Overview
Carlsberg set out to build a global Data Centre of Excellence to enable real‑time insights across markets.
emagine assembled and deployed a 40‑person specialist team in under six months, delivering infrastructure, reporting capabilities and a robust Microsoft-based data platform that supports scalable, data-driven decision making.
The Challenge
Carlsberg had a clear ambition:
To become a truly data-driven organization with real‑time insights available across regions and business units
Achieving this required:
- Access to specialized Data engineering expertise
- A platform that integrated with complex legacy architecture
- A rapid mobilization timeline
- A modernization path from Azure Databricks to Microsoft Fabric to unify analytics and reduce complexity
The Solution
emagine partnered closely with Carlsberg to design and deploy a scalable Microsoft Big Data delivery capability.
Within 6 months, emagine assembled and embedded a 40‑person specialist data engineering team, working hand‑in‑hand with Carlsberg’s internal stakeholders.
The programme focused on implementing and modernising a robust enterprise data architecture built on Microsoft technologies.
Key elements of the solution included:
- Real‑time reporting capabilities: A modern data architecture enabled real‑time reporting across point‑of‑sale systems, regions and markets, providing always‑current operational insights.
- Microsoft technology stack implementation: This Data platform was built using a unified Microsoft ecosystem:
- Microsoft Fabric (analytics, OneLake, data engineering)
- Azure Data Lake Storage
- Azure Synapse Analytics (where relevant)
- Azure Data Factory (data pipelines)
- Azure Databricks (prior to migration)
- Power BI (enterprise reporting)
- Migration from Databricks to Microsoft Fabric: emagine supported Carlsberg in initiating and executing the transition from:
- Azure Databricks notebooks → Fabric Data Engineering pipelines
- Delta Lake → Fabric OneLake
- Distributed cluster compute → Fabric capacity model
- Infrastructure and architecture enablement: emagine designed and implemented the necessary data infrastructure, ensuring alignment with Carlsberg’s global technology landscape and security standards.
- Stakeholder activation & onboarding: Business users and technical stakeholders were trained to adopt the new Fabric-centric analytics environment effectively.
Phase 1: Assembling the team
We assembled and embedded a 40‑person specialist data engineering team, working hand‑in‑hand with Carlsberg’s internal stakeholders.
Phase 2: Modernising enterprise data architecture
Reducing architectural complexity, improved performance governance, and aligned Carlsberg with Microsoft’s long‑term data platform roadmap.
Phase 3: Infrastructure enablement
emagine designed and implemented the necessary data infrastructure, ensuring alignment with Carlsberg’s global technology landscape and security standards.
Phase 4: Activation & onboarding
Business users and technical stakeholders were trained to adopt the new Fabric-centric analytics environment effectively.
Transformation timeline
Phase 1
Assembling the team
Phase 2
Modernising enterprise data architecture
Phase 3
Infrastructure enablement
Phase 4
Activation & onboarding
The Results
Real-time insights across global markets
Teams gained intuitive access to near real-time data, accelerating commercial and operational decision‑making.
A simplified data platform
The migration from Databricks to -Microsoft Fabric reduced complexity while improving interoperability across the Microsoft ecosystem.
Rapid team mobilization
A fully operational 40‑person expert team was deployed and integrated into the programme within six months.
A scalable foundation
Carlsberg now benefits from an extensible Microsoft-based architecture capable of supporting future analytics, AI initiatives, and digital transformation.
emagine has been an official Global IT partner with Carlsberg, being present in several different Data initiatives.