Ignite Governance Insights Across Databases, Lakes, and Models
Description
Turn data governance into a productivity boost for Azure SQL Database, Fabric SQL Database, and Fabric Data Warehouse architectures and engineering. Gain efficiency and confidence in every deployment. Learn how cataloging, classification, lineage, and quality workflows integrate with databases and pipelines to improve trust, and enable secure, compliant data for engineering teams.
Key Takeaways
- because you can find it fast, change it
- Can I use it without ROI?
- Enables scale-up of teams
- Enables feedback loops
- Influence our SQL roadmap and ensure
My Notes
Action Items
- [ ]
Resources & Links
Slides
Microsoft Fabric Community Conference
2025 - © InfoAdvisors 2025
Ignite Governance
Insights Across
Databases, Lakes, and
Models
Ship faster • Fewer errors • Higher data quality
Karen Lopez, InfoAdvisors
Microsoft MVP, Data Platforms
Karen Lopez
Microsoft MVP, Data Platform
Microsoft Certified Trainer, vExpert
Data management expert, space
enthusiast, and #TeamData
evangelist
www.datamodel.com
@datachick.bksy.social
Who?
Governance for people who ship: fewer
surprises, less rework, and faster delivery,
because you can find it fast, change it
safely, access it cleanly, and trust it by
default.”
© InfoAdvisors 2026
Don’t Worry, It’s
Not All On YOU
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By the way, who are you?
Your Enemy Isn’t Tickets: It’s Rework
Wrong datasets
Duplicate data
No definitions
Breaking changes
Unknown dependencies
© InfoAdvisors 2026
Your Enemy Isn’t Tickets: It’s Rework
Surprise changes
Shadow tables (including
spreadsheets)
Lack of trust
Constant fixes
Unknown impact of changes
© InfoAdvisors 2026
Governance is for compliance, not builders
Governance creates gatekeepers
Governance = more meetings
I’m a developer. I don’t have time for this
What Do You Hear About Data Governance?
Definitions are stupid; everyone disagrees
I’m a DBA. I don’t have time for this
It’s built by people who don’t deliver
It’s documentation
We are agile so we don’t do governance
© InfoAdvisors 2026
Governance is a business thing, not an IT thing
You Know What? They Are Right!
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Can I find the right data fast?
Can I change it without breaking
things?
Can I access it without drama?
Can I trust it without a meeting?
Can I use it without ROI?
Is the data good enough?
Where do I get help?
© InfoAdvisors 2026
Why Data Governance is an Engineering Action
Governance as an Accelerator
Demo: Catalogs and Constellations
Glossaries for Good
Stop guesswork
Reduce rework
Lineage debugging faster
Frees up time they don’t want to spend explaining things
Enables scale-up of teams
Increased collaboration
Faster requirements and implementations
Demo: Glossaries and Galaxies
Data Inventories
Wrong table
Wrong column
Recreating data
Conflicting definitions
Obsolete data
Data consent
Data masking
Encryption
Data Classification
Demo: Data Classification
Data Classification
Is it PII?
Is it confidential?
Does it need special controls?
Will I know how to figure that out?
Are classifications following it?
Fast Access Controls
Auditable
Understanding before access
Shifts decisions from tech to business
Standardizes the process for faster access
More compliant
Data Quality Measures
Explictly defined
Standardized measures
Identifies problematic data
Shifts data quality ownership
Better decision making
Enables feedback loops
Tranparency
Data Product
A curated, governed package of
data assets for a particular use
Demo: Data Product
Can I Change This Without Hating Friday?
Silent schema changes
Surprise dashboard failures
Fear-driven release delays
On-call chaos
Data Lineage
Shows how data moves and transforms
across systems, from source to
consumption.
Demo: Data Lineage
All this is why bad
governance gets
ignored, and good
governance gets
used
Key Takeaways
© InfoAdvisors 2026
Governance is an
Engineering
Function
Enterprise Tools
for Enterprise
Actions
Managing Data
Complexity
Mastering MultiPlatform
Complexity
Governance at
Scale
Guessing is bad
Productivity
Managing Risk
Importance of
Laziness
Real-life Stories
We might have to discuss this during a break
Data Governance in AI and ML
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Scaling Data Governance
Roles and responsibilities
Usable standards
Robust tools & automation
Collaboration incentives
Classifications and grouping
Monitoring & alerting
© InfoAdvisors 2026
MICROSOFT FABRIC COMMUNITY CONFERENCE
2025 - © INFOADVISORS 2025
Resources
•More for you…
Thank you, ad astra!
Karen Lopez
Data Evangelist
InfoAdvisors, Inc.
@datachick
linkedin.com/in/karenlopez
Credit: Karen Lopez
www.datamodel.com
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