synapse-migration

Update Check — ONCE PER SESSION (mandatory) The first time this skill is used in a session, run the check-updates skill before proceeding.

• GitHub Copilot CLI / VS Code: invoke the check-updates skill.
• Claude Code / Cowork / Cursor / Windsurf / Codex: compare local vs remote package.json version.
• Skip if the check was already performed earlier in this session.

CRITICAL NOTES

1. To find workspace details (including its ID) from a workspace name: list all workspaces, then use JMESPath filtering
2. To find item details (including its ID) from workspace ID, item type, and item name: list all items of that type in that workspace, then use JMESPath filtering
3. mssparkutils and notebookutils share the same API surface in most cases — the namespace is the primary change
4. Linked Services have no direct REST API equivalent in Fabric — they are replaced by Data Connections (for external sources) and OneLake Shortcuts (for storage mounts)

Synapse Analytics → Microsoft Fabric Migration

Prerequisite Knowledge

These companion documents provide general Fabric REST patterns. Do NOT read them upfront — reference only when a specific phase requires a pattern not already covered in this skill's resource files:

• COMMON-CORE.md — General Fabric REST API patterns, authentication & token audiences, item discovery via JMESPath
• COMMON-CLI.md — az rest / az login CLI patterns, authentication recipes
• SPARK-AUTHORING-CORE.md — Notebook/lakehouse creation (already covered in spark-item-migration.md and lake-database-migration.md)
• SQLDW-AUTHORING-CORE.md — Fabric Warehouse T-SQL (delegate to sqldw-authoring-cli skill)

Auth, API endpoints, and item payloads are fully documented in this skill's own files. The common docs above are fallback references only.

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Table of Contents

Topic	Reference
Migration Orchestrator	migration-orchestrator.md
API-Driven Migration Workflow	§ API-Driven Migration Workflow
Migration Workload Map	§ Migration Workload Map
Spark Pool → Environment Migration	spark-pool-migration.md
Lake Database → Lakehouse Migration	lake-database-migration.md
External Hive Metastore → Lakehouse Migration	external-hms-migration.md
Notebook & SJD Migration	spark-item-migration.md
Library Compatibility (Synapse vs. Fabric RT 1.3)	library-compatibility.md
Connector Refactoring (Kusto, Cosmos DB, ADLS OAuth)	connector-refactoring.md
mssparkutils → notebookutils API Mapping	utility-api-mapping.md
Linked Services → Data Connections / Shortcuts	connectivity-migration.md
Before/After Code Patterns (incl. Catalog API gaps)	code-patterns.md
Migration Report (with Fabric portal links)	migration-report.md
Migration Troubleshooting Guide	migration-gotchas.md
Validation & Testing	validation-testing.md
Security & Governance (Production Readiness)	security-governance.md
T-SQL & Spark Configuration Differences	§ T-SQL & Spark Configuration Differences
Capacity Sizing Reference	§ Capacity Sizing Reference
Must / Prefer / Avoid	§ Must / Prefer / Avoid
Feature Parity Reference	§ Feature Parity Reference
Migration Gotchas — Quick Reference	§ Migration Gotchas + migration-gotchas.md
Post-Migration: What's Next	§ Post-Migration: What's Next

Context Loading Guide

IMPORTANT — Load only what you need. Do NOT read all resource files upfront. Load the specific file for the phase you are executing:

When	Read This File	Lines
User asks to migrate a workspace (full orchestration)	migration-orchestrator.md	~1264
Phase 0: Spark Pools → Environments	spark-pool-migration.md	~290
Phase 1: Databases → Lakehouses (built-in HMS)	lake-database-migration.md	~574
Phase 1: Databases → Lakehouses (external HMS)	external-hms-migration.md	~388
Phase 2–3: Notebooks & SJDs	spark-item-migration.md	~326
Code refactoring (mssparkutils, connectors)	utility-api-mapping.md + connector-refactoring.md + code-patterns.md	~588
Post-migration validation	validation-testing.md	~487
Troubleshooting failures	migration-gotchas.md	~225
Production security setup	security-governance.md	~926
Library version gaps	library-compatibility.md	~106
Generating migration report	migration-report.md	~360
Capacity sizing & SKU planning	capacity-sizing.md	~85
Feature parity matrix	feature-parity.md	~65

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API-Driven Migration Workflow

This skill supports programmatic migration of Synapse Spark items via REST APIs (no UI-based Migration Assistant required).

Authentication

Target	Token Audience
Synapse ARM (management plane)	https://management.azure.com
Synapse Data Plane	https://dev.azuresynapse.net
Fabric REST API	https://api.fabric.microsoft.com

Use the token-acquisition recipe in COMMON-CLI § Authentication Recipes with the audiences above.

Migration Phases (Execute in Order)

Phase	Synapse Source	Fabric Target	Resource
Phase 0	Spark Pool	Environment	spark-pool-migration.md
Phase 1	Lake Database (built-in HMS)	Lakehouse	lake-database-migration.md
Phase 1	External Hive Metastore	Lakehouse	external-hms-migration.md
Phase 1b	Ad-hoc abfss:// storage paths	OneLake Shortcuts	migration-orchestrator.md (migrate-and-modernize only)
Phase 2	Notebooks	Notebook	spark-item-migration.md
Phase 3	Spark Job Definitions	SJD	spark-item-migration.md
Final	Validation & Testing	—	validation-testing.md
Optional	Security & Governance	—	security-governance.md

Phase order matters: Environments (Phase 0) must exist before notebooks/SJDs can bind to them. Lakehouses (Phase 1) must exist before notebooks can bind to them (Phase 2).

For the full execution flow with sub-steps, decision points, lift-and-shift vs. modernize paths, and error recovery, see migration-orchestrator.md.

REST API Quick Reference

All Synapse and Fabric API endpoints with request/response examples are in migration-orchestrator.md (Steps 2a–2e). Authentication tokens:

Target	Token Audience
Synapse ARM	https://management.azure.com
Synapse Data Plane	https://dev.azuresynapse.net
Fabric REST API	https://api.fabric.microsoft.com

API docs: Synapse ARM · Synapse Data Plane · Fabric Items · Fabric Shortcuts · Fabric Connections · Fabric Environments

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Migration Workload Map

Use this table to determine the correct Fabric target for each Synapse component:

Synapse Component	Fabric Target	Notes
Spark Pool (notebooks, jobs)	Fabric Spark (Lakehouse / Notebooks / SJD)	Starter Pool replaces on-demand pools for most workloads
Dedicated SQL Pool	Fabric Warehouse	T-SQL surface area differences apply — see § T-SQL & Spark Configuration Differences. Procedural migration guide not yet available — separate migration track. For T-SQL authoring, delegate to sqldw-authoring-cli.
Serverless SQL Pool	Lakehouse SQL Endpoint	Read-only Delta/Parquet queries; no DDL required
Synapse Pipelines	Fabric Data Pipelines	Activity types, triggers, and expressions are broadly compatible. Pipeline migration resource not yet available — separate migration track.
Synapse Link for Cosmos DB / SQL	Fabric Mirroring	Native mirroring replaces the Synapse Link connector pattern. Not covered by this skill.
Linked Services	Data Connections (external) / OneLake Shortcuts (storage)	See connectivity-migration.md
Integration Datasets	Fabric Pipeline source/sink config	Dataset definitions are inlined into pipeline activities in Fabric. Not covered by this skill.
Managed Virtual Networks	Fabric Managed Private Endpoints	Configure in Fabric capacity settings
Synapse Studio	Fabric workspace	All artifact types live in a single workspace with Git integration

Decision Tree: Which Fabric Spark Workload?

Synapse Spark workload
├── Interactive notebook with data exploration → Fabric Notebook (attached to Lakehouse)
├── Scheduled/production job → Spark Job Definition (SJD)
├── T-SQL over files/Delta → Lakehouse SQL Endpoint (no migration needed — just point to OneLake)
└── Real-time ingest → Fabric Eventstream + Lakehouse

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T-SQL & Spark Configuration Differences

For detailed T-SQL surface area gaps (PolyBase → COPY INTO, distribution hints, result set caching) and Spark configuration mappings (pools, %%configure, runtime versions), see feature-parity.md.

Key actions: Remove DISTRIBUTION = HASH(col) hints, replace CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE with COPY INTO, replace spark.read.synapsesql() with OneLake shortcuts or JDBC. Delegate T-SQL authoring to sqldw-authoring-cli.

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Capacity Sizing Reference

For Synapse pool → Fabric SKU mapping tables, sizing decision guide, and cost model comparison, see capacity-sizing.md.

Quick guide: Dev/test = F8–F16 with Starter Pool; standard production = F32–F64; enterprise = F128+. Use Fabric Trial (free F64, 60 days) for migration validation.

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Must / Prefer / Avoid

MUST DO

• Replace all mssparkutils imports with notebookutils — see utility-api-mapping.md for the complete namespace table
• Replace all Linked Services with Fabric Data Connections (for external databases/services) or OneLake Shortcuts (for ADLS Gen2 / Blob storage mounts) — see connectivity-migration.md
• Replace spark.read.synapsesql() with Lakehouse shortcut reads or JDBC connections to the Fabric Warehouse SQL endpoint
• Re-test all notebooks after migration against the target Fabric Runtime version — Spark minor version differences can surface deprecated API warnings
• Externalize all workspace/item IDs — never hardcode; use pipeline parameters or Variable Libraries
• Replace pool-level library installs with Fabric Environments attached at the workspace or notebook level

PREFER

• OneLake Shortcuts over full data copies — mount existing ADLS Gen2 containers as shortcuts rather than re-ingesting data during migration
• Fabric Starter Pool for dev/test migrations — eliminates pool warm-up wait time inherent in Synapse on-demand pools
• Lakehouse SQL Endpoint as a drop-in for Serverless SQL Pool reads — point existing consumers at the endpoint with minimal query changes
• Medallion architecture for migrated data — align with Bronze/Silver/Gold patterns (see e2e-medallion-architecture skill)
• Incremental migration — migrate and validate workload by workload rather than performing a big-bang cutover
• Parameterized notebooks to allow environment promotion (dev → test → prod) without code changes

AVOID

• Do not copy-paste PolyBase CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE DDL into Fabric Warehouse — rewrite as COPY INTO or use Lakehouse for external data access
• Do not assume Synapse Linked Service connection strings are reusable — credentials and endpoints must be reconfigured as Fabric Data Connections
• Do not install libraries in notebook cells (%pip install at runtime) for production workloads — use Fabric Environments for reproducible, versioned library management
• Do not migrate Dedicated SQL Pool distribution hints (HASH, ROUND_ROBIN, REPLICATE) verbatim — remove them; Fabric Warehouse handles distribution automatically
• Do not use wasb:// or abfss://[email protected]/ paths as primary data paths — migrate data access to OneLake abfss://[email protected]/ paths

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Examples

See code-patterns.md for full before/after examples. Key quick references:

mssparkutils.env → notebookutils.runtime

# Synapse
workspace = mssparkutils.env.getWorkspaceName()

# Fabric
workspace = notebookutils.runtime.context["workspaceName"]

Linked Service credential → Key Vault secret

# Synapse
conn = mssparkutils.credentials.getConnectionStringOrCreds("MyLinkedService")

# Fabric
conn = notebookutils.credentials.getSecret("https://myvault.vault.azure.net/", "my-secret")

Dedicated SQL Pool DDL → Fabric Warehouse DDL

-- Synapse (remove distribution hints)
CREATE TABLE dbo.Fact (...) WITH (DISTRIBUTION = HASH(id), CLUSTERED COLUMNSTORE INDEX);

-- Fabric Warehouse
CREATE TABLE dbo.Fact (...);

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Feature Parity Reference

Full Synapse → Fabric feature matrix (28 features), T-SQL surface area gaps, and Spark configuration differences are in feature-parity.md.

Key gaps (⚠️/❌): spark.read.synapsesql() replaced by JDBC/shortcuts · Linked Services redesigned as Data Connections/Shortcuts · External HMS partial (migrate as shortcuts) · mssparkutils.env renamed to notebookutils.runtime · Result set caching ❌ · Workload management ❌ · PolyBase → COPY INTO

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Migration Gotchas — Quick Reference

The full troubleshooting guide with code examples and multi-option resolutions is in migration-gotchas.md. This summary surfaces the key issues for quick scanning during migration:

#	Flag ID	Issue	Severity	Blocks?	Resolution Summary
G1	SYNAPSESQL_NO_EQUIVALENT	spark.read.synapsesql() has no Fabric equivalent	High	Yes	Replace with OneLake shortcut read, Warehouse JDBC, or Data Pipeline
G2	LIBRARY_VERSION_CONFLICT	Custom library version conflicts with Fabric Runtime	Medium	Maybe	Pin compatible version in Environment, or find Fabric-native alternative
G3	DELTA_PROTOCOL_MISMATCH	Delta protocol version incompatibility	High	Yes	Rewrite table with matching protocol (delta.minReaderVersion/minWriterVersion)
G4	SECURITY_MODEL_INCOMPATIBLE	Synapse managed identity / IP firewall not portable	Medium	Yes	Reconfigure as Workspace Identity + Fabric Managed Private Endpoints
G5	GPU_POOL_UNSUPPORTED	GPU-accelerated Spark pools not available in Fabric	High	Yes	Migration blocker — keep workload in Synapse or use Azure ML
G6	DOTNET_SPARK_UNSUPPORTED	.NET for Spark (C#/F# SJDs) not supported	High	Yes	Migration blocker — rewrite in PySpark or keep in Synapse
G7	NULLABLE_POOL_REFERENCE	bigDataPool/targetBigDataPool field is null (not missing) — causes NoneType crash	Medium	No	Use (x.get("bigDataPool") or {}).get(...) pattern
G8	SESSION_CONFIG_IGNORED	Some %%configure keys silently ignored in Fabric	Low	No	Remove unsupported keys; use Environment for pool-level config
G9	SHORTCUT_CONNECTION_FAILED	ADLS shortcut creation fails (connection/permission)	High	Partial	Verify connection credential type (Key > WorkspaceIdentity > OAuth2) and RBAC

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Post-Migration: What's Next

After completing Phases 0–3 and validation, hand off to these companion skills for ongoing operations:

Agentic Exploration Workflow

Once data has landed in Fabric Lakehouses, use this sequence to validate and explore:

1. Discover → List schemas, tables, and row counts via Lakehouse SQL Endpoint (sqldw-consumption-cli)
2. Sample → SELECT TOP 5 on migrated tables to verify data integrity
3. Validate → Run validation checks from validation-testing.md (V1–V6)
4. Explore → Write Spark or T-SQL queries against migrated data using spark-consumption-cli or sqldw-consumption-cli
5. Build → Create Gold-layer aggregations with e2e-medallion-architecture (Bronze → Silver → Gold)
6. Consume → Build semantic models and reports with semantic-model-authoring

Companion Skill Cross-References

Post-Migration Task	Skill	When to Use
Interactive Lakehouse SQL queries	sqldw-consumption-cli	Exploring migrated data via SQL Endpoint
Interactive PySpark exploration	spark-consumption-cli	Ad-hoc Spark queries on migrated Lakehouses
Notebook & SJD authoring (new)	spark-authoring-cli	Creating new Spark items post-migration
Medallion architecture build-out	e2e-medallion-architecture	Structuring Bronze/Silver/Gold after lift-and-shift
Warehouse performance monitoring	sqldw-operations-cli	Diagnosing slow queries on Fabric Warehouse
Semantic model creation	semantic-model-authoring	Building Power BI models over migrated data
Report consumption & DAX	semantic-model-consumption	Querying existing semantic models
KQL analytics	eventhouse-authoring-cli / eventhouse-consumption-cli	If migrating real-time workloads to Eventhouse

Variable Library for Environment Promotion

After migration, avoid hardcoded workspace/item IDs by centralizing configuration in a Variable Library item:

# Read config from Variable Library — works in notebooks
lib = notebookutils.variableLibrary.getLibrary("MigrationConfig")
lakehouse_name = lib.lakehouse_name
workspace_id = lib.workspace_id

# ❌ WRONG — .get() does not exist
# notebookutils.variableLibrary.get("MigrationConfig", "lakehouse_name")

• Use Value Sets (valueSets/dev.json, valueSets/prod.json) to promote across environments without code changes
• Boolean values are returned as strings — compare with .lower() == "true", not bool()
• In Data Pipelines, reference via @pipeline().libraryVariables.<name> (not @variables())
• Full Variable Library patterns → see common/notebook-authoring/context-and-params.md § Variable Library