Reducing model size in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Reducing model size helps your Power BI reports load faster and use less memory. It solves the problem of slow performance when your data model is too large or complex.

When your Power BI report takes a long time to open or refresh

When your data model file size is very large and slows down sharing

When you want to improve report responsiveness on mobile devices

When you have many columns or tables but only use a few in visuals

When you want to optimize storage for Power BI Premium or Pro limits

Steps

Step 1: Open

- Power BI Desktop

Your current report and data model load on screen

Step 2: Go to the Model view

- Left side vertical bar

You see all tables and relationships in your data model

Step 3: Select a table you do not need for reporting

- Model view canvas

The table is highlighted for editing

Step 4: Right-click the table and choose 'Hide in report view'

- Context menu on selected table

The table is hidden from report fields but still in the model

💡 Hiding tables reduces clutter but does not reduce model size

Step 5: Go to the Data view

- Left side vertical bar

You see the data rows and columns for each table

Step 6: Remove unused columns by right-clicking column headers and selecting 'Delete'

- Data view table

Columns you do not need are removed, reducing model size

💡 Keep only columns used in visuals, filters, or calculations

Step 7: Go to Home tab and click 'Transform data' to open Power Query Editor

- Home tab ribbon

Power Query Editor opens for data shaping before loading

Step 8: Remove unnecessary rows or columns in Power Query

- Power Query Editor

Data is trimmed before loading, reducing model size

Step 9: Disable 'Enable load' for query tables not needed in the model

- Queries pane in Power Query Editor

These tables do not load into the model, saving space

Step 10: Close and apply changes

- Power Query Editor Home tab

Model updates with smaller data and fewer columns

Before vs After

Before

Model has 10 tables with 50 columns each, file size 150 MB, report refresh takes 5 minutes

After

Model has 6 tables with 20 columns each, file size 60 MB, report refresh takes 2 minutes

Settings Reference

Hide in report view

📍 Model view, right-click table

Hide tables or columns from report fields to reduce clutter

Default: Visible

Delete columns

📍 Data view, right-click column header

Remove unused columns to reduce model size

Default: Keep

Enable load

📍 Power Query Editor, Queries pane, right-click query

Control which queries load data into the model

Default: Enabled

Common Mistakes

Hiding tables instead of deleting unused columns

Hiding only removes tables from the field list but does not reduce model size

Delete unused columns and disable load for unnecessary queries to reduce size

Loading all query tables even if not used in reports

Unnecessary tables increase model size and slow performance

Disable load for queries not needed in the model

Summary

Reducing model size improves report speed and lowers memory use

Remove unused columns and disable loading of unnecessary queries

Hiding tables helps with report clarity but does not reduce size