Microsoft is expanding its partnership with Snowflake to enable bi-directional access to data for joint clients. This initiative will enhance interoperability between Microsoft Fabric and Snowflake’s data cloud, reducing the need for multiple copies of data in different locations and generating cost savings for customers. By adopting open standards and collaborating with industry partners, Microsoft aims to make it easier for customers to benefit from innovations in data analytics.
Last year, Microsoft introduced Fabric, a unified platform for handling data and analytics workloads end-to-end, attracting attention in the industry with features like OneLake, a data lake using open formats to bring together data from various sources. The company’s decision to support open formats such as Apache Parquet and Delta Lake was driven by a commitment to data openness and interoperability with customer tools.
As part of their ongoing collaboration, Microsoft and Snowflake are now adding support for Apache Iceberg to enhance data storage and access for joint customers. This will allow users to store and access data in a single copy in Iceberg format through Fabric and Snowflake, eliminating the need to maintain copies on each platform. The bidirectional storage and access will enable users to integrate Snowflake data with Microsoft applications and vice versa, enhancing cross-cloud capabilities and advanced analytics.
While the interoperability experience between Snowflake and Microsoft Fabric is currently in development, the companies plan to launch it in preview later this year. Customers have expressed interest in the integration, and Microsoft is actively working on implementing this feature. Microsoft Build, the company’s annual conference, will take place from May 21 to 23, 2024.
Overall, Microsoft’s partnership with Snowflake in enhancing data access and storage for joint customers reflects a commitment to openness, innovation, and customer-driven solutions. By leveraging open standards and collaborating with industry leaders, Microsoft aims to simplify data efforts for businesses and drive long-term cost savings through efficient data management and analytics processes.
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Article Source
https://venturebeat.com/data-infrastructure/microsoft-adds-iceberg-support-to-fabric-partners-with-snowflake-for-bi-directional-data-access/
