DirectQuery vs Import mode in Power BI - Formula Comparison Trace

Sample Data

Comparison table showing key differences between Import and DirectQuery modes in Power BI.

Cell	Value
A1	Mode
B1	Data Storage
C1	Data Refresh
D1	Performance
E1	Data Size Limit
F1	Use Case
A2	Import
B2	Data is loaded and stored in Power BI
C2	Manual or scheduled refresh
D2	Fast, uses in-memory engine
E2	Limited by Power BI capacity
F2	When fast report response is needed
A3	DirectQuery
B3	Data stays in the source system
C3	Real-time or near real-time queries
D3	Depends on source system speed
E3	Limited by source system
F3	When data freshness is critical

Formula Trace

IF([Mode] = "Import", "Data is loaded and stored in Power BI", "Data stays in the source system")

Step 1: [Mode] = "Import"

Step 2: IF(TRUE, "Data is loaded and stored in Power BI", "Data stays in the source system")

Cell Reference Map

    A           B                              C                      D                  E                      F
1 | Mode      | Data Storage                 | Data Refresh          | Performance       | Data Size Limit       | Use Case
2 | Import    | Data is loaded and stored   | Manual or scheduled   | Fast, in-memory    | Limited by Power BI    | Fast report response
3 | DirectQuery| Data stays in the source   | Real-time queries     | Depends on source  | Limited by source      | Data freshness critical

Formula references cell A2 for Mode value.

The formula checks the Mode column in cell A2 to decide which description to show.

Result

    A           B
1 | Mode      | Data Storage
2 | Import    | Data is loaded and stored in Power BI
3 | DirectQuery| Data stays in the source system

The formula result in row 2 shows the description for Import mode based on the Mode value.

The result shows the data storage description for the Import mode in the table.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula return when the Mode is 'Import'?

A Manual or scheduled refresh

B Data is loaded and stored in Power BI

C Data stays in the source system

D Real-time or near real-time queries

Key Result

IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false) chooses output based on a condition.