This reference architecture integrates TimeXtender Data Integration fully in Microsoft Fabric, offering a modern cloud-native approach for organizations heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. By choosing this architecture, you eliminate infrastructure complexity while gaining automated data mirroring to OneLake, fully managed services, and native Power BI integration. The solution automatically scales based on workload demands and requires minimal operational overhead.

To prepare your TimeXtender Data Integration environment in Microsoft Fabric, here are the steps we recommend:

1. Create Application Server - Azure VM

To serve the TimeXtender Data Integration application in Azure, we recommend using an Azure Virtual Machine (VM), sized according to your solution's requirements.

Guide: Create Application Server - Azure VM

Considerations:

• Recommended Sizing: DS2_v2 (for moderate workloads). See Azure VM Sizes documentation for more detail.
• This VM will host the below services and must remain running for TimeXtender Data Integration to function:
  • TimeXtender Ingest Service
  • TimeXtender Execution Service

2. Create Storage for Ingest Instance - Fabric Lakehouse

Fabric Lakehouse provides a highly performant, economical, and scalable way to store your raw data.

Guide: Fabric Lakehouse Ingest Instance storage

Considerations:

• When creating the Fabric Lakehouse, ensure you have an active Fabric capacity and appropriate workspace access permissions.
• Configure App Registration with appropriate permissions.
• Set Spark Runtime version to 1.2 to avoid compatibility issues with Parquet files.
• TimeXtender Data Integration writes files in Parquet format, a highly compressed, columnar storage in the lakehouse.

3. Create Storage for Prepare Instance - Fabric Database

Fabric Database offers a fully managed, cloud-based data warehouse solution for the Prepare instance storage.

Guide: Using Fabric SQL Database as Storage for Prepare Instance

Considerations:

• Create a new SQL Database in your Fabric workspace.
• Configure admin access for the service principal.
• Enable database mirroring to OneLake for seamless integration with the Fabric ecosystem.
• When using Fabric Database, you benefit from automatic scaling capabilities and the latest SQL engine without need for patches or updates.

4. Configure Deliver Instance - Fabric Semantic Model

For the Deliver instance, utilize the Power BI Premium Endpoint to create a Semantic Model in Fabric.

Guide: Power BI Premium Deliver Instance Endpoint

Considerations:

• Set up Power BI Premium endpoint for deploying and executing semantic models.
• Configure workspace permissions to ensure proper access control.
• Enable semantic model deployment to streamline the delivery process.

This reference architecture leverages the full potential of Microsoft Fabric, providing a seamless integration from data ingestion through preparation to delivery, all within the Fabric ecosystem. It offers benefits such as automated data mirroring to OneLake, fully managed services, and native integration with Power BI and other Microsoft tools.