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Reference build / Optimization playbook

Fabric Capacity Optimization Playbook

A capacity and performance triage playbook based on Fabric Capacity Metrics, capacity planning, and Direct Lake performance guidance.

02. Performance & Cost OptimizationMicrosoft Fabric capacity and performance documentationStatus: guildbuild adaptedLast reviewed: 2026-05
Fabric Capacity Optimization Playbook official-source architecture visual
Official Microsoft source visual used with attribution; GuildBuild adds the delivery checklist and evaluation lens below.

Official resources used

GuildBuild adaptation

GuildBuild converts the official monitoring and planning guidance into a recurring operating review for capacity admins and BI owners.

What Microsoft provides

  • Capacity Metrics app concepts, health pages, compute views, and throttling visibility.
  • Capacity sizing logic and CU-based planning concepts.
  • Direct Lake performance model for large Fabric data sources.

What GuildBuild adds

  • Triage workflow for slow reports, throttling, peak-load patterns, and noisy workloads.
  • Executive cost narrative separating scale-up needs from model/report remediation.
  • Reusable scorecard for capacity health, semantic model design, and workload ownership.

Buyer evaluation checklist

  • Can we tell whether the bottleneck is capacity, semantic model design, or report design?
  • Do capacity admins have a recurring review cadence and owner for remediation?
  • Are optimization actions tied to measurable before/after outcomes?

Implementation deliverables

  • Capacity health scorecard
  • Slow-report triage checklist
  • Optimization backlog template
  • Executive cost and performance summary

Technologies shown

Fabric Capacity Metrics appFabric F-SKU capacityDirect LakePower BI semantic models
Related GuildBuild service: 02. Performance & Cost Optimization