Describe Azure services for data warehousing

As you embark on the exhilarating path of data warehousing with Azure, it’s like standing at the helm of a vast ocean of possibilities. Azure’s suite of service offers you not just tools but a palette of choices, each unique, powerful, and designed to cater to the complex tapestry of modern data needs. Within this realm, there are luminaries such as Azure Synapse analytics, Azure Databricks, Azure HDInsight, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure Data Factory. Each represents a different shade of Azure Analytical prowess, promising to transform raw data into insight, numbers into narratives, and questions into actionable strategies. Let’s set sail and navigate through these pivotal services, illuminating your path to masterful data orchestration and analytics.

Azure Synapse Analytics

Figure 4-8 shows the logo used to represent Azure Synapse Analytics globally.

FIGURE 4-8  Azure Synapse logo

Formerly known as Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Azure Synapse Analytics offers a blend of enterprise data warehousing and big data analytics. Imagine you have a vast pool of structured and unstructured data that you want to analyze quickly. Azure Synapse Analytics lets you man-age, analyze, and visualize such datasets in real time.

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Azure Databricks

Figure 4-9 shows the logo used to represent Azure Databricks globally.

FIGURE 4-9  Azure Databricks logo

Dive into Spark-based analytics with Azure Databricks. It’s a collaborative Apache Spark– based analytics platform optimized for Azure, providing you with streamlined workflows and an interactive workspace. Let’s say you’re working on a machine learning project that requires vast amounts of data processing and collaboration. With Databricks, you and your team can work seamlessly on notebooks, scale resources on-demand, and integrate with various Azure services to build end-to-end solutions.