Power Bi Desktop dataset size - during the load

[tomas12344]

Hi

I have some problems dowloading data from SAP BW to PBI Desktop. Not sure, if the data will be to big, or the problem is on SAP site.

When i'm downloading the data in import mode, i get some error, during the process at some point, and no data are stored in PBI Desktop.

Is there a way, how the get info, how big was the downloaded data (loaded to memory in PBI Desktop)?

What are the limitation for PBI Desktop for dataset size, or the memory consuption? Is this connected to the licence that is for PBI Service( i know, that there are 3 models how to use the PBI, but not sure how the size limitation is connected to desktop app, or it is only for the cloud)?

[lbendlin · Accepted solution]

There is no limitation for the Power BI Desktop app.  Your limits are set by your PC's capacity (both RAM and disk space) and by the network stability.

In the Power BI Service you have a hard limit of 5 hrs for a refresh,and soft limits for dataset size based on the capacity SKU you are on.

What you can consider on the desktop is to use incremental refresh parameters (RangeStart and RangeEnd) as artificial limiters for only loading a subset of your data into the Power BI Desktop  (akin to a DEV/ITG idea).  If you want to be more advanced and have the appropriate capacity you can consider Deployment Pipelines too.