3 min read
Build Your Synapse-Based Data Estate 10x Faster with TimeXtender
What is Azure Synapse Analytics?
Synapse is a suite of tools that enable organizations to set up and manage their Modern Data Estate with less coding involved, all within a user-friendly user interface.
Microsoft refers to Synapse as the “next evolution of Azure SQL Data Warehouse”, a service that connects data warehousing and big data analytics.
Synapse is Microsoft’s latest effort to bring Azure’s existing data services together, and provide some powerful, new capabilities, while making everything integrate seamlessly in what they refer to as a “unified data platform” called Synapse Studio.
According to Microsoft’s Azure Synapse FAQ, the main components that Synapse brings together are:
- Dedicated SQL Pool
- Apache Spark pool with full support for Scala, Python, SparkSQL, and C#
- Data Flow offering a code-free big data transformation experience
- Data Integration and Orchestration (Synapse Pipelines) to integrate your data and operationalize all of your code development
- Synapse Studio to access all of these capabilities through a single UI
Azure Synapse also integrates with other Azure services, such as PowerBI, CosmosDB, and AzureML.
A web-based development environment for the Data Estate in Azure
Example: Modern Azure Data Warehouse Architecture
Here is an example of what a Synapse-based Modern Data Warehouse architecture could look like:
Source: Microsoft
What are the benefits of Azure Synapse Analytics?
The main benefit of Synapse is limitless scale. Synapse delivers insights from all your data, across data warehouses and big data analytics systems, with blazing speed, even when working with petabytes of data.
Another major benefit of Synapse is powerful insights with the assistance of Machine Learning. Synapse allows you to apply machine learning models to all your intelligent apps, without data movement.
Common Misconceptions
While Synapse is undoubtedly a powerful tool for data and analytics professionals, Microsoft’s marketing and documentation can create some confusion around exactly what capabilities Synapse provides, and how difficult it truly is to set up and manage.
Here are the top misconceptions we have encountered when discussing Synapse with our customers and partners:
- Misconception #1: Synapse is an all-new Service
The reality is, Synapse is a collection of mostly pre-existing Azure services with a few added features.
- Misconception #2: Synapse is ideal for any Data Warehouse
According to Microsoft’s own documentation, Synapse is an ideal choice only if you have more than 1TB of data size with tables containing 500M rows or greater.
- Misconception #3: Synapse is truly Low-Code/No-Code
There are very few things you can accomplish in Synapse without significant amounts of coding (which requires multiple, highly-skilled developers that are familiar with the platform). Data Factory is the extent of the “no-code” experience.
- Misconception #4: If using Synapse, TimeXtender is not necessary
Synapse and TimeXtender are not competing tools. TimeXtender is simply a tool that accelerates the development of a Synapse Data Estate (or any other Microsoft-based Data Estate).
What is TimeXtender?
TimeXtender is an automated, low-code, drag-and-drop Data Estate Builder that empowers you to build a Modern Data Estate 10x faster than standard methods, prepare data for analysis, and make quality business decisions with data, mind, and heart.
TimeXtender’s capabilities include:
- Build and manage your Microsoft Data Estate 10x faster with our all-in-one solution – while reducing build costs by 70% – with no loss of flexibility or power.
- Easily manage your data with a simple, drag-and-drop Builder that anyone in your organization can use – no coding required.
- Break down data silos, get a 360-view of all your company's data, and empower your teams with a single, reliable "source of truth".
- Eliminate costly, time-consuming data management tasks and free your organization to focus on activities that drive business results.
- Future-proof your data infrastructure with the power to automatically adapt to new technologies, prep data for AI and machine learning, and migrate to future, cloud data platforms with one-click.
- Automatically generate full, end-to-end documentation of your entire data estate –ensure users that their data is complete, accurate, and reliable.
- Plus many more.
Visit the TimeXtender product page to learn more about how we can help you quickly build a reliable, modern, Synapse-based Data Estate.
Why do I need TimeXtender to build my Synapse-Based Data Estate?
While you can build your Data Estate and prepare your data for analytics all within Azure Synapse Studio, a "Synapse-only" approach will require:
- A large team of highly-skilled developers who are familiar with Synapse
- A large budget for labor and Azure costs
- Several months to years allocated for development time
Unless you have those resources, a "Synapse-only" approach is likely going to be far too costly and time-consuming.
However, even if you do have those resources, you can take advantage of Synapse’s capabilities (the Dedicated SQL Pool, Azure Data Lake, and Azure Data Factory) and build your Data Estate 10x faster– while experiencing 70% lower build costs – by using TimeXtender.
TimeXtender’s automated, low-code, drag-and-drop Data Estate Builder makes implementing Synapse faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective, no matter the size of your company.
In addition, a TimeXtender + Synapse approach provides you benefits you can't get with Synapse alone, such as:
- Native Version Control
- Native Multiple Environments
- Native Project Documentation
- Native Data Lineage
- Native Slowly Changing Dimensions (SCD)
- Native Surrogate Keys
- True No-Code/Low-Code Automation
- One-Click Migration to Future Data Platforms
Synapse-Alone vs Synapse + TimeXtender
Accelerate Time to Insights
When building a Synapse-Based Data Estate, TimeXtender consistently makes the entire process:
- Faster
- Cheaper
- More Reliable
- Easier to Maintain
- Less Resource and Time-Intensive
Synapse Implementation Time and Cost Savings with TimeXtender
Example: TimeXtender + Synapse Data Estate Architecture
Learn More About TimeXtender
As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, we serve our 3,000+ customers, from mid-sized companies to Fortune 500, through our global network of partners.
Visit the TimeXtender product page to learn how we are helping clients build reliable modern Data Estates 10x faster than standard methods.