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Change Communication for Microsoft Fabric Migrations

In Microsoft Fabric–based cloud migrations, effective change communication is critical to ensure a smooth experience for both business users and technical stakeholders. While classic change management practices (approvals, risk logs, cutover planning) remain essential, Fabric introduces additional considerations due to its data-centric and self-service architecture.

Fabric-Specific Considerations​

When planning communication for a workload being migrated to Microsoft Fabric, highlight the following areas:

1. Affected Artifacts​

Clearly identify which Fabric artifacts are impacted:

  • Power BI reports, dashboards, and scorecards
  • Lakehouses, Warehouses, and KQL databases
  • Data pipelines and notebooks
  • Shortcuts and linked items across domains
  • Semantic models used by Power BI or external tools

Include:

  • Which of these are being changed, moved, or deprecated
  • Any changes to data refresh schedules or formats
  • Whether users need to update bookmarks or references

2. Changes to APIs and Interfaces​

For teams using automation or APIs (like Microsoft Graph or GraphQL endpoints):

  • Describe schema or endpoint changes
  • List authentication or permission changes (e.g. new scopes or token types)
  • Clarify expected outage or unavailability during cutover
  • Provide updated API documentation links, if applicable

3. Change Communication by Audience​

RoleWhat to Communicate
Business UsersImpact on dashboards, bookmarks, and data availability; whether saved views or subscriptions are affected
Data Owners & Product ManagersSLA changes, new data contracts, or domain ownership realignments
Developers & AnalystsDataset changes, semantic model updates, or new access patterns
Migration EngineersCoordination timing, replication status, and cutover sequencing
IT & GovernanceImpact on monitoring, audit logging, and service principals
API ConsumersExplicit callouts on deprecated endpoints or auth schemes

4. Communication Format and Channels​

  • Use targeted messages for each stakeholder group
  • Announce cutover windows in tools like Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or via email newsletters
  • Update wikis or internal portals with before/after architecture views, FAQs, and links to documentation
  • Ensure Power BI tenant settings or Fabric workspaces reflect communication messages where applicable

5. Critical Elements in Every Communication​

Each communication should answer the following:

What to communicateDetails
What is changing?What Fabric artifacts, APIs, or access patterns will be modified
When is this change happening?Exact timestamps and time zones
Who will this change affect?Personas, teams, or roles
How will they be affected?Impact on workflows, applications, or dashboards
What do I need to do?Specific action items per role
Who should I reach out to?Contact details and support escalation paths

Tip: Always validate the change notification with data product owners and workspace admins before sending it out.

6. Post-Migration Verification​

Encourage end users to:

  • Refresh dashboards and verify KPIs
  • Confirm alert rules are still active
  • Re-establish data subscriptions or export flows if needed

For more guidance on communicating Fabric changes in enterprise environments, refer to:

Contributors