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By Tony Berry Azure Data Lake Storage vs. OneLake: A Guide for DataOps Engineers In the expansive universe of data storage solutions, Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) and OneLake emerge as two stellar options for organizations navigating complex data landscapes. Both platforms offer robust features tailored to different use cases, but understanding their strengths can help your team chart the right course for your data operations. In this guide, we’ll explore each platform, highlight their unique capabilities, and dive into how Microsoft Fabric enhances their value—ensuring your team has the tools to accelerate insights and simplify operations. Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS): The Workhorse of Big Data Analytics ADLS is a scalable, secure, and highly customizable data lake service, designed for teams handling massive data workloads. Think of it as a heavy-duty cargo ship in your data galaxy, ready to carry large volumes of structured and unstructured data across complex analytics pipelines. Key Features of ADLS: Scalability: Handles massive data volumes, perfect for big data analytics. Robust Security: Features encryption at rest and in transit, along with granular access controls. Seamless Integration: Connects with Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, and more. Cost-Efficiency: Offers tiered storage and pay-as-you-go pricing to optimize costs. Customizability: Allows full control over storage accounts, access tiers, and lifecycle policies. Blob Storage Compatibility: Built on Azure Blob Storage, offering broad compatibility. Top Use Cases for ADLS: Big Data Analytics: Powering large-scale analytics workflows with unmatched scalability. Data Warehousing: Storing and querying structured and unstructured data. Machine Learning: Supporting large datasets required for training advanced models. OneLake: The Unified Data Lake for Simplified Collaboration OneLake offers a fresh perspective on data management. Positioned as the "OneDrive for data," it simplifies the data lifecycle by unifying storage, access, and collaboration across teams. Picture it as your data mission control center, seamlessly integrating data sources for effortless collaboration and real-time analytics. Key Features of OneLake: Unified Platform: Acts as a central repository, eliminating silos. Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface accessible to technical and non-technical users alike. Data Virtualization: Query data in place, avoiding unnecessary duplication. Collaboration-Ready: Designed for cross-team data sharing and governance. Fabric Integration: Leverages Microsoft Fabric for streamlined analytics with tools like T-SQL, Power BI, and Spark. Managed Service: Simplifies maintenance and scaling, reducing administrative overhead. Top Use Cases for OneLake: Data Integration: Consolidating data from diverse sources into a single hub. Real-Time Analytics: Enabling faster insights with virtualized data access. Team Collaboration: Enhancing productivity by breaking down data silos. Choosing the Right Platform: ADLS vs. OneLake Feature ADLS Gen2 OneLake Purpose Flexible, scalable storage for big data Unified data lake for the entire organization Integration Deeply integrated with the Azure ecosystem Fully integrated with Microsoft Fabric Management User-managed, requiring setup and oversight Managed service with automated updates and scaling Instances Allows multiple instances per subscription Single instance per tenant for centralized governance Data Format Supports multiple formats Optimized for Delta Parquet format Shortcuts Not supported Supports shortcuts to external sources (e.g., ADLS, S3, Dataverse) Access Control Offers granular RBAC, ABAC, and ACLs for secure access Simplified access control with shared ownership governance Compatibility Compatible with Azure Blob Storage and many analytics services Natively supports Microsoft Fabric’s analytical engines like Power BI and T-SQL Scalability Scales with manual configuration Automatically scales with organizational demand Security Provides encryption at rest and in transit, with advanced access controls Security governed by default with distributed ownership Ease of Use Requires technical expertise for setup and maintenance User-friendly, with minimal setup for both technical and non-technical users Data Virtualization Limited virtualization options Supports data virtualization for querying external data without duplication Collaboration Collaboration is siloed, often requiring additional Azure tools Built for collaboration with enhanced sharing and access within Microsoft Fabric The Microsoft Fabric Advantage When paired with Microsoft Fabric, OneLake becomes an even more powerful tool. Fabric’s integration simplifies analytics workflows and enhances collaboration, allowing your team to focus on delivering actionable insights. With features like data virtualization and real-time analytics, Fabric and OneLake together create a secure, scalable, and collaborative data ecosystem. For teams looking to bridge the gap between technical and business users while accelerating their analytics journey, this combination offers a complete solution—one that’s ready to launch your data strategy into the stratosphere. Conclusion: Charting Your Data Path ADLS is ideal for data engineers managing large-scale analytics and machine learning workloads, offering unmatched scalability and customizability. On the other hand, OneLake, especially when paired with Microsoft Fabric, shines as a unified platform for organizations prioritizing ease of use, collaboration, and real-time analytics. No matter your data destination, understanding the capabilities of each platform ensures your team is equipped for success. Ready to take your data strategy to new heights? Choose the platform that aligns with your mission, and let the data-driven insights take flight. Get Looped In Still deciding between Azure Data Lake Storage and OneLake? Let us help you chart the right course for your data operations. Connect with one of our data experts to explore how these platforms—and Microsoft Fabric—can accelerate your insights and transform your data strategy. Get Looped In today.

By McClain Reese In today’s data-driven world, where businesses are constantly exploring new frontiers, Delta Tables offer a revolutionary approach to data management, combining flexibility, consistency, and performance. Think of Delta Tables as intelligent data hubs that “remember” changes, making it easier to track updates without needing complex rework. For businesses and DataOps engineers, they’re a foundational tool for real-time data insights that keep your data strategy orbiting smoothly. What are Delta Tables? Delta Tables are designed to store data in a structured format optimized for analytics and updates. Built on open-source formats like Parquet, they add powerful features for tracking changes, managing transactions, and handling incremental data loads—all essential for large-scale data environments. Imagine Delta Tables as your mission control center, allowing for precise data adjustments that keep your data reliable without needing to recreate entire datasets. Why Delta Tables Matter for Data Management Delta Tables provide three major advantages in data management: Data Reliability : Delta Tables prevent data loss, support rollbacks, and keep a history of changes, ensuring data integrity and accuracy. Scalability : Capable of handling massive datasets, Delta Tables allow concurrent operations, enabling incremental data updates without conflicts—a bit like a well-coordinated space crew, always in sync. Performance : Optimized for faster read/write operations, Delta Tables make querying large datasets quicker and more efficient, helping your team access insights light-years faster. Delta Tables vs. Traditional Data Tables One of the biggest differences between Delta Tables and traditional tables is their capability to track and handle data changes autonomously. Traditional tables are static, requiring manual intervention to keep data up to date. Delta Tables, on the other hand, support ACID transactions (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability), which maintain secure, reliable updates without compromising data integrity. Delta Tables also feature time-travel queries, allowing you to view data at any point in the past. This is especially valuable in dynamic projects, like machine learning and real-time analytics, where data is constantly evolving, much like stars and planets in orbit. Why Businesses Should Consider Delta Tables For companies relying on real-time insights, Delta Tables simplify the complexity of managing data history, updates, and deletions. They keep data consistent, making them ideal for applications that require rapid, accurate data updates, whether for machine learning or analytics that power new discoveries. Delta Tables’ Impact on Data Engineering For DataOps engineers, Delta Tables simplify workflows by automating tasks that previously required complex coding, such as incremental loads and change merging. Delta Tables free up engineers to focus on discovering insights rather than maintaining complex processes. Plus, they support schema evolution, allowing data structures to adapt without disrupting workflows—like adjusting course while keeping the mission on track. In large-scale data processing, Delta Tables are like a spacecraft’s advanced storage modules, optimizing space with compression and partitioning. This setup allows DataOps teams to handle petabytes of data efficiently, reducing overhead and minimizing bottlenecks. Real-World Scenario: Fixing Data Errors with Delta Tables Here’s a real-world example of Delta Tables in action. A client mistakenly uploaded an incorrect CSV file into an automated sync process, causing inaccurate data updates across their system. Normally, this would require a manual rollback or complex data reprocessing. With Delta Tables, however, the team used the time-travel feature to quickly revert to a previous state. The error was resolved in minutes, showcasing Delta Tables’ capability to instantly restore data accuracy and keep operations running smoothly. The Wrap Up: Why Delta Tables Make a Difference Delta Tables empower businesses to manage high-volume, dynamic data efficiently. Their ability to ensure data reliability, support large-scale operations, and enhance performance makes them essential for any modern data environment. For DataOps engineers, Delta Tables streamline workflows, allowing them to focus on what truly matters—turning data into insights and helping the business explore new horizons. Get Looped In Looking to launch your data strategy with Delta Tables? Get looped in with one of our experts today to explore how Delta Tables can elevate your data management and drive better business outcomes.

In the rapidly advancing world of data operations, the ability to manage complex, outcome-driven data solutions is key. Interloop’s Orbit Architecture offers a flexible, resilient framework that helps DataOps engineers structure data to meet specific business needs without causing unwanted disruptions. Designed to work within the gold layer of the medallion architecture, Orbit Architecture enables each solution to stay on track, reducing risk and enhancing security. What is Orbit Architecture? Orbit Architecture is Interloop’s unique data design pattern, crafted to organize data within the "gold" layer of the medallion architecture. This layer serves as the trusted source of curated data that drives outcome-focused solutions. Much like the “separation of concerns” concept in computer science, Orbit Architecture establishes independent data structures and models within the gold layer, tailored to each specific business outcome. Each "orbit" within the gold layer becomes a specialized mission module, delivering consumption-ready, outcome-specific data to keep systems aligned and resilient. How It Works: A Use Case Imagine a scenario where your team manages two key solutions: a customer health dashboard and an operational Copilot. Both rely on data tables from the gold lakehouse. Now, your engineering team receives a request to adjust an ERP data table to better support the Copilot, and once the update is completed, the Copilot runs seamlessly. However, this update causes unintended issues on the customer health dashboard, which also uses the ERP table to link customer order data to sales opportunities. With Orbit Architecture, these disruptions are prevented. Each solution is contained within its own orbit, all connected to the gold data but insulated from one another. This structure allows each outcome to use the data model that best suits its needs—such as a dimensional model for Power BI or a graph model for an AI tool—without interfering with other data solutions. Key Benefits of Orbit Architecture 🚀 Flexibility Each orbit can be tailored to specific business requirements, giving DataOps engineers the freedom to use the data model (graph, dimensional, relational) that best supports each outcome, rather than forcing every solution into one mold. 🚀 Mitigated Downstream Effects Isolated data structures mean updates in one orbit don’t impact others, reducing the risk of unintended disruptions and data inconsistencies. 🚀 Supports OneLake Ideology Aligned with the OneLake approach, Orbit Architecture maximizes the value of a single golden version of data, allowing for analysis without duplication or data movement. 🚀 Metadata Management Orbit Architecture supports comprehensive metadata for data lineage, quality, and governance, helping to keep all systems organized and compliant. 🚀 Security and Access Control Robust security and access controls are available at each orbit level, allowing sensitive data to be protected without sacrificing accessibility for authorized users. The Wrap Up: Why Orbit Architecture Matters Orbit Architecture equips DataOps engineers with a powerful, structured framework for building flexible, outcome-specific solutions that are efficient and secure. By providing isolated data structures within the gold layer, Orbit Architecture allows engineers to mitigate downstream effects, ensure seamless collaboration, and make informed, data-driven decisions without duplication or interference. Get Looped In Looking to achieve more with your data? Get looped in   with one of our data experts today to explore how Orbit Architecture can streamline your data systems and elevate your outcomes.

Interloop Partnerships At Interloop, we believe that partnerships are critical to delivering the best possible value to our customers BETTER TOGETHER Start Your Partnership Journey Our partner community brings together leading companies in the data ecosystem to create solutions that clients love and trust. Partner With Us Technology Partners You are in good company. Interloop partners with cutting edge technology partners to create more value in the Microsoft Fabric ecosystem. By partnering with Interloop, you can access the extensive capabilities of these partners to deliver unique value to your clients. By accessing our extensive documentation, reference materials, and team of experts - you can ensure you solutions will integrate smoothly, enhancing productivity and delivering value to mutual customers. Benefits: Seamless integration with Interloop's Platform Enhanced User Experience & Capabilities Opportunities to reach a wider audience Deliver More Value Our all-in-one data platform powers your reporting & analytics solutions to deliver unparalleled control over performance. We succeed together. Expand Your Offerings Including an adaptable data solution will help you win more business, increase recurring revenue, and customer retention. We grow together. Amplify Your Network Building community is important for scale. Our partner program will give you access to innovative partners & a stellar support team. We rise together. Unlock The Power Of Partnership With Interloop When we partner together, we succeed together. Inquire about becoming a partner today. Solution Partners As an Interloop Solution Partner, you’ll be at the forefront of helping customers unlock the full potential of their data. Whether through strategic process design, change management assistance or implementation & integration support, your expertise ensures that clients enjoy a smooth onboarding process and get the most out of their Interloop & Microsoft Fabric investment. Benefits: Expand your offerings to deliver value faster. Opportunities to provide ongoing support & consulting Co-delivering services to drive customer outcomes Referral Partners Interloop's referral program is designed for firms looking to stay focused on their core offering while receiving additional value. By referring business to Interloop, you will both help your clients and deeper establish your reach and influence. With clear rules of engagement - the referral program is a great way to begin our relationship. You can expand to become a solution or technology partner at any time. Benefits: Easily register leads with the Interloop Partner Portal Expand your offerings and deepen client value Receive prompt compensation for referral opportunities

INTERLOOP vs DO IT YOURSELF Fuel your organization’s growth by unlocking value from your data Interloop® takes care of the heavy lifting so you can focus on the data & insights that drive growth. Review the Top 5 Reasons to choose Interloop for your next Data, Analytics, or AI Project. Insights Automated™: Solution Accelerators Reliable and Efficient Data Solutions Interloop Insights offers a suite of automated solution accelerators that provide a kitted, reliable approach to accelerate the delivery of tailored outcomes for your organization. These solutions include Fast Dash, Smart Sync, Predict, Activate, and more. By leveraging these tools, you can streamline your data operations, enhance decision-making, and achieve your business goals more effectively. Learn More Leading The Way With Microsoft Fabric Unify Your Data & Analytics Microsoft Fabric offers a comprehensive suite of analytics tools that seamlessly integrate to transform your data into a competitive advantage. As a unified platform, it supports all your data needs, from storage to advanced analytics, and is designed to harness the power of AI. Schedul Walkthrough Mission Control: Your Data Command Center Accelerate Your Data Insights Interloop Mission Control is designed to deliver rapid value from your data. By simplifying the process of connecting, organizing, and analyzing your data, it ensures that you can make informed decisions quickly. With over 500+ connectors, you can integrate all your operational tools without writing a single line of code. Requst A Demo Providing Support and Expert Guidance Your Trusted Data Partner At Interloop, we pride ourselves on being more than just a service provider. Our team of data experts is dedicated to guiding you through every step of your data journey, from initial discovery to ongoing support. As a Microsoft Certified Partner, we bring the latest innovations and best practices to help you succeed. Get Started Supercharging Your Team with AI Copilots Boost Productivity and Innovation From AI-powered marketing tools that save time and increase lead generation to AI assistants that optimize operations, our solutions help small businesses tackle their biggest challenges. By integrating AI into your daily operations, you can unlock new efficiencies and drive growth. Talk To An Expert Explore the possibilities with Microsoft Fabric & Interloop Seeing is believing. Schedule time with an expert to see how a unified data platform can impact your business from day one - and why our team is the leader in helping you get there. Get Started

Connect the tools you use every day. We provide over 200+ connectors to ensure you can unify data across the entire organization INTEGRATION CATALOG ADP AWS Management Act CRM Act-On Acumatica Adobe Analytics Airtable Alfresco Amazon Ads Amazon Athena Amazon DynamoDB Amazon Marketplace Amazon S3 Asana AuthO Authorize.Net Autify Avalara AvaTax Avro Azure Data Lake Storage Azure DevOPS Basecamp BigCommerce BigQuery Bing Ads Bing Search Blackbaud FE NXT Box Bullhorn CRM Capsule CRM Cassandra Clouding Club Essentials CockroachDB Confluence Constant Contact Cosmos DB CouchDB Couchbase DB2 DataBricks DataRobot Daysmart Recrecation Digital Ocean DocuSign Drip Dropbox Dynamic 365 Business Central Dynamic 365 FinOp Dynamic 365 Sales Dynamic GP Dynamic NAV Dynamics CRM Elasticsearch Epicor Evernote Exact Online FTP Facebook Facebook Ads FedEx File Upload FinancialForce FranConnect (Proprietary) Freedcamp FreshBooks FreshDesk Gmail Google Ad Manager Google Ads Google Analytics Google Calender Google Campaign Mgr Google Cloud Storage Google Contacts Google Data Catalog Google Directory Google Drive Google Search Google Sheets Google Spanner Greenplum HBase HPCC Systems HarperDB Harvest Helpscout Highrise Hive Hubspot Indeed Interloop CRM Jira Jira Service Desk Jobvite JotForm Keap Kintone Klayvio LinkedIn Ads Magento MailChimp MariaDB MarkLogic Marketo Microsoft Ads Microsoft Exchange Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft Planner Microsoft Project Microsoft Teams MongoDB MySQL NetSuite Odoo OneNote Open Exchange Rates Oracle Oracle Eloqua Oracle Sales Paypal Pinterest Ads Pipedrive PostgreSQL QuickBase Quickbooks RSS Redshift SAP SAP Business One SAP Business One DI SAP ByDesign SAP Concur SAP Fieldglass SAP HANA SAP HANA XS Advanced SAP Hybris C4C SAP Netweaver Gateway SAP SuccessFactors SFTP SQL Server SQLite Sage 100 Sage 200 Sage 300 Sage 50 UK Sage Cloud Accounting Sage Intacct Salesforce Salesforce Marketing Salesforce Pardot SendGrid ServiceNow SharePoint ShipStation Shopify SingleStore Smartsheet Snapchat Ads Snowflake Spotify Ads Square StackAdapt Streak Stripe Sugar CRM Survey Monkey TSheets TaxJar Teradata TikTok Ads Trello Twilio UPS USPS Veeva Veeva CRM Wave Financial WooCommerce WordPress WorkDay Wrike Xero YouTube Analytics Zendesk Zendesk Sell Zoho Books Zoho CRM Zuoro eBay eBay Analytics xBase Ready To Get Started? You're one small step from starting your data-driven journey. Get Started