How to manage many users using distinct notebooks ?

Hi Cookistador 

For a classroom setup where multiple students need to run notebooks simultaneously in Microsoft Fabric, the configuration you’re considering (using an F4 license with minimal compute resources) could become quite restrictive. Since each notebook execution requires 8 Compute Units (CUs) with the setup you mentioned (2 nodes with small size, 4 cores), and the F4 license limits the number of users per session, this would indeed mean that only one notebook could be executed per user at a time, making it challenging for multiple students to run their own notebooks concurrently. To minimize costs while still supporting small notebooks for students, there are a few alternatives you can consider. One option is to explore High Concurrency Mode, which allows shared resources but is typically more suited for single-user environments. Another approach is to reduce the compute resources by using smaller nodes with fewer cores to lower the CU requirement, though this might compromise performance. If you need multiple users to work at once, manual scaling could help, though it would require monitoring and adjustments based on usage. In some cases, Databricks might be a more suitable choice for classrooms with multiple students, as it’s designed to efficiently handle multiple users simultaneously with collaborative notebooks, shared Spark clusters, and better management of concurrent workloads. Databricks is a popular solution in companies, especially those with larger teams, as it supports shared compute clusters that scale well across teams. It could provide a more cost-effective and flexible option for your scenario compared to Fabric. Additionally, if you choose to stick with Fabric, setting up separate workspaces for each student could help manage resource allocation more effectively, although it may introduce some complexity.