Semantic models have taken us far – but they mostly stop at metrics and reports. They don’t capture intent, policies, decisions, or the “why” behind the data. At the same time, everyone wants AI agents, “chat with your data” experiences, and decision automation on top of their existing platforms. The result is a gap: a modern data estate without an intelligent brain.

In this session, we’ll explore how Fabric IQ extends Microsoft Fabric beyond classic semantic models to a true intelligent data estate. We’ll look at how Fabric IQ creates a unified semantic layer that can be understood not only by BI tools, but also by agents, applications, and automation.

Drawing on real-world data platform projects and multiple chat-with-your-data implementations, we’ll walk through an end-to-end architecture: from existing warehouses, lakehouses, and semantic models to an IQ-powered layer that encodes business concepts, policies, and actions. We will discuss how to model business context, how IQ interacts with Fabric items, and what changes for data engineers, architects, and BI teams.

If you’re wondering how to move from “great dashboards” to an AI-ready, intelligent data estate – this session is your roadmap.

After this session, attendees will be able to:

(1) Explain the role of Fabric IQ in Microsoft Fabric and how it complements (not replaces) existing semantic models.

(2) Design an end-to-end architecture that evolves a modern data estate into an intelligent data estate using Fabric IQ.

(3) Model business context and intent so that AI agents and “chat with your data” experiences produce outcomes that align with real-world decisions.

(4) Identify concrete next steps for data engineers, architects, and BI pros to prepare their current Fabric environments for IQ-driven scenarios.