Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 11 mins read03/31/2026 | 11 mins read
As organizations adopt AI-driven analytics, exposing trusted data to Copilot and Fabric Data Agents requires strong architecture—not just enablement. Microsoft Fabric Data Agents add conversational analytics over governed data, but report-embedded semantic models create fragile AI behavior, unclear cost ownership, and governance risk—especially as customers migrate from Power BI Premium to Fabric capacities. Through two Contoso case studies, the article shows why extracting reusable, standalone semantic models is essential for AI readiness. By combining governed semantic models with Fabric Mirroring for Oracle, organizations achieve predictable AI costs, stable and explainable AI responses, centralized security (RLS/OLS), and scalable foundations for Data Agents and future Copilot experiences. The key takeaway: AI succeeds when semantics are treated as first-class data products.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 5 mins read03/21/2026 | 5 mins read
Fabric IQ brings enterprise planning and forecasting directly into the Fabric platform, eliminating the traditional separation between analytics and planning tools. Budgets, forecasts, targets, and scenarios now sit on top of governed Fabric data, shared semantic models, and OneLake, using open formats like Delta and Iceberg. This is especially transformative for agentic AI: by unifying actuals, plans, and scenarios in a single semantic layer, AI can reason about intent and future outcomes, not just historical data. The result is a move from passive reporting to AI‑driven decision intelligence.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 | 17 mins read03/18/2026 | 17 mins read
This is Edition #7 of the newsletter, focused on how pricing really works in modern data platforms like Microsoft Fabric and Azure Databricks. It explains how compute consumption (CUs vs DBUs) is the main cost driver and why architecture—not pricing tables—ultimately determines spend. The article explores the impact of storage, data movement, and query behavior on total cost, highlighting hidden inefficiencies. It also compares both platforms’ approaches to scalability and performance. Finally, it provides practical strategies for cost optimization through better design, observability, and FinOps discipline.
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 9 mins read03/07/2026 | 9 mins read
In this article, Pablo addresses a common question following his piece on Fabric Real-Time Intelligence (RTI): whether organizations should migrate Power BI real-time streaming solutions to Fabric RTI, Azure Databricks, or Tableau. He argues this is not a simple product swap but a fundamental architectural shift. Power BI streaming was designed for lightweight, ephemeral visualization of live signals, while Fabric RTI is a full real‑time analytics platform built for persistence, governance, automation, and AI-driven decisions. With Power BI streaming entering sunset and retirement planned for 2027, RTI represents Microsoft’s strategic future—unifying event ingestion, storage, analytics, and actionability. Pablo explains why migration should be incremental, what new capabilities RTI unlocks, and why alternatives like Databricks or Tableau often miss the mark. The real shift is from real‑time dashboards to real‑time intelligence.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | 10 mins read03/04/2026 | 10 mins read
Most enterprises don’t modernize from a blank slate—they migrate decades of legacy systems. This article explains why data platform migration is a business transformation, not an IT upgrade, and why success depends on disciplined execution. It presents a proven six‑phase, wave‑based migration approach that delivers complete, consumable data products by business domain, reducing risk while accelerating value. With real‑world examples and Microsoft tooling support, the message is clear: done right, migration becomes a catalyst for agility, AI innovation, and enterprise‑wide modernization.
Subscribe onLinkedIn to get the latest Pablo Junco's perspectives and insights to move from messy data to measurable outcomes — governed platforms that power agentic AI.
If you’re a Chief Data Officer (CDO), a data leader, or simply someone who believes in the power of preparing data for AI—you’re already a Data Massagist.
Whether you have an idea, a challenge, or just want a fresh perspective, let’s connect. I’m always open to collaborating, learning, and helping others move forward.
