Pragmatic Works Nerd News

Introduction to PySpark in Microsoft Fabric

Written by Austin Libal | Mar 25, 2024

In his recent tutorial on the Pragmatic Works YouTube channel, Austin Libal from Pragmatic Works offers an introductory guide to navigating and utilizing Microsoft Fabric and PySpark for data analytics, engineering, and science. Viewers learn about the essential tools and licenses required to follow along.

 

Creating a Lakehouse

  • A Lakehouse is introduced as a modern data warehouse concept built on a data lake foundation.
  • Austin demonstrates the process of creating a Lakehouse using PySpark within the Fabric interface, guiding through the Persona switcher to the data engineering Persona.

Uploading and Working with Data

  • The tutorial covers the process of uploading a sample CSV file into the Lakehouse, showcasing the seamless integration of data within Fabric.
  • Viewers are shown how to preview uploaded data and transform it into a usable table format for analysis.

PySpark Notebooks

  • Austin introduces PySpark as a tool for massive parallel processing, explaining its significance in handling big data scenarios.
  • The process of opening and setting up a new notebook in the Lakehouse is demonstrated, highlighting the integration of PySpark operations.

Executing PySpark Operations

  • The creation and manipulation of data frames are explained, with practical examples of executing PySpark code to query and manipulate data.
  • The tutorial details the process of running operations in PySpark, including the setup and execution of a Spark session.

Interacting with Data Frames

  • Through the holiday table example, Austin showcases how to interact with data frames, demonstrating data querying and display techniques in PySpark.
  • Different operations and functions within PySpark notebooks are explored, offering insights into data frame manipulation and analysis.

Conclusion and Future Learning

Austin wraps up the tutorial by encouraging further experimentation with PySpark and offers a promo code for discounted access to Pragmatic Works' learning subscription. He invites feedback and suggestions for future content, emphasizing the tutorial as a foundation for deeper exploration of PySpark and Microsoft Fabric.

Don't forget to check out the Pragmatic Works' on-demand learning platform for more insightful content and training sessions on Microsoft Fabric and other Microsoft applications. Be sure to subscribe to the Pragmatic Works YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on the latest tips and tricks.