Microsoft Fabric supports seamless integration with SQL Server, Azure SQL, and on-prem databases, enabling centralized data analytics. This guide explains how to connect Fabric with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and cloud-based data sources.

1. Supported Database Integrations

✅ SQL Server (On-Prem & Azure SQL)
✅ PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle
✅ AWS S3, Google BigQuery, and Snowflake
✅ NoSQL Databases (Cosmos DB, MongoDB, etc.)

2. Connecting SQL Server to Microsoft Fabric

Step 1: Enable OneLake Shortcuts

• Open Microsoft Fabric → Navigate to OneLake.
• Create a Shortcut to SQL Server/Azure SQL Database.

Step 2: Use Dataflows Gen2 for ETL

• In Power Query, connect to SQL Server (DirectQuery Mode).
• Optimize performance using query folding and indexing.

Step 3: Publish Data to Power BI

• Build real-time reports with Direct Lake Mode.
• Set up incremental refresh for large datasets.

3. Security Best Practices

🔹 Use Managed Identities to prevent hardcoded credentials.
🔹 Enable Row-Level Security (RLS) in Power BI.
🔹 Apply Data Masking & Encryption for sensitive data.

Conclusion

By integrating SQL Server and cloud databases with Fabric, enterprises can unlock advanced analytics with minimal data movement.