Power BI import data power bi service

[Neharao09]

I have created reports on power bi desktop in import mode, I have published the report on the Power BI server. On Power BI server I have updated the data source details and scheduled the data refresh on specific time each day, just wanted to check will the report keep getting updated on its own with the new data with all these settings ? Or should I use Direct query in power bi desktop itself ? Does import mode matter

[lbendlin · Accepted solution]

"will the report keep getting updated"

Not really.  What will get refreshed is the dataset.  The report needs to be viewed/interacted with by the user to reflect that.

Let's say the user opens the report at 2pm.  The dataset gets refreshed at 3pm.  The user will only see the new data if they are closing/reopening the report, or if they hit one of the refresh options like F5.

Even with Direct Query the report will only update when the user interacts with it (for example by changing a filter).

Does Import mode matter?  Yes, very much so.  Use Import mode for small data sources, and for data sources that change very infrequently (once a day or longer).  Use Direct Query mode for data sources that are very large, or that change very frequently (or both).  In between use Dataflows or Aggregations.