Migrating Power BI to Fabric Lakehouse with Medallion Architecture

The challenges facing Mount Anvil were layered and strategic in nature. At the operational level, the business was constrained by the limitations of its existing systems. The data they were collecting could not easily be combined or interrogated across the organisation, which meant reporting was fragmented and incomplete. Leadership wanted the ability to conduct historic trend analysis and track performance over time, yet the tools available to them only allowed a static "as-is" view.

At a more strategic level, Mount Anvil was looking ahead. They knew that the property development sector was moving toward advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to optimise decision-making. However, without a modern data environment in place, those ambitions remained out of reach.

Synapx approached the project with a clear commitment to transparency, collaboration, and long-term value. From the outset, the team worked closely with Mount Anvil to ensure that the solution would not only resolve immediate reporting challenges but also provide a platform for future growth.

The engagement began with discovery sessions, during which Synapx’s consultants and architects invested significant time to understand the nuances of Mount Anvil’s systems, objectives, and constraints. This led to the design of a tailored solution built on Microsoft Fabric, which offered the scalability and integration required. Data was migrated into the cloud, eliminating the previous constraints of third-party providers and enabling a single, connected data state through master data management. Daily data snapshotting was introduced to allow trend analysis and richer reporting, ensuring the business could move from static views of data to dynamic insights over time.

A hybrid delivery model was also critical to success. Synapx leveraged both its UK-based consultants and offshore delivery teams, creating a seamless collaboration that optimised quality while managing costs.

A major differentiator in Synapx’s solution was its use of Xscale, a cost-saving optimisation tool embedded within Microsoft Fabric. By leveraging Xscale, Synapx was able to minimise Fabric’s ongoing consumption costs for Mount Anvil, ensuring the solution was not only powerful but also financially sustainable.

Synapx also implemented Microsoft Activator, a tool for proactive alerting and exception reporting. While this was not part of the original scope, it became a powerful, unexpected benefit, enabling the business to identify issues earlier and strengthen exception reporting over time.

The impact of the Synapx solution was significant, even if not immediately visible to end users. On the surface, employees continued to access their familiar Power BI dashboards. But beneath that familiar interface, the entire data landscape had been transformed. Reporting now draws from a connected, cloud-based data environment, enabling insights that were previously impossible.

The introduction of master data management brought governance and consistency, ensuring that the organisation could trust the accuracy of its data. Daily snapshotting allowed Mount Anvil to build historic trend analysis into its reporting, providing new visibility into performance over time. These foundational improvements have already begun to unlock operational efficiencies, with data becoming available more quickly and consistently across the business.

Perhaps most importantly, the new Fabric environment provides a platform for future growth. Mount Anvil now has the infrastructure in place to explore AI and machine learning, which will be critical to driving the next phase of digital transformation. Alongside these core benefits, the project delivered unexpected value through optimised Fabric licensing, an improved Power BI licence approach, and exposure to the latest capabilities in the Microsoft ecosystem.