Data Refresh Feature in Power BI: Explained 🚀

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What is Data Refresh in Power BI?

Data refresh in Power BI ensures that your reports and dashboards always reflect the latest data from connected sources. It updates datasets to pull in new or modified data, ensuring real-time or scheduled updates.

Types of Data Refresh in Power BI

1️⃣ Manual Refresh

• Users refresh the dataset manually in Power BI Desktop or Power BI Service.

2️⃣ Scheduled Refresh

• Automates data updates at predefined intervals (e.g., hourly, daily) for imported data sources.

3️⃣ Live Connection

• Directly connects to a data source (e.g., SQL Server Analysis Services) and updates instantly without storing data in Power BI.

4️⃣ DirectQuery Refresh

• Queries the source database in real time without storing data in Power BI, ideal for large datasets.

5️⃣ Incremental Refresh

• Loads only new or changed data, improving performance for big datasets by reducing load time and processing.

Best Practices for Data Refresh

✔ Use Incremental Refresh for large datasets to optimize performance.

✔ Reduce Data Model Size by removing unnecessary columns and rows.

✔ Monitor Refresh Status in Power BI Service to track failures.

✔ Optimize Queries to reduce refresh time and improve efficiency.

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