Compare
Novuz vs the Migration Assistant for Fabric Data Warehouse
The Migration Assistant is Microsoft’s built-in path into Fabric Data Warehouse. It converts the schema and T-SQL from Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools and SQL Server, lists the scripts it cannot convert, offers Copilot to help fix them, and copies data with a Fabric copy job. Novuz converts by fixed rules, covers SSIS and other sources, and proves each object with a reconciliation report. Here are the facts, from Microsoft’s own pages.
Side by side
How do Novuz and the Migration Assistant differ?
What each moves, how, and what you get per object.
| Novuz | Migration Assistant for Fabric Data Warehouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Fixed, versioned rules convert about 95% of objects with no model calls. A resolver proposes fixes for the rest, and an engineer approves each one. | Converts the source schema and T-SQL automatically. Scripts it cannot convert are listed for you to fix by hand or with Copilot, which Microsoft says can make mistakes. |
| Sources | SQL Server (T-SQL), SSIS, Teradata including BTEQ, Hadoop (Hive, Impala), Snowflake | Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool, SQL Server and other SQL Database Engine platforms, and Teradata metadata (preview) |
| Targets | Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake | Fabric Data Warehouse |
| What moves | Schemas, stored procedures, SSIS packages, scripts and schedules | Tables, views, functions, stored procedures and most security objects; data through a Fabric copy job |
| SSIS | Packages, data flows, control flow and schedules, converted to Fabric pipelines and notebooks, each reconciled | Not mentioned on the pages checked |
| Checks on the result | A reconciliation report for every object, comparing source and target on the same inputs. Reconciliation is typically above 95% on first pass. | Validates each object as you run its fix. The last step is to test and compare the old and new warehouses; the pages do not describe an automated comparison. |
| Known gaps | Not covered today: Oracle, mainframe, Informatica, DataStage, Netezza, Redshift | Microsoft lists no full T-SQL compatibility, and external tables and multi-statement table-valued functions as unsupported |
| Where it runs | Inside your environment, as a Docker container or VM in your Azure tenant; works air-gapped | Inside Fabric |
| Price | Fixed price per scope, set after a $3,000 assessment delivered in three business days | Not stated on the pages checked |
Sources: Microsoft Learn, “Migration Assistant for Fabric Data Warehouse” (updated 29 September 2026), and the Microsoft Fabric blog announcing its public preview. Last checked: 2026-11-09. An object counts as automated only if it needs no manual edit, and a one-line fix counts as manual.
When to choose
Should I use the Migration Assistant or Novuz?
- Use the Migration Assistant if the source is a Synapse dedicated SQL pool or a SQL Server warehouse, the target is Fabric Data Warehouse, and the logic is mostly tables, views and simple procedures.
- Use it to copy the data, whichever tool converts the logic.
- Use Novuz if the estate includes SSIS packages, BTEQ, Hive or Impala, or schedules that must move with the SQL.
- Use Novuz if the scripts it cannot convert are a large share of the estate, or if a copilot fix is not evidence your auditor will accept.
- Use Novuz if you need a reconciliation report per object, or a target other than Fabric Data Warehouse.
Copilot
Is a Copilot fix enough for a regulated warehouse?
It is a useful draft. Microsoft says to verify Copilot’s suggestions before running them, because mistakes can happen. In a regulated estate the question is who approved each change and what proves the result matches. Novuz logs the engineer who approved each edge-case fix, and reconciles every object on agreed inputs.
Next question
What about the SSIS packages?
Microsoft offers several routes for SSIS in Fabric, from running packages as they are to rebuilding them. The options page compares them from Microsoft Learn.
Four pillars
What Novuz gives you that the other routes do not
Test any route against these four, ours included. Each one comes with a proof you can check yourself.
Deterministic
The same code in gives the same code out. About 95% of objects convert by fixed, versioned rules with no model calls. The rest go to the resolver, and an engineer approves every proposal.
Proof: Convert twice and diff the output. The diff is empty.
Proven
Every object ships with a reconciliation report. Schema, row counts and column-level values are compared against the original on the same inputs. Pass, fail or review, per object.
Proof: Reconciliation above 95% on first pass, typically.
Agentically primed
Agents can run Novuz through its APIs, and your agents can run the pipelines Novuz delivers through MCP. The conversion in between stays deterministic.
Proof: Conversion by rules, agents around it. No model in the conversion path.
Inside your walls
Runs as a container or VM in your cloud or your data center. Code, data, lineage and the resolver’s knowledge base stay with you. Works air-gapped.
Proof: No outbound connection required. Fixed price set before work starts.
Bottom line. Translation is the easy part. A comparison is worth making when the other route can show you the same output twice, a report for every object, agents around the conversion and code that never leaves your walls. If it cannot, that is what Novuz is for.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the Migration Assistant for Fabric Data Warehouse?
Microsoft’s built-in tool for moving a warehouse into Fabric Data Warehouse. It converts schema and T-SQL from Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pools and SQL Server, lists failed scripts to fix by hand or with Copilot, and copies data with a Fabric copy job. Last checked: 2026-11-09.
Does the Fabric Migration Assistant migrate SSIS packages?
Microsoft’s Migration Assistant pages checked on 9 November 2026 do not mention SSIS. Microsoft offers separate routes for SSIS in Fabric. Novuz converts SSIS packages, data flows, control flow and schedules to Fabric pipelines and notebooks, each reconciled.
Does the Migration Assistant support Teradata?
Microsoft lists Teradata metadata as a source in preview, from .sql or .bteq files. Novuz converts Teradata SQL, BTEQ control flow, macros and procedures by rule, to Fabric or Databricks, with a reconciliation report per object. Last checked: 2026-11-09.
Can we use the Migration Assistant and Novuz together?
Yes. The Migration Assistant can move the tables, views and data. Novuz can convert the procedures it lists as failed, the SSIS packages and the schedules, and reconcile every object, whoever converted it.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed:
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