Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst AssociateDeploy and maintain assetsMedium
A Power BI developer is working on a new report that connects to a dataset in another workspace. The developer needs to ensure that any changes made to the source dataset are automatically reflected in their report without manual intervention. What connection mode should the developer use when connecting to the dataset?
- AMixed Mode
- BLive Connection
- CDirectQuery
- DImport
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Live Connection
A Live Connection to a Power BI dataset means that the report directly queries the existing dataset in the Power BI service. This ensures that any updates to the source dataset (e.g., data refreshes, model changes) are immediately reflected in the consuming report without requiring a separate refresh of the report's underlying data.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Mixed Mode combines Import and DirectQuery, but is not used for connecting to another Power BI dataset.
- C. DirectQuery connects directly to a data source (like a SQL database), not another Power BI dataset.
- D. Import creates a copy of the data, requiring separate refresh schedules for the report's dataset.
Live Connection to Power BI Dataset
A Live Connection allows a Power BI report to connect directly to an existing dataset in the Power BI service, ensuring real-time reflection of source dataset updates.
- Connects to existing Power BI dataset
- No data stored in report's model
- Reflects source changes automatically
- Limited modeling capabilities in report
Memory trick: Live connections bring the dataset to life, always fresh.