benefit of databricks in my design

Question

hello,
At present there are a-lot of event hub jobs which feed data into sql server an dthen power bi reports feed from those tables...
All seems fine...
Now I would like to start using azure databricks but not sure how it can benefit us?
For example, I can start using ADF or synapse pipelines to ingest data (Perhaps like the final required report data) from sql server into delta lake as in parquet files and let power bi to read off the delta tables using databricks...?
basically not sure how azure databricks can benefit me.
Thank you

Answer 1

Hi arkiboys,

Thank you for posting query in Microsoft Q&A Platform.

Both connecting Power BI to Delta Lake and connecting Power BI to SQL Server have their own benefits, and the choice depends on your specific use case and requirements.

Connecting Power BI to Delta Lake can provide several benefits, including:

1. Faster query performance: Delta Lake is optimized for query performance, which means that you can get faster query results compared to traditional data storage formats such as Parquet.
2. ACID transactions: Delta Lake provides ACID transactions, which means that you can ensure data consistency and integrity even in the face of concurrent data access and updates.
3. Schema enforcement: Delta Lake provides schema enforcement, which means that you can ensure that your data conforms to a specific schema and avoid data quality issues.
4. Time travel: Delta Lake provides time travel, which means that you can access and query historical versions of your data. This can be particularly useful for auditing and compliance purposes.

On the other hand, connecting Power BI to SQL Server can provide several benefits, including:

1. Familiarity: SQL Server is a widely used and well-known database platform, which means that many users are already familiar with it.
2. Integration with other Microsoft products: SQL Server is a Microsoft product, which means that it integrates well with other Microsoft products such as Power BI.
3. Security: SQL Server provides robust security features, including encryption, authentication, and authorization, which means that you can ensure the security of your data.
4. Flexibility: SQL Server provides a flexible data model, which means that you can store and query data in a variety of formats and structures.

In summary, both Delta Lake and SQL Server have their own benefits, and the choice depends on your specific use case and requirements. If you need faster query performance, ACID transactions, schema enforcement, and time travel, then Delta Lake may be a better choice. If you need familiarity, integration with other Microsoft products, security, and flexibility, then SQL Server may be a better choice.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if any further queries.

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