Direct Query or Import

[ForgotID]

I have 10 reports in Services that is in Derect Query Mode using a dataset that is published in the Services

Will it be more efficient to create 10 diffent Reports in import mode and publish them and scheduled on the autorefresh.

I want to know the impact on Capacity Usage and XMLA read using two different mode Direct Query and Import Mode

Thank you

[v-heq-msft]

Hi @ForgotID ,
@aj1973 Thanks for the comparison table. These are the details I need to add.
For capacity usage, import mode may have a greater impact on capacity usage because the data is stored and processed in the Power BI service.Direct Query does not store data in Power BI, so capacity usage is typically lower, but may require more processing from the source side of the data.
In terms of XMLA read performance, performance may vary depending on the complexity of the dataset and the query being executed. Imported schema can provide faster XMLA read performance because the data has been imported and stored in an optimized format in Power BI. Direct query mode may experience slower XMLA read performance due to the need to retrieve data in real time from an external source.
In conclusion, whether to use Direct Query mode or Import mode depends on your specific requirements. If you need to retrieve data in real-time or have a large amount of data that cannot be loaded into memory, then Direct Query mode may be the best option. However, if you need to work with large datasets and require faster performance, then Import mode may be the best option. 
For more details about connection modes, you can refer to this official document

 Semantic model modes in the Power BI service - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Best regards

Albert He

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[ForgotID]

Will XLMA read  be high if some users are using Analyze in Excel ?

[aj1973]

Hi @ForgotID 

I hope this can help you