Forum Discussion
Much more data when connecting to dataflow than directly to SQL
I've set up a dataflow that pulls selected tables from our ERP SQL. When I connect to the dataflow from PBI Desktop it loads several GB's of data even though I'm selecting only a few 100 lines fr...
Yes. When you use a Dataflow as a source, to get folding, the Enhanced Compute Engine has to be turned on (premium capacity) and you need to use the Dataflows connector (not the Power BI Dataflows one).
Pat
mahoneypat
Microsoft Employee
Microsoft EmployeeThere is likely something breaking "query folding" in your query. The use of a SQL statement returns only the desired rows, but you should be able to get similar refresh time if you maintain query folding. There are indicators in the query editor for Dataflows to show if it is in place or not, and you can modify/rearrange your steps (e.g., do filtering and column selection first) to potentially maintain it.
Pat