Partnering with Datacom, the school brought together its existing data environment and custom framework into a future-ready, unified platform powered by Microsoft Fabric, allowing all staff members, students and parents to access critical school data in one secure place as well as significantly reducing operational costs.
The data platform modernisation project was unique because Datacom reviewed and recommended leveraging the school’s existing premium Microsoft capacity to consolidate the complex Azure data services environment into Microsoft Fabric. By applying Datacom’s proven Accelerators, the team was able to streamline the transition, fast-track configuration and ensure best practice patterns from day one. This innovative approach unified all workloads under already-paid capacity, simplifying management, reducing costs and improving usability while using MS Fabric's integration and low-code/no-code capabilities. The result was a modern, scalable, user-friendly solution tailored for the school's evolving needs.
The independent school for boys, which has 1,900 to 2,000 students from Years 5 to 12, has data needs spanning day-to-day operations and insights used by teachers, parents and leadership to support student success.
The school’s data environment consisted of multiple systems that operated independently, says Brisbane Grammar School Director of Infrastructure and Applications, Wade Rogers.
“As a result, parents and staff were required to access several platforms. Managing separate logins and navigating different sources of information made it more challenging to access data efficiently and support timely decision-making,” he says. “The path forward demanded a substantial architectural rethink to deliver a secure, user-friendly experience across the school community.”
Datacom brought a governance-minded, outcome-focused approach. The aim was to implement changes that enable a unified parent portal and a cohesive data environment, says Rogers. This shift was not mere technology for its own sake; it was about aligning digital capabilities with the school’s mission to support students, teachers and families.
As work progressed, the team moved away from isolated on-premises configurations to a cohesive, cloud-based architecture designed to simplify governance and strengthen security. The transformation centred on Microsoft Fabric as the backbone, with Dynamics 365 handling core data operations and Power BI becoming the primary vehicle for reporting. Rogers says that the cloud-based platform consolidated data governance, now scales with demand and supports faster, more reliable insights.
“Fabric provides a consolidated data lake and governed data catalog, while OneLake facilitates easier data access and sharing across the organisation. The reporting layer shifts to a unified Microsoft stack, delivering a cohesive experience for staff, students and families”, he says.
The transition involved moving away from the older Synergetic environment toward Microsoft Dynamics 365; an essential simplification, says Rogers.
Previously, Tableau had been the go-to dashboard solution. “Tableau reports have now been replaced with Power BI equivalents which integrate seamlessly into the Microsoft stack. This shift not only streamlines the reporting experience for staff but also consolidates analytics into a single, consistent toolset, reducing complexity and support overhead. By moving to Power BI, the school also benefits from decreased licensing costs and tighter integration with existing Microsoft services, creating a more efficient and cost-effective reporting environment," he says.
Governance and security have remained central throughout the journey. The project places the school in a position to leverage Microsoft Copilot in the future, says Rogers. The Datacom partnership also provides ongoing assurance beyond initial deployment, with security audit recommendations addressed and a focus on gaining insights into dashboard usage, helping decide on report preservation or enhancement.
Datacom General Manager of Data and Analytics, Rich Williams says, “The work was executed using an Agile approach with iterative feedback cycles to tailor features and workflows to the school’s evolving needs, delivering a modern, scalable and easy-to-use platform that simplified reporting and analytics while reducing operational overhead.”
Rogers says, Datacom provides ongoing support, including regular platform health checks to ensure the system is used optimally. “This ongoing care reinforces confidence in the architecture as needs evolve.”
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