Microsoft and Google Join Open Standard Initiative to Reduce Vendor Lock-in Across Analytics Platforms

Microsoft and Google have joined a collaborative effort supporting Apache Ossie, an open specification designed to enable semantic models to move seamlessly between different data and analytics platforms without requiring separate converters. The initiative, backed by over 60 technology firms including Databricks, Oracle, Salesforce, and Snowflake, uses JSON and YAML formats to represent datasets, metrics, and AI context in a platform-agnostic way. Microsoft plans to develop two-way converters between Power BI and Ossie while advocating for expanded support of its own query languages and ontologies.

Apache Ossie addresses a persistent pain point in enterprise data management: the inability to transfer semantic models—the business logic and definitions that give raw data meaning—between platforms without extensive rework. By establishing JSON and YAML as neutral formats, the initiative creates a hub-and-spoke architecture where individual platforms need converters only to and from Ossie, rather than requiring separate connections between every vendor combination. This architectural approach substantially reduces integration complexity.

The participation of Microsoft and Google signals significant industry momentum. Microsoft's commitment to bidirectional Power BI conversion and support for DAX language inclusion demonstrates how major vendors can advance standardization while protecting their own ecosystems. Google's contributions to BigQuery dialect support reflect similar strategic alignment. The involvement of over 60 firms—from infrastructure providers like Databricks to application platforms like Salesforce—suggests broad recognition that interoperability could lower switching costs and reduce duplicative work.