Migrating to Microsoft Fabric Capacity from Power BI Premium

🔍 Why switch to Microsoft Fabric?

Moving to Microsoft Fabric Capacity is essential for several reasons:

🎯 End of Power BI Premium sales

• As of January 2025, Power BI Premium can no longer be purchased through EA or Microsoft Cloud Agreements.
• Organizations using Power BI Premium must migrate to remain operational.

✨ More flexibility and new features

• Fabric introduces flexible SKU sizes and pay-as-you-go billing.
• Additional Azure-only features and compatibility with Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC).

 

 

💰 Cost optimization

• Reservation pricing models can save up to 40.5% over pay-as-you-go.
• Ability to apply discounts to multiple capabilities within the same scope.

⚙️ Improved management

• Microsoft Fabric’s migration tools help ensure a smooth transition.
• Bulk and automated migration options reduce manual effort.

 

 

⚠️ What happens if you don’t migrate?

Failure to switch to Microsoft Fabric before January 2025 could have major consequences:

❌ Loss of Power BI Premium access

• No more ability to add new Premium capacity.
• Essential BI tools can become inaccessible.

💸 Higher costs

• Without Fabric’s cost-saving options, companies are stuck with more expensive models.
• No access to reservation discounts and flexible payment options.

📉 Less scalability

• Power BI Premium offers less flexibility in capacity scale and usage than Fabric.
• Companies miss the opportunity to dynamically adjust capacity.

 

 

🔄 How do you migrate to Microsoft Fabric Capacity?

Microsoft offers two ways to transition from Power BI Premium to Fabric Capacity:

🛠️ 1. Manual migration

Suitable for organizations that want complete control over migration.

✅ Individual migration:

• Workspaces can be manually moved to a Fabric Capacity through settings.
• Admin privileges are required.

✅ Bulk migration via Admin Portal:

• By user/group: Migrate all workspaces managed by a specific user/group.
• Specific workspaces: select and migrate specific workspaces.
• All workspaces: Move all workspaces to a Fabric capability at once.

⚠️ Important!

• Active tasks are canceled and must be run again.
• Resume scheduled tasks once migration is complete.
• Remove old Power BI Premium capabilities to avoid unnecessary costs.

 

 

🤖 2. Automated migration tool

Microsoft’s P-SKU to F-SKU Migration Tool automates the migration.

🟢 Key Benefits:
✅ Automatic creation of F-SKUs with appropriate region and capacity.
✅ Ability to migrate multiple capacities simultaneously.
✅ Support for trial to paid Fabric capability migration.

🔄 How long will the migration take?
⏳ Small organizations: Several hours to days.
⏳ Large organizations: Several weeks (including testing and validation).

 

💰 Cost optimization

Migrating to Microsoft Fabric can yield significant savings:

📉 Reservation Prices

• Up to 40.5% cheaper than pay-as-you-go on an annual contract.
• More flexibility in SKU scaling compared to Power BI Premium.

🔄 Elastic Billing

• Pay-as-you-go model: You pay only for actual usage.
• Ideal for fluctuations in BI workloads.

⚖️ Comparison with Power BI Premium

• Power BI Premium requires fixed capacity purchases.
• Microsoft Fabric offers flexible and dynamic pricing models.

 

 

🚀 Successfully transitioning to Microsoft Fabric

✅ Start planning and testing in time to avoid operational interruptions.
✅ Choose the appropriate migration method (manual or automated).
✅ Use available Microsoft tools to streamline the process.
✅ Take advantage of cost savings through reservation options and flexible payments.

By migrating early, you ensure:
🔹 Continued access to advanced BI tools 📊
🔹 Maximum flexibility and scalability 🔄
🔹 Lower costs and better management capabilities 💡

Don’t miss the January 2025 deadline and make the move to Microsoft Fabric now! 🚀

 

References

¹https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-fabric/blog/2024/12/02/automate-your-migration-to-microsoft-fabric-capacities/

 

About the author

My name is Alta Martes, a specialist in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with a focus on modern workplace management, cloud security and identity & access management. With years of experience, I help organizations optimize their IT infrastructure and create a secure, efficient digital workplace.

🎯 Need help with your Microsoft 365 strategy?
Click below and find out how we can support your organization: