Data integration and transformation are essential tasks for any data-driven organization. However, they can also be complex and time-consuming, especially when dealing with data from different sources and formats. That’s why you need Dataflow Gen2 connectors. In this blog post, we will give you a quick overview of Dataflow Gen2 connectors and their key features.
Dataflow Gen2 connectors
Dataflow Gen2 is a data integration item in Microsoft Fabric Data Factory. It is not a connector itself. Instead, it allows you to connect to data from a wide variety of sources using Microsoft Fabric’s shared connector library.
These connectors help you import data from different systems into your dataflow for transformation and loading.
Dataflow Gen2 uses the same connector library as Pipelines and Copy Jobs, providing a consistent connection experience across Microsoft Fabric. Microsoft now documents all these connectors together on a single Connector Overview page, making it easier to explore the available data sources.
Key features of dataflow gen2 connectors
- Seamless Data Access and Transformation – Dataflow Gen2 connectors enable smooth access and transformation of data from various sources within Microsoft Azure Data Factory.
- Efficient Management – These connectors serve as essential components for managing and organizing data effectively.
- Integration with Data Pipelines – Dataflow Gen2 connectors seamlessly integrate with data pipelines, ensuring a cohesive data processing architecture.
- High-Scale Compute – The connectors support high-scale compute capabilities, accommodating the processing needs of large datasets.
- Monitoring and History Features – Improved monitoring and refresh history features provide users with better visibility into data transformation processes, contributing to enhanced data management.
- Incremental Refresh Support – Supports incremental refresh, refreshing only the changed data since the last update instead of the entire dataflow. This feature enhances performance and efficiency during dataflow refreshes.
- Wide Data Source Support – Supports diverse data sources, including Access Database, Adobe Analytics, Amazon Athena, Azure Analysis Services, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Common Data Service, Dynamics 365, Excel workbook, Google Analytics, Google BigQuery, Google Sheets, and more.
- Flexible Data Destinations – Allows users to specify data destinations like Fabric Lakehouse, Azure Data Explorer, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL Database, enabling separation of ETL logic and destination storage for optimized data management across various data stores.
Dataflow Gen2 connectors in Microsoft Fabric
List of the most commonly used connectors, organized by category not the full 200+ connector table). For anything not listed here, or to confirm the latest details on any connector, check Microsoft’s live Connector overview page –https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-factory/connector-overview
| Connector | Source | Destination | Notes |
| Fabric-native | |||
| Fabric Lakehouse | Yes | Yes | Read/write Delta tables directly |
| Fabric Data Warehouse | Yes | Yes | New destination option |
| Fabric KQL Database | Yes | Yes | New; real-time data |
| Fabric SQL database (Beta) | Yes | Yes | New; in beta |
| SharePoint folder | Yes | Yes | Now supports destination too |
| Dataflow (Power Platform) | Yes | No | Requires Admin/Member/Contributor role |
| Database | |||
| Azure SQL Database | Yes | Yes | |
| Azure Data Explorer (Kusto) | Yes | Yes | |
| Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) | Yes | No | Destination support removed |
| Azure Analysis Services | Yes | No | |
| SQL Server | Yes | No | On-prem via gateway |
| Oracle Database | Yes | No | |
| MySQL | Yes | No | |
| PostgreSQL | Yes | No | |
| Snowflake | Yes | No | |
| Databricks | Yes | No | |
| Google BigQuery | Yes | No | |
| Amazon Athena | Yes | No | |
| Amazon Redshift | Yes | No | |
| IBM Db2 | Yes | No | |
| SAP HANA | Yes | No | |
| SAP BW | Yes | No | Multiple variants (MDX, Open Hub, etc.) |
| Teradata | Yes | No | |
| Cloud storage | |||
| Azure Blob Storage | Yes | No | |
| Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 | Yes | No | |
| Azure Files | Yes | No | |
| Amazon S3 | Yes | No | |
| Amazon S3 Compatible | Yes | No | |
| Google Cloud Storage | Yes | No | |
| Files | |||
| Excel workbook | Yes | No | |
| Text/CSV | Yes | No | |
| JSON | Yes | No | |
| XML | Yes | No | |
| Yes | No | ||
| Parquet | Yes | No | |
| Access Database | Yes | No | |
| Folder | Yes | No | |
| SaaS / business apps | |||
| Dynamics 365 | Yes | No | |
| Salesforce Objects | Yes | No | |
| Salesforce Reports | Yes | No | |
| Adobe Analytics | Yes | No | |
| Google Analytics | Yes | No | |
| Google Sheets | Yes | No | |
| Common Data Service | Yes | No | |
| ServiceNow | Yes | No | |
| Zendesk | Yes | No | |
| Smartsheet | Yes | No | |
| Palantir Foundry Datasets | Yes | No | New addition |
| Web / API | |||
| Web (URL) | Yes | No | |
| OData | Yes | No | |
| REST API | Yes | No | |
| SharePoint Online List | Yes | No | |
| Other | |||
| Delta Sharing | Yes | No | New addition |
| ClickHouse | Yes | No | New addition |
| Denodo | Yes | No | New addition |
| Azure Cosmos DB | Yes | No | |
| Tags | Microsoft Fabric |
| MS Learn Modules | |
Test Your Knowledge |
Quiz |