In Power BI, data refresh is a critical process to keep reports and dashboards up-to-date with the latest data. Power BI offers several refresh options to accommodate different scenarios and requirements. Here’s a breakdown of the refresh options available:
1. Manual Refresh
Description:
- Triggered by the user manually in Power BI Desktop or Power BI Service.
- Refreshes the dataset by re-importing data from the original data source.
Key Features:
- Provides immediate updates when needed.
- Useful during report development and testing.
Use Case: For users who need ad-hoc updates.
2. Scheduled Refresh
Description:
- Automates the refresh process at defined intervals.
- Requires the dataset to be published to Power BI Service.
Key Features:
- Supports up to 8 daily refreshes in the Power BI Pro license and 48 refreshes for Power BI Premium.
- Requires a Power BI Gateway for on-premises data sources.
Use Case: For maintaining up-to-date reports and dashboards without manual intervention.
3. Automatic Page Refresh (APR)
Description:
- Automatically refreshes visuals in Power BI reports at regular intervals.
- Applies only to DirectQuery datasets.
Key Features:
- Configurable refresh intervals (as low as 1 second in Power BI Premium).
- Does not support Import mode datasets.
