Part 3: The Rollercoaster Peaks – Power BI Premium and Microsoft Fabric

Opening Hook:
By 2019, things were calm again at FreshGoods. AAS ran steadily, users learned the new processes and dashboards regained trust. IT even dared to smile again.

Then came the blow: Power BI Premium would now absorb AAS capabilities.
The CIO later described the mood as “collective whiplash.”

The Power BI Shake‑Up (2019–2021):
Suddenly:

• Models had to shift into Power BI workspaces.
• Licensing and capacity planning became radically different.
• Governance tightened – no more neat separation between IT models and end‑user favourites.

Employees reacted predictably: with panic.

• Sales director: “Dashboards changed again. Why won’t this system settle down?”
• IT: “We aren’t just migrating – we’re changing how BI operates.”
• CFO: “Didn’t we just pay for AAS? Now another license?”

Trust dipped yet again. Managers nervously checked reports against spreadsheets. One executive joked: “The only consistent number we trust is payroll.”

In this period, competitors were already adopting Microsoft Fabric & Azure Databricks for scalable analytics.

The Fabric Curveball (2023 Onwards):
Just as Premium adoption stabilised, Microsoft unveiled Fabric (2023). This wasn’t just BI: it was a wholesale platform shift. Data engineering, warehousing, data science, and BI now live under one SaaS umbrella.

For FreshGoods, this announcement reopened every scar.

• Training fatigue: “Not another platform to learn!”
• Governance resets: “We just built processes for Premium!”
• Fear of disruption: “Will dashboards break during peak season?”

Companies often bring in Microsoft Fabric consulting partners at this stage to reduce disruption.

But Beneath the Fear – A Promise:
Fabric offered what FreshGoods had long dreamed of:

• A unified data foundation in OneLake.
• No silos between teams.
• Cost visibility across the whole data estate.
• BI as a seamless extension of the full data lifecycle.

Lessons from the Rollercoaster:
FreshGoods realised:

1. Panic is inevitable with every Microsoft BI change.
2. Trust is more fragile than technology.
3. Change management, including communication, training, and expectation-setting, is as important as data models.
4. The journey from SSAS (2000s) ➝ AAS (2016) ➝ Power BI Premium (2019+) ➝ Fabric (2023+) is not optional; it follows Microsoft’s pace.

A Culture Shift:
Instead of fighting instability, the CIO reframed the message:
“Yes, change is disruptive. But every stage has left us stronger. SSAS gave us control, AAS gave us scale, Premium gave us simplicity. Fabric promises to give us unification. If we accept the panic as part of progress, we can be ready – and ahead – when disruption hits.”

Closing Reflections:
For mid‑sized FMCG businesses like FreshGoods, the BI journey has been more than technical. It’s been profoundly human: boardroom frustration, staff resistance, CFO anxiety, and IT exhaustion. But equally, it’s a story of resilience, adaptation, and improvement.

Final Note:
Microsoft will not stop evolving. The question isn’t how to avoid panic. The question is how to manage change, rebuild trust, and plan proactively. That’s where the right BI partner makes the difference.

Predicta Analytics has walked this rollercoaster with many clients. We help organisations turn Microsoft’s disruptive roadmap into a structured journey – minimising panic, maximising adoption.

For more information, talk to a BI expert today.