Use this checklist to assess whether Microsoft Fabric — and which capacity — aligns with your school’s current and future analytics needs.
1️⃣ Clarify your analytics goals
☐ Do we want a central data platform, not just reports?
☐ Are we bringing together data from multiple systems (SIS, LMS, assessments, wellbeing)?
☐ Do we want to move beyond spreadsheets and static exports?
☐ Are we planning for long-term data modelling and governance?
If you answered “yes” to most of these, Fabric’s capacity model is worth evaluating.
2️⃣ Understand how analytics is used in your school
☐ How many people create or edit reports?
☐ How many people only view dashboards?
☐ Do students need access to analytics?
☐ Do parents or external users need embedded access?
This helps distinguish between:
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- Creators (may need Pro)
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- Consumers (covered by capacity)
3️⃣ Identify your core data sources
☐ Student Administration System (e.g. TASS, Synergetic, Sentral, Compass)
☐ Learning Management System (Canvas, Schoolbox, Google Classroom)
☐ Assessment systems (NAPLAN, PAT, NWEA MAP, internal assessments)
☐ Attendance & wellbeing systems
☐ HR / staff data
☐ Finance or operations data
The number and complexity of sources affects capacity sizing and ingestion design.
4️⃣ Consider data refresh and workload patterns
☐ Are we loading data daily?
☐ Do we need near-real-time refresh for any datasets?
☐ Are refreshes scheduled outside school hours?
☐ Do we expect high usage during the school day?
Fabric capacity is shared — understanding when and how often workloads run is important.
5️⃣ Assess your technical maturity
☐ Do we currently use Power BI beyond basic reporting?
☐ Are we planning a medallion architecture (Bronze/Silver/Gold)?
☐ Do we need historical tracking (SCD2, auditability)?
☐ Are notebooks, SQL, or advanced transformations in scope?
Fabric supports both simple and advanced use cases, but maturity influences how quickly capacity is utilised.
6️⃣ Review Power BI Pro requirements
☐ Who builds reports today?
☐ Who publishes datasets?
☐ Who manages workspaces and access?
These users typically require Power BI Pro licenses
Others (teachers, students, leaders) generally fall into view-only usage.
7️⃣ Think about embedding and access
☐ Do we want analytics embedded in Schoolbox or LMS?
☐ Do students need analytics without individual licenses?
☐ Do parents need limited or filtered views?
Fabric capacity supports embedded and large-scale consumption scenarios.
8️⃣ Factor in governance and compliance
☐ Do we need clear data ownership and stewardship?
☐ Are privacy and data residency considerations important?
☐ Do we need auditability for compliance reporting?
Fabric integrates with Microsoft governance tooling but requires planning.
9️⃣ Consider AI and future readiness
☐ Are we interested in Copilot or AI-assisted analytics?
☐ Are we constrained by regional availability today?
☐ Do we want to prepare data models now for future AI use?
Capacity sizing affects performance, not feature availability — readiness can begin before AI features are fully enabled.
🔟 Plan for scale, not perfection
☐ Can capacity be adjusted as usage grows?
☐ Are we comfortable starting with a baseline and monitoring usage?
☐ Do we have a review point after 3–6 months?
Fabric capacity is not a one-time, irreversible decision.
Summary question
If your school:
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- Has few creators
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- Has many consumers
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- Wants centralised, scalable analytics
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- Plans to grow data capability over time
Then evaluating Microsoft Fabric capacity — alongside limited Power BI Pro licenses — is a logical next step.
