Complete Microsoft Connectivity for ISVs

November 3, 2025

Announcing Commercially Licensed, Redistributable ODBC Drivers for Microsoft OneLake

Microsoft built OneLake as the unified data lake for enterprise analytics. Then locked commercial access behind personal-use-only licensing. If you’re an ISV building analytics platforms, data integration tools, or embedded BI solutions, you’ve felt the pain. Your customers demand OneLake connectivity, but you’re stuck explaining why “OneLake integration” stays perpetually on your roadmap.

The problem isn’t your engineering team. It’s that Microsoft’s free driver comes with a deal breaker: personal use only, zero redistribution rights.

ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) deals due to missing OneLake connectivity. Development teams spend months building custom integrations instead of differentiating features. Enterprise customers adopt Microsoft Fabric faster than vendors can keep up.

Today, that changes.

What We Built: Commercial OneLake Connectivity for ISVs

We created commercially licensed, redistributable ODBC drivers for Microsoft OneLake. Direct SQL access to Microsoft Fabric’s unified data lake, treating it like any traditional database connection. Your apps query OneLake’s Delta Parquet format with standard SQL—no custom integration code required.

Here’s what you get:

• Full ODBC 3.8 compliance with 32-bit and 64-bit support
• Unlimited redistribution rights for commercial products and SaaS applications
• Query pushdown optimization reducing network traffic by up to 90%
• Native Microsoft Entra ID authentication with service principal support
• Enterprise security with TLS 1.2+ and FIPS-ready encryption
• Delta Parquet format support including V-Order optimization

All with unlimited redistribution rights, so you ship OneLake connectivity with your product instead of building custom integrations.

OneLake ODBC Driver: Democratize the unified data lake

Microsoft Fabric’s OneLake represents the future of enterprise data storage. It’s a unified SaaS data lake that automatically provisions with every Microsoft Fabric tenant, storing all data in open Delta Parquet format with V-Order optimization. Our driver provides direct SQL access to this “OneDrive for data,” enabling your applications to connect to OneLake just like any traditional database.

Your customers gain a single logical data repository for their entire organization, with up to 90% storage cost reduction compared to traditional architectures. Your application becomes their gateway to unified analytics.

The Revenue Opportunity

Every enterprise RFP now includes Microsoft Fabric integration requirements. ISVs with native OneLake connectivity capture premium market positioning:

• Sales cycles accelerate when Microsoft integration ships day one, not as a “roadmap item”
• Platform positioning captures 3-7x more customer lifetime value than feature-focused vendors
• Premium pricing becomes justifiable when customers view your platform as essential Microsoft infrastructure
• Market expansion accelerates through Microsoft’s partner ecosystem and co-selling programs

The economic impact: higher gross margins, longer customer retention, expanded deal sizes.

Commercial Licensing That Enables Revenue

The business model makes this commercially viable:

• Unlimited redistribution rights for any commercial product or SaaS application
• Enterprise-grade support and SLAs from a team with 30+ years of driver expertise
• Flexible OEM licensing that scales with your business model
• No per-seat or usage-based fees passed through to your customers

Ship OneLake connectivity as a core feature, not a roadmap promise.

The OEM Revenue Opportunity: From Feature Request to Competitive Moat

Traditional software companies sell features. Platform companies sell Microsoft integration capabilities. The economic impact spans higher gross margins, longer customer retention, and expanded average deal sizes.

Premium feature tiers become possible when Microsoft connectivity serves as an enterprise upgrade. Competitive differentiation emerges in crowded markets where Microsoft integration separates leaders from followers. Pricing premiums of 2 to 3x become justifiable when customers view your platform as essential Microsoft infrastructure.

Market expansion opportunities multiply through Microsoft focused enterprise accounts. Partner ecosystem collaboration and co selling programs provide direct access to Microsoft’s global sales organization. Geographic expansion accelerates through Microsoft’s existing international presence and customer relationships.

Customer lifetime value increases as platform positioning raises switching costs. Expansion revenue flows through additional Microsoft service integrations. Retention rates improve through data gravity effects that make customer migration increasingly complex and expensive.

Analytics ISVs targeting Fabric adopters gain first mover advantages through native connectivity. Customer acquisition accelerates via direct referrals from Microsoft field teams. Revenue growth comes from entirely new customer segments becoming accessible through platform integration.

Technical Capabilities

Performance:

• Query pushdown for filters, joins, and aggregations executed at OneLake level
• Intelligent connection pooling supporting 40-60% more concurrent users
• Efficient streaming of large result sets with intelligent pagination

Security:

• Microsoft Entra ID authentication with service principal support
• TLS 1.2+ encryption with FIPS-validated cryptography
• Comprehensive audit logging for compliance

Compatibility:

• Full Delta Parquet format support including V-Order optimization
• ODBC 3.8 compliance ensuring broad application compatibility
• ANSI SQL-92 standard with T-SQL extensions

Evolution and Future Compatibility

Microsoft continues consolidating their data platform ecosystem. The trend toward unified platforms creates opportunities for ISVs positioned as integration layers but also means technical requirements will keep evolving.

Our driver development follows Microsoft’s platform roadmap, ensuring compatibility as new capabilities roll out. This means your investment in Microsoft connectivity pays forward as the ecosystem expands rather than creating technical debt.

Your Integration Strategy Starts Now

The OneLake connectivity challenge isn’t going away, it’s becoming table stakes for enterprise software. The question is whether you’ll spend six months building custom integrations or ship native OneLake connectivity in weeks.

ISVs who ship native OneLake connectivity will capture market leadership as enterprises consolidate onto Microsoft Fabric. The window to establish competitive advantage closes as connectivity becomes commoditized.

Ready to evaluate? Try the Simba’s Onelake ODBC & JDBC Drivers today. Download an evaluation to test it with your application, or contact our OEM licensing team to learn more about redistribution.