MS Fabric Demo Sandbox : Contoso Energy

Contoso Energy and Microsoft Fabric Demo Sandbox Options

No "Contoso Energy" dataset exists for Microsoft Fabric, but the Contoso retail dataset is widely used for training. Below are options for demo data and sandboxes for personal learning, formatted for Blogger with relevant Microsoft links.

Contoso Demo Data

Overview: The Contoso dataset, focused on retail, supports Fabric’s lakehouse and BI workloads with SQL, CSV, or Delta formats.  

Access: Download from the Microsoft Download Center or use the Contoso Data Generator for custom datasets.

Energy Data: No energy-specific dataset; source public energy data (e.g., Kaggle) for custom scenarios.

Fabric Sandbox for Personal Use

Trial Capacity: 60-day free trial (64 capacity units) at app.fabric.microsoft.com. Ideal for testing Contoso or custom datasets.

Sandbox: Trial acts as a sandbox for building lakehouses and reports. Convert to a Power Platform sandbox via Power Platform Admin Center for advanced needs.

Training: Free Fabric Analyst in a Day workshop on Microsoft Learn uses Contoso data for hands-on practice.

Energy-Specific Alternatives

Custom Datasets: Import energy data (CSV/Parquet) into Fabric trial for analytics practice.

Azure Sandbox: Use Azure’s free sandbox for data integration with Fabric at Azure Free Account, but monitor costs.

Community Samples: Check Microsoft Fabric Samples on GitHub for adaptable scenarios.

Recommendations

Start with Fabric’s trial for Contoso-based practice.  

Use Microsoft Learn’s Fabric modules.

Import energy datasets for relevant training.

Monitor costs if using Azure services!

New for June 2025!

 The [Digital Twin Builder (preview) tutorial introduction](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/real-time-intelligence/digital-twin-builder/tutorial-0-introduction) in Microsoft Fabric provides a hands-on guide to creating operational analytics scenarios using digital twins. It introduces a low-code/no-code tool that allows users to model and contextualize data from various sources—like sensors and control systems—within Microsoft Fabric’s unified analytics platform.

The tutorial centers on a fictional company, Contoso Energy, which uses the tool to improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and enhance product quality across its distillation sites. Users are guided through building a scenario ontology and visualizing insights with Power BI.

**Key prerequisites** include:

- A Microsoft Fabric-enabled workspace

- Digital Twin Builder (preview) enabled in the tenant settings

- Power BI Desktop installed (not just the web version)

This feature is currently in preview and is designed to help organizations drive operational improvements such as reducing waste, improving yield, and achieving sustainability goals. Let me know if you’d like a breakdown of the tutorial steps or help setting up a test scenario.