State of Fabric - Houston (free event)
State of Fabric
Ginger Grant
Khaled Chowdhury
Laurabeth Barker
Markus Egger
Mike Yeager
Paul DeCarlo
Tim Locke
Microsoft Fabric is becoming the operational data layer behind modern analytics, AI, reporting, and governance initiatives. Join us for a practical day focused on architecture patterns, implementation strategy, organizational alignment, and real-world lessons from the field. Our senior leaders will take you on an in-person deep dive on Microsoft Fabric—why it matters now, how to land it in 90 days, and how to scale over 6–12 months. Hosted at Microsoft Houston. Invite-only (free), complimentary catered breakfast and lunch.
Click here to request an invite for this event!
Join us in person!
Date: June 9, 2026
Why This Matters Now
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For leadership
A clear investment case with KPIs—where cost and complexity come out, where speed to insight accelerates, and how to strengthen risk and governance.
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For builders
Proven patterns to ship quickly—Direct Lake, OneLake, semantic models and Power BI, and Microsoft Purview for governance, security, and lineage.
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Coexistence without disruption
Use Fabric alongside SQL, Databricks, Synapse, and existing warehouses; adopt open formats and reduce copies.
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Strategic planning
A practical framework + next steps that align teams, set workspace standards, and deliver a measurable win.
Format
- Executive morning: Outcomes, KPIs, and a prioritized roadmap.
- Builder afternoon: End-to-end Lakehouse patterns with governance, lineage, semantic models, and optional AI use cases.
Refreshments and catered breakfast & lunch included for attendees.
This exclusive event is your opportunity to advance your business with AI.
Request your invitation now!
Session Agenda:
| Tuesday, June 9, 2026 | |
| 8:30AM to 9:00AM | Registration |
| 9:00AM to 9:15AM | Welcome and Logistics |
| 9:15AM to 10:00AM | From Data Sprawl to Decision Velocity—The Executive Case for Fabric |
| 10:00AM to 10:15AM | Refreshment Break and Networking |
| 10:15AM to 11:00AM | How to Land Fabric in 90 Days—Architectures, Patterns and Teams |
| 11:00AM to 11:15AM | Refreshment Break and Networking |
| 11:15AM to 12:00PM | Fabric Executive Panel Discussion |
| 12:00PM to 1:00PM | Catered Lunch and Networking |
| 1:00PM to 1:45PM | SQL in Fabric Without Copies—Mirroring and Shortcuts to Unify Your Data Estate |
| 1:45PM to 2:00PM | Refreshment Break & Networking |
| 2:00PM to 2:45PM | Building Agentic AI Apps with Microsoft Fabric: A Unified Data Approach |
| 2:45PM to 3:00PM | Refreshment Break & Networking |
| 3:00PM to 4:15PM | Technical Q&A Panel and Solution Clinic |
| Tuesday, June 9, 2026 |
| Main Stage |
| 8:30AM to 9:00AM Registration |
| 9:00AM to 9:15AM Welcome and Logistics |
| 9:15AM to 10:00AM From Data Sprawl to Decision Velocity—The Executive Case for Fabric |
| 10:00AM to 10:15AM Refreshment Break and Networking |
| 10:15AM to 11:00AM How to Land Fabric in 90 Days—Architectures, Patterns and Teams |
| 11:00AM to 11:15AM Refreshment Break and Networking |
| 11:15AM to 12:00PM Fabric Executive Panel Discussion |
| 12:00PM to 1:00PM Catered Lunch and Networking |
| 1:00PM to 1:45PM SQL in Fabric Without Copies—Mirroring and Shortcuts to Unify Your Data Estate |
| 1:45PM to 2:00PM Refreshment Break & Networking |
| 2:00PM to 2:45PM Building Agentic AI Apps with Microsoft Fabric: A Unified Data Approach |
| 2:45PM to 3:00PM Refreshment Break & Networking |
| 3:00PM to 4:15PM Technical Q&A Panel and Solution Clinic |
Session Detail:
From Data Sprawl to Decision Velocity—The Executive Case for Fabric
Mike Yeager
A C‑suite view of how Fabric creates measurable enterprise value in 6–12 months. We’ll cover where cost and complexity come out, how decision latency improves, and how to strengthen risk and governance. Includes a practical KPI lens for boards and leadership, investment prioritization, coexistence with current platforms, and proven ways to de‑risk adoption.
How to Land Fabric in 90 Days—Architectures, Patterns and Teams
Ginger Grant
The implementation blueprint leaders can trust and practitioners can execute. Walk through end‑to‑end lakehouse design with Direct Lake, semantic layer patterns for Power BI, workspace standards, and Purview‑driven governance and lineage. We’ll address performance tuning, cost control, coexistence with Databricks/Synapse/warehouses, phased migration options, and the roles and operating model that keep delivery on track.
Fabric Executive Panel Discussion
Ginger Grant
Laurabeth Barker
Mike Yeager
Tim Locke
Open Q&A on funding a pilot, governance from day one, security and lineage, change management, and how to align business and technical teams. Bring your use cases; we’ll focus on what’s achievable inside a quarter.
SQL in Fabric Without Copies—Mirroring and Shortcuts to Unify Your Data Estate
Ginger Grant
How to bring your existing SQL workloads into Fabric without moving or duplicating data. We’ll cover Fabric Mirroring for operational stores, OneLake Shortcuts to external data, and when to use each. Learn how to expose mirrored/shortcut data to T‑SQL, notebooks, and Power BI; align security (RBAC, sensitivity labels) and governance; understand freshness, latency, and performance trade‑offs; and see a demo that connects an existing SQL application, builds a governed semantic model, and delivers analytics in one place.
Building Agentic AI Apps with Microsoft Fabric: A Unified Data Approach
Paul DeCarlo
Architect AI‑ready analytics by unifying data in OneLake with a trusted semantic layer. We’ll show patterns that ground and orchestrate agentic apps over Fabric (Direct Lake, notebooks, pipelines), integrate responsibly with Azure OpenAI/AI Foundry, and enforce governance with Purview. Includes reference architectures, common integration points with existing platforms, and a walkthrough from data to an AI‑assisted experience.
Technical Q&A Panel and Solution Clinic
Ginger Grant
Khaled Chowdhury
Laurabeth Barker
Markus Egger
Mike Yeager
Paul DeCarlo
Tim Locke
Bring your architecture questions. We’ll cover coexistence patterns, migration considerations, cost control, performance tuning, and organizational standards. If interest is high, we’ll split short breakouts on AI integration and real‑time analytics.
Venue Information
Microsoft Innovation Hub - Houston
750 Town and Country Blvd #1000 (10th floor)
Houston, TX 77024
