Sample project analysis

As per the data refresh questions from the project template (#7-8), the Power BI dataset only needs to be refreshed daily—there's not a need for real-time visibility of the data source. From a dataset design perspective, this means that the default import mode is sufficient for this project in terms of latency or data freshness. The project template also advises that an Excel file containing the Annual Sales Plan must be included in addition to the historical sales data in the SQL Server data warehouse. Therefore, unless the Annual Sales Plan data can be migrated to the same SQL Server database containing the Internet Sales and Reseller Sales data, an import mode dataset is the only option. 

Note

The data security requirements from the project template can be implemented via simple security roles and therefore do not materially impact the import or DirectQuery decision. DirectQuery datasets can support dynamic or user-based security models as well but, given restrictions...