A New Chapter in Data Engineering
High Digital has officially kicked off a new data warehouse implementation that redefines how modern analytics environments are designed. Built on a hybrid foundation of Microsoft Fabric and ClickHouse, this project combines scalability, speed, and enterprise-grade governance in one cohesive architecture.
As data environments become more complex, organisations need infrastructure that scales seamlessly, automates intelligently, and adapts to both real-time and long-horizon analytics. The Fabric + ClickHouse solution meets those needs — offering a streamlined, cost-effective, and future-ready alternative to traditional enterprise stacks.
Why We Chose Microsoft Fabric + ClickHouse
After extensive research and proof-of-concept testing, High Digital’s engineering team identified the Fabric + ClickHouse hybrid as an optimal foundation for modern data warehousing.
Microsoft Fabric provides:
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Centralised data management and governance aligned with Azure’s security model
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Integrated ETL (Data Factory) for automated pipelines
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Seamless Power BI connectivity for analytics delivery
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Unified capacity planning across compute and storage
ClickHouse complements Fabric by providing:
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Ultra-fast, column-oriented query performance
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Real-time event and timeseries analytics at scale
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Low-latency aggregation and sub-second response
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Cost-efficient compute for high-frequency queries
Together, they form a hybrid stack that covers both enterprise reporting and real-time operational intelligence — blending Azure-native compliance with open-source performance.
Considering the Databricks + ClickHouse Alternative
While Microsoft Fabric is at the heart of this build, High Digital also evaluated the Databricks + ClickHouse combination — a compelling alternative for organisations prioritising advanced AI integration, custom ML pipelines, or broader data lake management.
Databricks + ClickHouse offers a distinct set of advantages:
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Data Lakehouse Architecture: Databricks provides unified storage, processing, and ML environments built for scalability and flexibility.
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Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities: Integration with MLflow, Delta Tables, and Spark makes it ideal for predictive and agentic AI workflows.
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ClickHouse as a High-Speed Serving Layer: ClickHouse complements Databricks by providing a lightning-fast analytics endpoint for API or user-facing queries.
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Open Ecosystem: Supports diverse data formats, custom models, and orchestration frameworks like Airflow or dbt.
This approach is particularly strong when:
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The organisation is already invested in data lake architectures.
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AI model training and automation are near-term priorities.
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Teams require deep customisation or multi-cloud interoperability.
Ultimately, Microsoft Fabric + ClickHouse offers a streamlined, governance-first environment ideal for analytics-focused workloads — while Databricks + ClickHouse excels in AI-heavy, engineering-driven ecosystems. Both share the same performance DNA but cater to slightly different stages of data maturity.
The Benefits of a Hybrid Data Warehouse Approach
By combining complementary technologies rather than committing to a single ecosystem, High Digital enables:
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Performance where it matters: ClickHouse accelerates analytics while Fabric manages governance and orchestration.
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Security by design: Alignment with ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
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Future-readiness: Either stack — Fabric or Databricks — can evolve into an AI-ready platform.
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Cost efficiency: Compute elasticity and storage optimisation built into both architectures.
This project reinforces High Digital’s approach to composable data products — integrating best-in-class technologies based on context, not hype.
Our Implementation Focus
Phase one of the project is already underway, with High Digital’s engineering and architecture teams deploying:
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Fabric pipelines for ingestion and transformation
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ClickHouse clusters for real-time event analytics
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Power BI integration for live reporting
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Automated monitoring and data quality layers
Upcoming phases will include AI-ready enhancements, pipeline observability, and experimentation with intelligent orchestration and natural language query interfaces.
The Road Ahead
As enterprises demand faster, smarter, and more accountable data systems, hybrid architectures like Fabric + ClickHouse (and optionally, Databricks + ClickHouse) represent the next logical evolution.
They combine the speed of open-source innovation with the governance and compliance of enterprise cloud platforms, enabling businesses to scale analytics now and AI later, without replatforming.
At High Digital, our mission remains clear: to design and deliver data products that think for themselves: engineered for performance today and intelligence tomorrow.
Get in touch to explore how a Hybrid Warehouse could help you get the best of both worlds for your data products and platforms.
