Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer AssociateImplement and manage semantic models (30-35%)Medium
A data engineer is configuring the refresh schedule for a semantic model in Microsoft Fabric. The underlying data source is an Azure SQL Database that is updated continuously throughout the day. Business users require the reports to reflect the latest data with minimal delay, ideally within minutes of data being committed to the source. Which refresh strategy should the engineer employ?
- AScheduled refresh (hourly)
- BScheduled refresh (daily)
- CReal-time refresh
- DManual refresh
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Real-time refresh
Real-time refresh is the most appropriate strategy when reports need to reflect the latest data with minimal delay (within minutes or seconds). It continuously monitors the data source for changes and performs micro-refreshes, ensuring near-instantaneous updates in the semantic model.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. An hourly scheduled refresh would still introduce significant delays (up to an hour) and not meet the 'within minutes' requirement.
- B. A daily scheduled refresh would not meet the requirement for minimal delay (within minutes).
- D. Manual refresh requires a user to trigger it, which is not suitable for continuous, minimal-delay updates.
Real-time Refresh
Real-time refresh in Microsoft Fabric semantic models ensures that reports display the most current data with minimal latency by continuously monitoring the data source for changes and performing micro-refreshes.
- Provides near-instantaneous data updates.
- Suitable for highly dynamic data sources.
- Minimizes reporting latency to minutes or seconds.
- Requires compatible data sources and configuration.
Memory trick: Refresh Your Data: Daily, Hourly, or Real-time!