authoritative data store, combined with Power Apps and Power Automate for validation workflows, approvals, and publishing logic. This replicates much of the Excel add-in experience while keeping business rules centralized.

• Fabric Lakehouse + Dataflows Gen2: If your goal is to centralize and govern reference/master data, you could store the golden copy in a Lakehouse table, then manage ingestion and validation through Dataflows Gen2 or pipelines. This gives you scale, governance, and integration with your ETL/ELT processes.

• Third-party MDM tools (e.g., Profisee, Semarchy, Informatica): These are more full-featured MDM platforms that integrate well with Fabric through OneLake. They can handle data stewardship, workflow, survivorship rules, and advanced validations out of the box.

• Excel/Power Query integration: Since your users are accustomed to Excel, you can still provide a familiar interface by using Power Query to connect directly into Dataverse or the Lakehouse. Copy/paste and publishing actions can be preserved while moving validation and approvals into Power Automate.

Recommendation: If governance and business workflow are central, Dataverse + Power Platform is often the most natural replacement for MDS in the Microsoft ecosystem. If you need enterprise-grade MDM with complex stewardship and survivorship rules, then a third-party MDM vendor integrated with Fabric may be the better long-term strategy. 

Hope this helps you frame the next steps in your migration journey!

At Netwoven, services related to Microsoft Fabric are provided addressing to issues just like this.

[Cookistador]

Hi @v-pnaroju-msft 

I would like to get a little bit more input from our wonderful community

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi Cookistador,

We are following up to see if what we shared solved your issue. If you need more support, please reach out to the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Thankyou @vivien57 and @burakkaragoz for your response.

Hi Cookistador,

We appreciate your inquiry through the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

We would like to inquire whether have you got the chance to check the solutions provided by @vivien57 and @burakkaragoz to resolve the issue. We hope the information provided helps to clear the query. Should you have any further queries, kindly feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Additionally, please refer the below links:
Master Data Management in Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn
Discontinued Features of Master Data Services - SQL Server Master Data Services | Microsoft Learn
Master Data Services Add-in for Microsoft Excel - SQL Server MDS Excel Add-in | Microsoft Learn
Setting Properties - SQL Server MDS Excel Add-in | Microsoft Learn

Thank you.

[burakkaragoz · Accepted solution]

Hi @Cookistador ,
Fabric does not have a built in replacement for legacy Master Data Services. You pick either a 3rd party MDM or you compose the pieces.

Quick options:

1. Full MDM (Profisee, Semarchy, Informatica, etc). Choose this if you need survivorship rules, fuzzy match, hierarchy stewardship, golden record management. Output mastered dimensions to OneLake (Lakehouse or Warehouse).
2. Lightweight build on Power Platform + Fabric. Dataverse tables = entities (users can still copy paste or open in Excel). Power Automate = validation + approval. Dataflow Gen2 or Pipeline loads to Lakehouse staging (Bronze). Notebook or SQL script validates and MERGEs approved rows into curated (Gold) Delta tables. Delta time travel = versioning. Purview adds glossary and lineage.
3. Minimal Excel pattern. Controlled Excel templates in SharePoint or OneDrive. Save triggers Power Automate for validation then pipeline promotes to Gold.
4. Hybrid. Use commercial MDM only for complex domains (Customer, Vendor) and Power Platform pattern for simple reference lists.

How to choose (fast):

• Need match/merge, hierarchy, survivorship, stewardship dashboards: Option 1.
• Mostly simple controlled reference dimensions with approval: Option 2.
• Very small scope and low license appetite: Option 3.
• Mixed complexity: Option 4.

Suggested next step: Pilot one entity using Option 2. Measure effort and governance gaps. If heavy rules appear, reassess a commercial MDM.

Core components if you build: Dataverse (author) -> Power Automate (rules + approval) -> Lakehouse Staging (Delta) -> Validation + MERGE to Gold -> Purview scan -> Semantic model consumption.

Key links:

• Master Data Services overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/sql/master-data-services/master-data-services-overview
• Fabric get started: https://learn.microsoft.com/fabric/get-started
• Medallion architecture: https://learn.microsoft.com/fabric/data-engineering/lakehouse-medallion-architecture
• Dataverse intro: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-apps/maker/data-platform/data-platform-intro
• Power Automate approvals: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-automate/approvals-overview
• Purview overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/overview

Happy to sketch a sample MERGE script or validation flow if you pick an option.

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful. This response was assisted by AI for translation and formatting purposes.

[vivien57 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Cookistador ,

Indeed, MDS is no longer available as such in the Microsoft Cloud. Personally, the first option I would consider is Microsoft Purview.

The second one promoted by Microsoft is CluedIN : https://www.cluedin.com/home (which is a native MDM platform in Azure)

If you ever decide to go with an in-house solution, you also have the Azure Data Factory / Azure SQL Database and Azure Logic Apps suite, which you could also do in Fabric (but perhaps with more limitations without Azure Logic App).

Please feel free to give me a Kudo.

Have a nice day,

Vivien