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Hussein_charif
Helper II
Helper II

Loading Large image table into power bi desktop

i have a table in power bi that contains a very large set of data, the data is consisted of binary values for images, each image being split to multiple rows so that we could fit the whole image since power bi rows only take up to 32000 characters. there are around a million rows, so when i close the query editor and load the table, it takes some time then fails. what can i do to load the whole table?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
mark_endicott
Super User
Super User

@Hussein_charif  This will be down to the limitations of your Laptop or desktop machine.

Do you use the Power BI service? If so, I would consider using Dataflows to do some pre-processing of the data.

 

If you wish to continue using Desktop - you could parameterise your table in Power Query so it only loads a few rows, then once published to the server, undo the parameterisation and load all rows onto the service. 

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/power-query-query-parameters

 

If this helps you on your way, please accept as the solution for others with the same issue. 

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2 REPLIES 2
v-nuoc-msft
Community Support
Community Support

Hi @Hussein_charif 

 

Thank you very much mark_endicott for your prompt reply. Allow me to add something.

 

Import mode compresses and optimizes data, which can help manage large datasets. If you have a Premium license, you can handle larger datasets more efficiently.


Consider splitting your dataset into smaller chunks and loading them separately. This can help manage memory usage and prevent crashes.


Although Direct Query can be slower, it processes data on the database side, which might help with large datasets. However, be aware of the limitations in transformations and DAX formulas.


If you have access to SQL Server Analysis Services or Azure Analysis Services, you can build a tabular data model and use a live connection to Power BI.

 

How to handle a large dataset in Power BI Desktop? - PowerBI Talks

 

Load blobs and images into a Data Model - Microsoft Support

 

Regards,

Nono Chen

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

mark_endicott
Super User
Super User

@Hussein_charif  This will be down to the limitations of your Laptop or desktop machine.

Do you use the Power BI service? If so, I would consider using Dataflows to do some pre-processing of the data.

 

If you wish to continue using Desktop - you could parameterise your table in Power Query so it only loads a few rows, then once published to the server, undo the parameterisation and load all rows onto the service. 

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/power-query-query-parameters

 

If this helps you on your way, please accept as the solution for others with the same issue. 

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