Automatic Power BI refresh in import mode

Great question here. The answer is a little complicated.

In summary: no, you cannot use Automatic Page Refresh with Import Mode. Import Mode is not supported in that feature, period, regardless of licensing types or capacities.

However, this is still possible through other solutions - just not through Automatic Page Refresh.

For example, if you use Power BI Premium Per User (PPU), Premium Per Capacity, or an Azure embedded capacity, then technically you can get an unlimited number of refreshes for an Import Mode dataset; you just have to setup some sort of pipeline to automate the refreshes above 48 times per day, such as by using Power Automate, Powershell, or HTTP calls to the Power BI REST API.

If you were to do that, then you could use the Power BI JavaScript SDK to check for refreshed Import Mode data up to every 15 seconds - and if Import Mode data is found, then the Power BI JavaScript SDK can actually force the visuals on the report canvas to update.

This is exactly what I've done to build a custom Power BI app to help people build advanced slideshows and display them on TVs and other unattended devices (disclaimer, I'm the founder: https://www.displagent.io).

Hope that helps!