In our recent “Unlock the Power of Where with ArcGIS for Microsoft Fabric” webinar, we explored how ArcGIS for Microsoft Fabric integrates spatial analytics and mapping capabilities directly into the Microsoft Fabric environment, enabling users to uncover and visualize spatial insights from business data.
We’ve compiled key questions and answers from the webinar, covering ArcGIS GeoAnalytics for Microsoft Fabric, ArcGIS for Power BI, and the upcoming ArcGIS Maps for Microsoft Fabric.
For those who missed the live event or want to revisit the content, the full webinar recording is embedded here, offering demonstrations of ArcGIS for Microsoft Fabric integrations in action.
ArcGIS GeoAnalytics for Microsoft Fabric
Can we publish ArcGIS REST services directly from Fabric after we perform our transformations and analyses?
You can read and write from Esri feature services to link Fabric and your Esri ecosystem.
Microsoft Fabric has a new offering of “Fabric databases.” This has native support for a geometry data type. Does Esri have plans to allow users to utilize GeoAnalytics for Fabric capabilities with the Fabric database?
GeoAnalytics can translate between numerous data sources and spatial types and we will be evaluating how we can support the Fabric databases with native geometry types in the future.
Does Microsoft Fabric have support for raster data types?
We don’t yet have raster support with the broader GeoAnalytics library, but we are exploring that capability for our GeoAnalytics Engine product; we anticipate bringing it to our Fabric offering in the future as well.
Where can I find the list of all of the spatial operations available?
In terms of all of the spatial operations, the developer documentation and API reference are the best resource.
Does Microsoft Fabric spatially index datasets?
With GeoAnalytics for Fabric, we have automatic spatial indexing when we read in or create geometries. This helps us optimize the performance of the analytics with the library.
We also support projection on the fly wherever possible, assuming a coordinate reference system is defined for the data.
Are there use cases where GeoAnalytics for Fabric would be appropriate for triggering an alert to user(s) based on real-time streaming data?
GeoAnalytics for Fabric isn’t intended for real-time, streaming analytics, however, it is appropriate for near real-time with batches of data run on schedule (e.g., every 5 minutes, etc.). These results could be used for triggering alerts.
Will GeoAnalytics for Fabric rely on credits like those used when running tools such as for geocoding in ArcGIS Pro?
GeoAnalytics for Fabric usage will be tracked using “core-hours” – a measure of the number of cores used in the analytics * the time needed for the analysis.
Are the geospatial capabilities of GeoAnalytics for Fabric the same as those available in ArcGIS Pro?
GeoAnalytics for Fabric provides a wide range of functionality, much of this will overlap the core vector analysis functionality included in ArcGIS Pro. The full range of functionality is available in the GeoAnalytics for Fabric developer documentation.
Are GeoAnalytics for Fabric functions the same or different than those in the ArcGIS API for Python?
GeoAnalytics for Fabric differs from the ArcGIS API for Python. GeoAnalytics for Fabric is a Spark-native library that is integrated directly in the Microsoft Fabric runtime, and is designed to take advantage of the distributed computing capabilities within Spark. To identify the functionality relevant to your particular needs in each library, as well as their ability to incorporate in the Fabric environment, please refer to the documentation for each: GeoAnalytics for Fabric and the API for Python
When performing analysis with GeoAnalytics for Fabric, can you geocode data on the fly from addresses in the source data?
GeoAnalytics for Fabric does not currently support geocoding, but we are exploring how we can bring that into the Fabric environment.
What is the best format to store polygons to work with your functions? I’ve seen recommendations for both WKT and geoJSON.
Personally, if I am not using a spatial file format with a native spatial type, I tend to use well-known binary (WKB) as it is more compact. GeoAnalytics for Fabric has a number of functions for converting between file formats, so you can really use whatever is more useful for your analytics / data storage or transfer.
Can result layers generated in Microsoft Fabric be shared back through ArcGIS Enterprise for use on maps published from ArcGIS Portal?
You can read and write the results generated by analysis with GeoAnalytics for Fabric into Esri feature services to link Fabric and your Esri ecosystem. Details on that can be found in our developer documentation.
Can we see a small example of connecting a notebook to an ESRI enterprise GIS server?
There are details on connecting to ArcGIS Enterprise via feature services in our developer documentation, with additional examples in the data tutorials.
Can you share the notebooks from the webinar with us?
The notebook itself is not posted, but we have a number of similar notebooks to demonstrate analytics that you can access through the Learn ArcGIS pathway for GeoAnalytics for Fabric.
We also have more discussion of analytics workflows in several blog posts in the GeoAnalytics for Fabric community.
The H3 Map you showed in the FabCon_Well_Demo looked very interesting! Do you have any resources or documentation on how to create H3 maps with ArcGIS?
There are several tools in the GeoAnalytics library for generating H3 hexagonal grids. There are SQL functions for ST_H3Bin (single bin) and ST_H3Bins (array of bins covering the extent of the input feature), as well as several tools that simplify the process of aggregating data into H3, regular hexagon, or rectangular bins. For instance, the Aggregate Points tool that aggregates point data into bins of a user-specified size. Tools such as Aggregate Points can also incorporate a temporal component to create time slices across the dataset (e.g., H3 bins for every hour of data through the day).
How long will the public preview for GeoAnalytics for Fabric continue?
The GeoAnalytics for Fabric public preview will continue into the fall of 2025.
Is there separate licensing required to use GeoAnalytics for Fabric?
GeoAnalytics for Fabric will be licensed independently from Microsoft Fabric. You will obtain a license from Esri and authenticate within the Fabric notebook to use the GeoAnalytics capabilities.
ArcGIS for Power BI
Is there a detailed list or matrix of additional functionality that comes with logging in using your portal or ArcGIS Online account in PowerBI?
Yes, this information is included on the ArcGIS for Power BI documentation.
Can Power BI run purely off ArcGIS data as a stand-alone, without having to integrate into business analytical data?
No, Power BI does not allow users to build reports with only service-based data. To bring in your ArcGIS layers, you will need to either implement a data engineering workflow to ingest it to a workspace or join the business data to your feature layer.
Is there a record number limit in ArcGIS for Power BI?
The ArcGIS for Power BI visualization does not impose a limit on the number of features it can display, but it is governed by the data point limits in Power BI.
Do users always need an ArcGIS account to view ArcGIS data (that is not set to public sharing) in a Power BI report?
Yes, ArcGIS for Power BI follows the ArcGIS sharing model and they will require and ArcGIS user to access secured services.
Why do you need to add X/Y coordinates in order to add/save ArcGIS Online content to the Power BI report
You do not need to add X/Y coordinates if you are mapping ArcGIS Online content. ArcGIS for Power BI matches locations in the data to locations on a map. The more you organize and prepare the data before you add it to the map, the more accurate the map results will be. Please refer to the Data preparation topic to learn more about the location types.
For rendering polygons, how did you deal with the Power BI character length limitation that limits the polygon size?
For complex geometries, you may have to generalize them in order to meet the character length limitations.
Our users really like the learn.arcgis.com content. Will more recent ArcGIS for PowerBI content be coming soon?
We are constantly expanding our online learning content, while no new Learn Lessons are in development today, more tutorials and tips are regularly added to the ArcGIS for Power BI Community.
ArcGIS Maps for Microsoft Fabric
How many points can I see in an ArcGIS Map? Is there a cap?
There are not limits on the number of records that can be brought in to Maps for Fabric. There are some practical limits as the data is loaded into a web client, but nothing enforced by the workload.
Will ArcGIS Maps in fabric function similarly to the AGOL Map Viewer?
Yes, the ArcGIS Maps for Fabric will provide similar functionality as the Map Viewer. It will allow users to easily bring in OneLake data and provide many familiar smart mapping and map analysis capabilities.
How does Maps for Fabric relate to the Map visualization in Power BI?
ArcGIS Maps for Fabric brings mapping capabilities and geospatial analytics tools to empower data professionals to analyze spatial data to understand where things are, how they relate and what they mean. ArcGIS for Power BI enables an organization to include location-based insights into Power BI dashboards and reports to visualize, analyze, and securely share critical business information.
Addition Information and Resources
We hope this blog has provided clear answers to the questions raised during our webinar and offered valuable insights into ArcGIS for Microsoft Fabric products, including how to leverage ArcGIS GeoAnalytics for Microsoft Fabric and ArcGIS for Power BI to construct seamless spatial analytic workflows and extend BI reporting with authoritative geospatial information. If you’re ready to take the next step, explore the resources below to deepen your understanding and start implementing these solutions today.
Esri Webinars
Esri Web Pages
Esri Documentation
Esri Learn Paths
Esri Community Forums
Blogs & Videos
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