Partner Blog | FabCon + SQLCon Barcelona: Turning the latest data and AI innovation into partner growth
The European Microsoft Fabric + SQL Community Conference took place in Barcelona September 28 to October 1, 2026, and brought together nearly 5,000 data and AI professionals to connect, learn, and explore what it takes to move from AI experimentation to enterprise-scale impact across Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL, and the broader Microsoft data and AI platform. For nearly 1800 Microsoft partners in attendance, the message was clear: customers need more than isolated data and AI projects. They need a unified, governed foundation that connects data, databases, analytics, AI development, enterprise context, security, and governance. That creates a powerful opportunity for partners across strategy, migration, modernization, AI innovation, governance, adoption, and ongoing optimization. The partners who can connect Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Foundry, Azure SQL, Microsoft IQ, and Power BI around a customer’s priorities can accelerate the transformation journey while expanding the scope and durability of their own practices. “As an ISV based in Australia, FabCon Europe has been a valuable opportunity to meet customers, connect with other partners, and build relationships in the European market. Spending time with Microsoft’s experts and the Fabric team has helped us understand the latest announcements and explore how we can help customers modernize their data estates with Microsoft Fabric. We’ve also had the chance to demo our solutions and exchange ideas—and we’re looking forward to continuing those conversations closer to home at the next FabCon in Sydney.” - Julien Redmond, CEO, Ignition Data Solutions What launched in Barcelona and why it matters for partners FabCon and SQLCon 2026 in Barcelona reinforced a broader Microsoft platform direction. As customers move AI into production, their data, business context, agents, security, and governance increasingly need to operate as a connected system. Microsoft announced new capabilities across Fabric and its database portfolio designed to connect those pieces, from unifying the data estate to grounding Microsoft Copilot and agents in trusted business context and operating those workloads reliably at scale. For partners, that creates an opportunity to expand customer conversations beyond a single workload. Bring trusted business context into Copilot with Fabric IQ Microsoft is bringing business context from Fabric IQ into Microsoft Copilot. Fabric IQ in Copilot Chat and Cowork is generally available, with integration into the new Code experience coming through the Frontier program. Fabric IQ connects unified data in Microsoft OneLake, trusted metrics from Power BI semantic models, and operational context so people and agents can work from a shared understanding of the business. For partners, this opens a more outcome-led conversation about AI readiness. Customers are asking for more than access to models. They need governed data, common business definitions, and operational context that enable Copilot and agents to deliver relevant, reliable results. Partners can bring together data estate modernization, semantic modeling, governance, and agent implementation as part of one transformation roadmap. This gives customers a clearer path from foundational data work to AI adoption. Operate AI-ready data estates with greater visibility Microsoft also introduced new observability capabilities for Fabric, now in preview. Workspace monitoring, an enhanced monitor hub, and operations agents provide a unified view across workspaces, jobs, capacities, and workloads—along with alerts, AI-assisted investigation, root-cause analysis, and recommended actions. That visibility becomes more important as customers move from pilots to production. Their growing data and AI estates require ongoing monitoring, optimization, and governance. This creates a repeatable way to support customers after deployment—into operational readiness, performance optimization, and managed services—while improving the resilience of their data and AI environments. These announcements sit alongside broader innovations across OneLake, Fabric Apps, Fabric agents, Database Hub, Azure SQL, and other database capabilities. Together, they reinforce a practical partner opportunity: connect the customer’s data foundation, business context, AI applications, and operations rather than treating them as separate technology decisions. Customers want to put AI into production, but fragmented data, limited business context, and operational complexity can slow progress. Partners can differentiate by connecting Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Foundry, Microsoft IQ, Azure databases, and SQL modernization around an outcome-led customer strategy. By doing so, partners can enable customers to unify their data estate, add trusted enterprise context, and establish the governance and operational foundation required to scale AI with confidence. "Partner Day at FabCon+SQLCon Europe brought us up to speed on Microsoft Fabric and its data and AI strategy. It also allowed us to learn and connect with peers solving the same customer challenges and gave our team a close look at the latest Fabric innovations. I'm leaving ready to help our customers move faster toward data modernization and AI transformation." - Liam McNeilly, Manager, Data and AI Platforms Lead, Campana & Schott What we heard at Partner Day The opportunity around data and AI continues to grow, and partners are central to turning that innovation into real customer impact. Partner Day brought partners together with Microsoft leaders, product experts, and the broader community to explore how to translate the latest innovation into customer outcomes. A few themes stood out: Continue reading here.Join SQL Modernization Day on October 20, 2026, to explore Azure SQL migration, AI apps, and new modernization tools for customers.
Help your customers modernize SQL: Join the SQL Modernization Day livestream on Oct 20. Your customers’ SQL Server estates are ready for their next move, and SQL Modernization Day can help you guide them there. Join the Microsoft SQL team for a no-cost, half-day livestream on Microsoft Reactor on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 9:00 AM–1:00 PM PT. Across eight sessions, you’ll explore: The full modernization path: moving SQL Server to Azure SQL, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Virtual Machines, and SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. Building AI apps once customers land in Azure. The new SQL modernization agent, in public preview, delivered as skills that plug into any interface that supports skills, starting with GitHub Copilot CLI and Visual Studio Code. Expanded Azure Arc migration, in public preview, to migrate multiple instances at once to Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Database Hyperscale, or Azure SQL Managed Instance. With SQL Server 2016 now out of support, this is a timely resource to share with customers still running it. Register today and invite your customers to join you. If you can’t make it live, every session will be available on YouTube after the event. Disclaimer: The SQL modernization agent and multi-instance Azure Arc migration to Azure SQL Database and Hyperscale are in public preview. Preview features are subject to change and may have limited availability. Agenda and speakers are subject to change. Participation is subject to the Microsoft Reactor Code of Conduct, linked on the registration page. Register for the livestreamEvent Recap - TechCon Seattle 2026
TL;DR TechCon 365, PWRCON and DATACON Seattle 2026 August 24–28. Five days. Three thriving technology communities. One shared destination for learning, innovation, and connection. TechCon 365, PWRCON, and DATACON Seattle 2026 brought together Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Data professionals for an immersive week of expert-led content, hands-on training, and meaningful networking opportunities. Hosted at the Seattle Convention Center, the event featured 255 sessions and workshops, 36 hands-on training experiences, 131 industry experts and community leaders, and two keynote presentations exploring the future of AI, productivity, business applications, and data. Attendees had direct access to Microsoft product specialists, MVPs, and community experts through technical sessions, Ask the Experts panels, community meetups, and inclusive networking experiences designed to help every participant learn, connect, and grow. If the player doesn’t load, open the video in a new window: Open video Introduction TechCon 365, PWRCON and DATACON Seattle brought together technology leaders, IT professionals, developers, architects, and innovators to the Pacific Northwest and beyond for three days of learning, collaboration, and inspiration. Attendees explored the latest advancements in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, workplace productivity, and emerging technologies through expert-led sessions, hands-on workshops, and engaging keynote presentations. More than just a conference, TechCon Seattle served as a hub for meaningful conversations, new connections, and practical insights that attendees can take back to their organizations. As we look back on this year's event, we're excited to share some of the highlights, key takeaways, and memorable moments that made TechCon Seattle an unforgettable experience. Event facts Where: Seattle Convention Center, Summit Building, 900 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101 255 sessions and workshops, including 36 hands-on workshops; 131 speakers; 15 sponsors; 2 keynotes 1,010 registrations; 984 onsite attendees; 67% first-time attendees; 16 countries #techcon365 and #CommunityLuv In a Nutshell Microsoft’s presence was impossible to miss. Sixteen Microsoft-led, 70-minute sessions across two conference days gave attendees direct access to the people shaping the products, while two keynotes set the strategic tone. Microsoft supplied 47 of the event’s 131 speakers, representing 36% of the faculty. Beyond that core lineup, 255 sessions and workshops, including 36 hands-on workshops, let participants build an agenda around technical depth, product direction, live demos, and practical peer insight. Why it mattered TechCon 365, PWRCON, and DATACON Seattle brought together the professionals who drive digital transformation in organizations of every size, including IT administrators, developers, makers, architects, data specialists, business leaders, Microsoft MVPs, and community experts. The event created a unique opportunity for attendees to gain practical skills, explore emerging technologies, connect with peers facing similar challenges, and engage directly with product experts and industry thought leaders. The audience reflected the broad impact of today's technology landscape, with strong participation from large enterprises, government organizations, and a diverse mix of technical and business roles. For many attendees, the event represented their first experience with the TechCon community, creating new opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional growth. By bringing together three complementary technology communities under one roof, the event fostered cross-disciplinary conversations and helped attendees discover new ideas, solutions, and connections they can bring back to their organizations and teams. Key Content & Highlights Microsoft keynotes Building What’s Next for Work with Jason Moore | Wednesday, August 26, 8:30–9:40 AM Jason Moore, Vice President of Product Management for Copilot Studio, opened the conference with a keynote on what becomes possible when Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Cowork, Power Platform, and Copilot Studio are used together at scale. The session connected personal productivity, business-process transformation, agents, live demonstrations, customer stories, and enterprise governance. From Databases to Agents: Building the Data Foundation for the Agentic Enterprise with Shireesh Thota | Thursday, August 27, 8:30–9:40 AM Shireesh Thota, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, focused the Data keynote on the foundation required for agentic enterprise applications. The session connected operational data, real-time context, memory, analytics, governance, and security across Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Azure Managed Redis, Horizon DB, Microsoft Fabric and OneLake, and Rayfin. Microsoft-led sessions The event featured 40 70-minute sessions: 15 focused on Microsoft 365, five on Power Platform, and 20 on Data. Of these, 16 were led by Microsoft. Microsoft-led sessions. All sessions from Microsoft and community are here: All Sessions & Workshops - Microsoft 365, DATA & Power Platform Conference Ask the Experts Ask the Experts was scheduled in the Expo Hall on Wednesday, August 26 and Thursday, August 27. The area brought together Microsoft speakers, MVPs, and community leaders for direct, product-specific conversations with attendees. Microsoft Community and networking The Microsoft Community space in the Expo Hall served as the hub for meet-and-greets, community discussions, and calls to action for MGCI. The space brought together Microsoft product experts, MVPs, and community leaders to connect directly with attendees, answer questions, share resources, and discuss the latest innovations across Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Data, and AI. Designed as a welcoming community lounge, the booth offered opportunities for meet-and-greets, expert conversations, and hands-on discussions that helped attendees turn new ideas into practical solutions. 85 individual attendees were scanned in and attended the community space. Community programming also included a Women in Tech & Allies lunch meet up session on Wednesday and a full panel "Women in Tech: Lifting as we Climb" with Rie Merritt, Karen Lopez, Mehrsa Golestaneh and Heather Cook, an MGCI meetup during lunch on Thursday led by Heather Cook & Bryan Hart, a speaker reception on Tuesday, an Expo reception, and an attendee “Luau” reception at the Hyatt Regency Seattle. Thank you to all who provided their expertise while staffing this year’s community space. What the program achieved TechCon 365, PWRCON and DATACON Seattle 2026 brought three technical audiences together around a 255-session-and-workshop program. Microsoft anchored that experience with two executive keynotes, 16 Microsoft-led sessions, Ask the Experts, community programming, and sustained Expo Hall engagement. The event combined scale and specialization: 984 attendees, 255 sessions and workshops, and 36 hands-on workshops across three co-located communities. Microsoft’s footprint was broad and visible, with 47 speakers, both keynotes, 40 company-led sessions, direct expert access, and 183 registrations attributed to Microsoft channels. Thank you to the Microsoft production team - Microsoft Exec Producer Heather Cook, Content Lead Bryan Wofford and our partners Stephanie Lawson, Rie Merritt, and to TechCon producers Sharon Toler, David Wilhelm, Ashley Wilhelm, Liz Sundet and team for their terrific supporting the Seattle event, and to the 47 Microsoft speakers and 50 Microsoft MVPs who helped and always shape the program. Till next year - One City, One TechCon - one event all together in TechCon in Atlanta, September 13-17, 2027Event Recap - TechCon Chicago 2026
TechCon 365 Chicago is part of the TechCon series of regional Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Azure data conferences — one of the most widely attended community-run Microsoft conference series in North America. For FY26, the Chicago edition was focused on Microsoft 365, Collaboration, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Power Platform. Dates: June 15–19, 2026 Venue: McCormick Place South, 2301 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616 Reach: 650+ attendees | 43 US states | 14 countries Event website: Home - Microsoft TechCon365 Chicago - A Microsoft 365 Conference & Copilot Conference In a Nutshell TechCon 365 Chicago 2026 delivered: A full-stage, 90-minute keynote anchored by Microsoft leaders, using a baseball playbook metaphor to frame the AI + Microsoft 365 transformation story 20+ Microsoft-led and 100+ Community-led sessions spanning Copilot adoption, AI in SharePoint, Power Platform, governance, and community engagement A dedicated Microsoft Community Zone (Expo Hall) for face-to-face engagement, demos, and community resource sign-ups Multiple Ask the Experts slots giving attendees direct access to product experts The Women in Tech and Allies Discussion, building on the MGCI community inclusion agenda Microsoft / Team Involvement Microsoft was a principal sponsor of TechCon 365 Chicago 2026, with the SCALE Microsoft Community Team leading the Microsoft engagement from planning through execution. Microsoft Production Team Heather Cook, Principal PM, SCALE Team — Production Lead & Keynote/Session Speaker Bryan Wofford, Principal PM, SCALE Team — Production PM & Session Speaker, MVP Lead Jonathan Jones – Program Manager, SCALE Team - Booth & Community Emily Hove — Event Logistics, SCALE Team Event Producers (TechCon side) David Wilhelm Sharon Toler Ashley Wilhelm Liz Sundet Key Content & Highlights Keynote “Stepping Up to the Plate: Winning Strategies to Empower Your Team” | Wed, June 17 | 8:30–9:40 AM | Stage S105bcd The 90-minute keynote used a baseball lens to map the Microsoft 365 + AI + Power Platform transformation journey, organizing the message into four “bases”: First Base: AI in Action – From Promise to Real Work (Copilot as leadoff hitter) Second Base: The Foundation Matters – Governance, Security, and Readiness Third Base: Adoption Is the Hard Part – coaching, culture, and confidence Home Plate: Building the Platform – Extensibility and What's Next with Power Platform The keynote brought together Microsoft and community voices on the same stage, reinforcing the message that AI transformation is a team sport. Speakers included Heather Cook, Bryan Wofford, Charles Lakes II, Liam Clearly, Julie Turner, Shannon Lindsay, and Mark Kashman. We may have had a seventh inning stretch to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". Named Microsoft Sessions 20+ Microsoft-led sessions were delivered across the five days, spanning beginner to advanced levels. Microsoft Led Breakout Sessions (Times are in Central Time (CT)) Building Enterprise AI Agents: From Low‑Code Copilot Studio to GitHub Copilot Integration with Minhaj Sahibzada (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Backstage event production with Microsoft 365 Copilot with Heather Cook and Bryan Wofford (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Secure and Govern AI and Agents with Microsoft & Agent 365 with Craig Jahnke and Sophie Ke (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Driving productivity with Power BI and M365 with Lada Hill and Lauren Faber (Wednesday 1:40 PM to 2:50 PM) Engage Everywhere: Communities, Events, and Storylines in Teams, Powered by AI with Steve Nguyen (Wednesday 1:40pm - 2:50 pm) How to Get What You Want: The Art of Prompt Engineering for Copilot with Michelle Gilbert (Wednesday 1:40pm - 2:50 pm) Avoiding the “Go-Live Hangover”: Battle-Tested Best Practices for Contact Center Implementations with Vinoth Balasubramanian (Wednesday 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM) Setup M365 for Education: Copilot. Teams & More with Max Fritz (Wednesday 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM) Beyond Compliance: How Accessibility Improves Productivity in Microsoft 365 with Max Fritz (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) From Hocus Pocus to Focus: Contextualize Your Power BI Data with Stephanie Bruno and Shannon Lindsay (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) Introduction to Vibing with the M365 Tools Frontier Agents and Power Platform with Ralph Rivas and Craig Jahnke (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) Work Smarter with OneDrive: AI-Enhanced Productivity Across Microsoft 365 with Vishal Lodha (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) The Next Generation of Community Storytelling: Powered by AI with Jonathan Jones (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) AI Ready - An Evolutive Approach with Juan Carlos Chipi (Thursday 10:40 AM to 11:50 PM) Accessibility by Design: Building Inclusive Experiences with Microsoft 365 and Copilot with Darryl Rowe and Laurie Allen (Thursday 10:40 AM to 11:50 PM) Engage, Learn, Lead: Maximizing Impact with the Microsoft Tech Community with Josh Leporati (Thursday 12:50 PM to 2:00 PM) The Rise of AI Agents: Designing the Platforms That Power Enterprise AI with Marco Salas Robles and Kevin Leal (Thursday 12:50 PM to 2:00 PM) Voice Bots That Work: Designing AI Conversations Customers Don’t Hang Up On with Vinoth Balasubramanian (Thursday 2:10 PM to 3:20 PM) From Data Chaos to Copilot Confidence: Building a Secure Foundation with Purview & SAM with Bryan Wofford (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Extending Copilot with Connectors: Powering Intelligent Agents with Your Data with AJ Goldie (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Why Power BI Copilot Works (and When It Doesn’t) with Sanjay Raut and Dan English (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Your Copilot Adoption Playbook: Getting Started with Microsoft Adoption Resources with Gina Hoffman and Bryan Wofford (MCAG) (Friday 9:00 AM to10:10 AM) What’s New in the Microsoft 365 Copilot App: Your AI Command Center for Work with Michael Goad (Friday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) AI in SharePoint in Action with Bryan Wofford (Friday 10:20 AM to 11:30 AM) Building Smarter Agents: What’s New in Agent Builder and What’s Coming Next with AJ Goldie (Friday 12:30 PM to 1:40 PM) For all community sessions and the overall agenda from this show: https://aka.ms/TechCon365/2026/Sessions Thank you to all the Microsoft speakers who gave terrific sessions and staffed our Microsoft Community Lounge: AJ Goldie, Allison Michels, April Delsing, Bryan Wofford, Carrie White, Craig Jahnke, Dan English, Darryl Rowe, Gina Hoffman, Jonathan Jones, Juan Carlos Chipi, Lada Hill, Lauren Faber, Marco Salas Robles, Max Fritz, Michael Goad, Michelle Gilbert, Minhaj Sahibzada, Nisaini Rexach, Sanjay Raut, Sophie Ke, Steve Nguyen, Vinoth Balasubramanian, Vishal Lodha. Thank you to all community speakers for bringing your awesomeness to this show, so many repeat speakers bringing their A game and welcome to all of the first timers!! You Rock! Ask the Experts Microsoft experts participated in open drop-in Ask the Experts sessions in the Expo Hall / South Concourse Lobby, giving attendees direct access for one-on-one Q&A and guidance. Microsoft Community Zone (Expo Hall) The Microsoft Community Zone served as the hub for community engagement throughout the event — featuring branded resources, QR code sign-up stations for MGCI and Microsoft Tech Community, and staffed meet-and-greet hours with Microsoft speakers and experts. Microsoft MVPs at TechCon A big thank you to all the Microsoft MVPs who spoke and staffed the event: Andrew Hess, Anna Bordioug, Antonio Maio, Asif Rehmani, Brian Alderman, Cathy Dew, Charles Lakes II, Chris McNulty, Christian Buckley, David Drever, Derek Cash-Peterson, Don Kirkham, Drew Madelung, Galen Keene, Geetha Sivasailam, Gokan Ozcifci, Heidi Jordan, Jared Matfess, John Kerski, John White, Joy Apple, Julie Turner, Karinne Bessette, Lindsay Shelton, Luc Labelle, Marc D Anderson, Mark Kashman, Mark Rackley, Mike Maadarani, Norm Young, Paul Papanek Stork, Prashant G Bhoyar, Ralph Rivas, Ryan Schouten, Samir Makwana, Sarah Haase, Scott Shearer, Shari Oswald, Stephanie Bruno, Susan Hanley, Tiffany Songvilay, Treb Gatte, Vlad Catrinescu, Wes Preston, and William Huneycutt. Women in Tech and Allies Discussion Heather Cook led a collaborative discussion alongside Nisaini Rexach, April Delsing, Carrie White all from Microsoft and Kelly Fernandez, Executive Director of TedXChicago bringing together women in tech and allies to share perspectives, experiences, and inspiration. The session is part of Microsoft's ongoing Women in M365 community initiative. Sponsors A big thank you to all the sponsors What Attendees Valued Most When asked what they valued most, attendees consistently cited five themes: Networking — the #1 answer: meeting peers with shared challenges and forming lasting connections Workshops & hands-on demos — live, participatory sessions cited as highlights by both new and returning attendees Direct access to MVPs & experts — one-on-one conversations with speakers and subject matter experts Copilot & AI sessions — practical, applicable Copilot and AI implementation content Overall session quality — well-paced sessions with actionable takeaways and strong speaker insight Wrap-Up Summary TechCon 365 Chicago 2026 was a clear success and a strong validation of Microsoft's investment in community-run, practitioner-focused technical events. A Big THANK YOU to the TechCon producers David Wilhelm, Sharon Toler, Ashley Wilhelm, Liz Sundet and the entire team for an outstanding event.Partner Blog | MCAPS Start for Partners is almost here: Your final readiness checklist
On Wednesday, July 22, Microsoft partners will come together for a no-cost, digital-only event designed to provide a clear view of Microsoft FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go-to-market direction. This is more than a moment to hear what is ahead. It is an opportunity to prepare your organization for the customer conversations, capability decisions, and execution priorities that will shape the year. The partners who will receive the most value from MCAPS Start for Partners will be the ones who tune in ready to listen, align, and act. Don’t miss out—there’s still time to register for the event. Why this moment matters The pace of AI adoption is moving quickly. Customers have moved beyond experimentation and are now focused on measurable business outcomes, return on AI investments, and trusted systems that protect their data, intellectual property, and competitive advantage. The start of the Microsoft fiscal year is an important planning moment for the partner ecosystem. It is when Microsoft priorities become clearer, investment areas come into focus, and partners can assess how to align business plans, customer motions, and internal readiness for the year ahead. MCAPS Start for Partners is designed to provide that early clarity. It gives partner leaders and teams a shared view of where Microsoft is focused, how customer demand is evolving, and what actions partners can take to build capability, go to market, and align with Microsoft sellers. Whether your business serves small and medium-sized business customers, enterprise customers, or both, your team can use the insights from MCAPS Start for Partners to start FY27 with a stronger operating rhythm and clearer alignment across your sales, technical, marketing, delivery, operations, and alliance teams. Continue reading blog here
