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<\/p>\nAzure Synapse Analytics \u2013 what exactly is it, other than a cool sounding reference to the connectivity between nerve cells in our brain? The simple answer is that it\u2019s phase next of Azure SQL DW. As such, if you head into your Azure portal to provision an Azure Synapse Analytics deployment, it will look and feel pretty much exactly like Azure SQL DW did last week, but with the new name. That being said, it also signals the evolution of the platform into a much bigger, more powerful, and more seamless experience across all data and analytics needs in the cloud\u2026 To be cute, “this is gonna be big”.<\/p>\n
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Azure Synapse Analytics combines data acquisition, preparation\/transformation, querying, visualization, and AI enablement across structured, streaming, and unstructured data; it effectively unifies the foundation of SQL Server with Spark-enabled big data and streaming data processing together with data flows, Power BI, and Azure Machine Learning\u2026 all while bringing unprecedented flexibility to tailor and scale the capacities to exactly what you need, when you need it.<\/p>\n
That may sound great, and if the technical intro sounds intriguing, stay tuned for a deeper dive into the platform from additional 3Cloud team members! But if you are asking yourself\u2026 why do I want Azure Synapse Analytics, then consider that the ultimate goal of Cloud Scale Analytics is to enable digital transformation through data, and this new platform offers a single technical solution to a nearly limitless set of business opportunities.<\/p>\n
3Cloud works in many industries where Azure Synapse Analytics will drive advances in digital transformation. In our experience with Retail<\/a>, organizations are implementing Customer 360 initiatives<\/a> which require a flexible data layer to capture data from internal, external, and personal sources with varying volumes and structures, quickly and accurately piece together the consolidated view of that data, light up Artificial Intelligence to further enrich data and predict outcomes, and then deliver insights to the people who can implement action and drive new outcomes. Prior to Azure Synapse Analytics, that might have required multiple practitioners integrating dozens of technologies, services, and solutions<\/a> in order to realize the value, which could lead to failed or stalled initiatives.<\/p>\n With Azure Synapse Analytics, retailers can spend less time architecting technology, and more time improving marketing efficiency and increasing pricing & promotional effectiveness!<\/p>\n Now let\u2019s take a closer look at how Azure Synapse Analytics delivers on the vision of Cloud Scale Analytics.<\/p>\n Cloud Scale Analytics \u2013 a quick refresh: what does it mean? \u2013 or \u2013 \u201cdefining the vision\u201d And then the combination:<\/p>\n Cloud Scale Analytics \u2013 Now, let\u2019s zero in on what these words mean together. If we move past the core IT services that underpin all of this \u2013 to wit, storage, processing and compute (and serving, to the end users) \u2013 with either Data or Analytics as the focus, we arrive at a more refined set of capabilities that belong under this term:<\/p>\n Conveniently, Cloud Scale Analytics quickly encapsulates the technical capabilities that 3Cloud leverages in helping our customers harness the value of data \u2013 it describes a \u2018tool\u2019 built perfectly for digital transformation! We\u2019ve built a team of experts at applying the individual technologies to maximize their impact, and a strong partnership with Microsoft to furnish the tools of our trade.<\/p>\n And already, Microsoft has been delivering on this vision with Azure SQL DW, delivering unmatched price and performance (and of course, price:performance!) along with ease of deployment and clean interoperability with other tools. Together with complementary Azure services like Azure Databricks, Data Factory, and Power BI, Azure SQL DW has already become the bedrock upon which data and analytics capabilities are built in the cloud. And when reviewing Microsoft\u2019s product details for Azure Synapse Analytics, we can see the evolution ahead of us.<\/p>\n The promise of Limitless Scale coupled with \u201cOn-demand query\u201d builds upon workload importance & isolation to allow flexibility and cost control previously unheard of.<\/p>\n Integrations contained in Powerful insights support and empower the dramatic increase in citizen data consumers (both data scientists and self-service BI analysts) by seamlessly expanding access to all types of data in industry-leading tools like Power BI and Azure Machine Learning Services. And backed by Microsoft\u2019s commitments and decades of expertise with SQL Server, Azure Synapse Analytics can promise the truly Unmatched security that today\u2019s organizations demand.<\/p>\n Closing thoughts: For any team of technical experts, the pace of change in technology can be both scary and exciting. But digging in deep with Azure Synapse Analytics has been remarkably exciting, and not at all scary! Sometimes new tech can be described as a \u2018revolution\u2019, but that type of disruption often precipitates chaotic times\u2026 and this feels more like an \u2018evolution\u2019 where every aspect becomes more efficient and more powerful. We\u2019re witnessing the unification of the full set of technologies and capabilities powering true cloud scale analytics, and the future looks very bright indeed.<\/p>\n
\nFirst, the break-down:<\/p>\n\n
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\nThe tools and capabilities that provide a Unified experience mean that data developers and engineers can provide expertise and support demanded by the growing audience of data consumers, upgrading existing skills and capabilities with new capability and efficiency.<\/p>\n