help : dataset refresh issue

[askme1217]

i have a dataset around 5 GB size. when i refresh it, it is getting failed with memory usage error. it uses around 50 GB of memory which is maximum in capacity. Why is it using 50 gb of memory even though the dataset size is 5 Gb only? The fact table has around 200 million rows, it does not have any heavy powerquery transformations, just  native sql queries with filters. How can i reduce memory usage and refresh it without error?

[pallavi_r]

Hi @askme1217 ,

Are you using calculated columns or calculated dax tables? Can you try refreshing dataset after removing calculated columns and tables. Calculated column takes memory depending on power query transformation.

Hope you have taken care of unused columns, incremental refresh and inefficient relational modelling (exp. many-many).

Thanks,

Pallavi

[askme1217]

help

[v-sshirivolu]

Hi @askme1217 ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

This issue is common with large datasets. Even though your model is 5 GB, during refresh Power BI loads both the existing and new data into memory, along with some temporary overhead. That's why memory usage can spike up to 10–15x the actual dataset size especially with large fact tables like yours.

The best fix is to set up incremental refresh. Even with SQL filters, Power BI will still pull the full data unless you define a proper refresh policy on a date column. This helps reduce memory use by only refreshing recent data instead of everything at once.

Also, check for any unused columns or large dimension tables that could be trimmed. And if you’re still hitting memory limits, it might be time to look at a higher capacity SKU.

Power BI Incremental Refresh Documentation
Incremental refresh and real-time data in Power BI

Optimization Techniques for Import Models (VertiPaq Engine)
Data reduction techniques for Import modeling - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Power BI Premium Capacity and Limits
What is Power BI Premium? - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If the response has addressed your query, please Accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it

Best Regards,
Sreeteja.
Community Support Team

[Deku]

Are you sure the filters are folding? If not the filtering will occur in the service rather than the database.

Please see these docs

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/native-query-folding

[askme1217]

Yes, when i check the 'View Native Query' it is enabled. so i think query folding happening.