Using Microsoft Fabric Shortcuts to Access Incorta Schemas and Tables

[mariam_ayman]

This guide explains how to create shortcuts in Microsoft Fabric to read schemas and tables directly from your Incorta cluster, whether stored in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 or Google Cloud Storage.

Overview

Microsoft Fabric shortcuts allow you to access your Incorta data without copying or moving the data. This enables seamless integration between Incorta and Fabric workloads. This guide covers setup for both:

• Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2)
• Google Cloud Storage (GCP)

For comprehensive information about OneLake shortcuts, refer to Microsoft's official documentation.

Prerequisites

• A Microsoft Fabric lakehouse (create one by following these steps)
• Access to your Incorta cluster's Cluster Management Console (CMC)
• Request the following from Incorta's Support:
  • Azure-Specific Requirements 
    • Generate a SAS token for your cluster's container
    • Open the firewall on the tenant directory
    • Ensure the token has List and Read permissions
  • GCP-Specific Requirements
    • Generate an HMAC key (Access ID and Secret) for your cluster's bucket
    • Ensure the key has storage.objects.getand storage.objects.listpermissions

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Initiate Shortcut Creation

1. Open your lakehouse in Microsoft Fabric
2. Navigate to the Tables section
3. Click on the kebab menu (three dots) next to Tables
4. Select New Schema Shortcut

Note: You can also create table shortcuts under any existing schema by clicking the kebab menu next to the schema name and selecting New Table Shortcut. This allows you to add individual tables without creating an entire schema shortcut.

Step 2: Select the Source

1. Under External sources, select Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 or Google Cloud Storage

Step 3: Configure Connection Settings

For Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2

Get Connection Information from Incorta CMC

First, retrieve your system path from the Incorta Cluster Management Console:

• The system path format is: 

abfs://<container>@<storage_account>.dfs.core.windows.net/Tenants

Enter Connection Details in Fabric

Fill in the following fields:

Field	Value
Connection	Select Create new connection
URL	https://<storage_account>.dfs.core.windows.net/<container>/ Use the storage account and container from your CMC system path
Connection name	Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Incorta Production Cluster")
Authentication kind	Select Shared Access Signature (SAS)
SAS Token	Paste the provided SAS token

For Google Cloud Storage

Get Connection Information from Incorta CMC

First, retrieve your system path from the Incorta Cluster Management Console:

• The system path format is: 

gs://<BucketName>/Tenants

Enter Connection Details in Fabric

Fill in the following fields:

Field	Value
Connection	Select Create new connection
URL	https://<BucketName>.storage.googleapis.com Use the BucketName from your CMC system path
Connection Name	Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Incorta Production Cluster")
Authentication kind	Select HMAC Key
Access ID and Secret	Paste the provided Access ID and Secret

Step 4: Select Target Schema

1. After a successful connection, navigate through the folder structure: 
   Tenants → [tenant_name] → source
2. Browse and select the desired schema folder by clicking the checkbox next to it
   
3. You can select multiple schemas if needed
4. Click Next

Step 5: Review and Create

1. The review page displays all shortcuts that will be created
   
2. Verify your selections:
   
• Use the pencil icon to edit shortcut names
• Use the trash icon to remove unwanted shortcuts
3. Click Create
   
   

Step 6: Verify and Access Data

1. The lakehouse will automatically refresh
2. The schema shortcut appears in the left Explorer pane under Tables
3. You can now:
• Expand the schema to view available tables
• Preview table data directly in Fabric
• Use the tables in your Fabric notebooks, pipelines, and reports