Snowflake connexion too slow

hi PBI_2K26 ,

Things to check:

• Import vs DirectQuery — DirectQuery fires one query per visual, so pages feel slow even on tiny tables.
• Test a native SQL in the connector's advanced options. If that's fast, your M steps are breaking query folding — right-click the last Power Query step → "View Native Query" to confirm.
• Desktop → Options → Data Load — disable background data, type detection, and auto-relationships while testing.
• Driver version — the Snowflake connector is moving from Simba ODBC to ADBC; old drivers cause slow metadata calls.
• Network — proxy, VPN, TLS inspection, or region distance between Power BI/gateway and Snowflake adds real latency.
• On the Service, make sure the on-prem gateway (if used) is in the same region as Snowflake. Pure cloud + SSO usually doesn't need one.
• Check the warehouse isn't suspending/resuming during refresh — bump auto-suspend to 5–10 min.
• Compare Snowflake Query History time vs Power BI refresh time — the delta is your PBI/network overhead.

Also: auto-added M params (CreateNavigationProperties, ConnectionTimeout, CommandTimeout = null) in the source step are known to slow Desktop badly — remove and retry.

To narrow it down:

1. Import or DirectQuery?
2. Slow on Desktop, Service, or both?
3. On-prem gateway — same region as Snowflake?
   
   
   Disclosure: My earlier response above was drafted with the assistance of an AI tool (Microsoft Copilot) and cross-checked against Microsoft Learn documentation. Sharing this note for transparency as per the Community AI Usage Policy

I've run into similar issues before, and in my case the problem wasn't the table size but the connection itself.

A few things I'd check:

• Verify whether Query Folding is taking place. If Power Query is processing data locally instead of pushing the query to Snowflake, performance can degrade significantly.

• If you're using value.nativequery, try comparing the performance with the standard Snowflake connector to see if there's any difference.

• Check whether the Snowflake warehouse is resuming from a suspended state each time Power BI connects. Even small queries can appear slow if the warehouse needs to wake up.

• If you're connecting through an on-premises gateway, test the same dataset directly from Power BI Desktop on the same network. A slow gateway or network latency can have a noticeable impact.

• Make sure you're using the latest Snowflake connector and Power BI Desktop version, as performance improvements are included regularly.

• Use Performance Analyzer in Power BI Desktop and Query Diagnostics in Power Query to identify whether the delay is occurring during connection, query execution, or data transformation.

Since you mentioned the issue occurs in both Desktop and the Service, I'd also look at network latency, gateway configuration (if applicable), and connector settings rather than the Snowflake database itself. If queries are consistently fast in Snowflake but slow only from Power BI, the bottleneck is often somewhere between the two rather than in the database.

Hi,

Slow performance can occur for several reasons when connecting Power BI to Snowflake. A few things you could check are:

* Which connection mode are you using: Import or DirectQuery?
* Are you using the latest Snowflake Connector 2.0 (ADBC)? Microsoft recommends using the newer connector for improved performance.
* Is the delay happening while loading data in Power Query, refreshing the model, or interacting with report visuals?
* If you're using DirectQuery, review whether the SQL queries are scanning a large amount of data. Optimizing the Snowflake warehouse, using appropriate clustering, and reducing unnecessary transformations in Power Query can often improve performance.

Could you also share:

* The approximate size of the dataset.
* The Snowflake warehouse size.
* Whether the slowdown occurs in Power BI Desktop only or also in the Power BI Service.

These details will help identify whether the bottleneck is the connector, the data model, or the Snowflake query performance.

Hi,

Slow performance can occur for several reasons when connecting Power BI to Snowflake. A few things you could check are:

* Which connection mode are you using: Import or DirectQuery?
* Are you using the latest Snowflake Connector 2.0 (ADBC)? Microsoft recommends using the newer connector for improved performance.
* Is the delay happening while loading data in Power Query, refreshing the model, or interacting with report visuals?
* If you're using DirectQuery, review whether the SQL queries are scanning a large amount of data. Optimizing the Snowflake warehouse, using appropriate clustering, and reducing unnecessary transformations in Power Query can often improve performance.

Could you also share:

* The approximate size of the dataset.
* The Snowflake warehouse size.
* Whether the slowdown occurs in Power BI Desktop only or also in the Power BI Service.

These details will help identify whether the bottleneck is the connector, the data model, or the Snowflake query performance.

Hi PBI_2K26 

In most cases, slow performance comes from Direct Query or query folding issue. Even small tables can feel slow because each visual sends multiple queries back to Snowflake. Make sure you are using latest Snowflake Connector rather than older ODBC driver. Check query folding if transformations don’t fold as Power BI pulls more data than needed. Try simplifying visuals and DAX logic. Reduce number of visuals per page. If real time is not critical you can use Import instead Direct Query

Hello,

Thank you for your replies, but I'm experiencing this problem :

-With Import and Direct Query

-With Power BI Desktop or Power BI Service

-With no transformation but Navigation (the first step)

-With limited number tables and rows (like 5 to 10 tables, with 500-1000 rows each one)

Thankyou krishnakanth240 , Kiran-7312 , Azadsingh , Dev_Dholakia  for Addressing the issue.

Hi PBI_2K26  ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community Forum,

As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided for the issue worked? or Let us know if you need any further assistance?

Regards,

Chaithanya

Thankyou @krishnakanth240 , @Kiran-7312 , @Azadsingh , @Dev_Dholakia  for Addressing the issue.

Hi @PBI_2K26  ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community Forum,

As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided for the issue worked? or Let us know if you need any further assistance?

Regards,

Chaithanya