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Marco_Dry
New Member

Import mode vs direct query: differences from license point of view?

Hello everyone,

I used both methods to import data in the reports I am working on, and both are efficient enough.

I would like to know if there is some difference from a license point of view since I was considering purchasing a Pro license.

 

Thank you

Marco

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
v-shamiliv
Community Support
Community Support

Hi @Marco_Dry 
Thank you for reaching out microsoft fabric community forum.

You're right — DirectQuery doesn’t rely on scheduled refreshes, so the refresh limits don’t apply, even with a free license.

However, to publish or share DirectQuery reports in the Power BI service, a Pro license is still required, unless the workspace is in Premium capacity (which allows free users to view, but not publish).

From a licensing perspective, the way you bring in data (like Import or DirectQuery) doesn’t really impact what license you need. The key thing that matters is how you plan to share and collaborate on your reports.

If you’re thinking about getting a Power BI Pro license, here’s what it allows you to do:

  • Share your reports and dashboards with others
  • Collaborate in shared workspaces
  • Publish content to the Power BI Service so others can view it

If this solution helps, please consider giving us Kudos and accepting it as the solution so that it may assist other members in the community
Thank you.

View solution in original post

4 REPLIES 4
v-shamiliv
Community Support
Community Support

Hi @Marco_Dry 
Thank you for reaching out microsoft fabric community forum.

You're right — DirectQuery doesn’t rely on scheduled refreshes, so the refresh limits don’t apply, even with a free license.

However, to publish or share DirectQuery reports in the Power BI service, a Pro license is still required, unless the workspace is in Premium capacity (which allows free users to view, but not publish).

From a licensing perspective, the way you bring in data (like Import or DirectQuery) doesn’t really impact what license you need. The key thing that matters is how you plan to share and collaborate on your reports.

If you’re thinking about getting a Power BI Pro license, here’s what it allows you to do:

  • Share your reports and dashboards with others
  • Collaborate in shared workspaces
  • Publish content to the Power BI Service so others can view it

If this solution helps, please consider giving us Kudos and accepting it as the solution so that it may assist other members in the community
Thank you.

Thank you for your reply,

that was exactly what I needed to figure out.

bhanu_gautam
Super User
Super User

@Marco_Dry Data Refresh: With a Pro license, you can schedule up to 8 daily data refreshes, whereas the Free version has more limited capabilities.
Collaboration and Sharing: A Pro license allows you to share reports and dashboards with other Pro users and collaborate in workspaces. The Free version does not support sharing with other users unless they also have a Pro license.
Data Sources: Both Free and Pro licenses support a wide range of data sources, but certain advanced data connectors and features might be restricted to Pro users.
Storage: Pro users get more storage capacity compared to Free users.




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@bhanu_gautam thank you for your reply.

Direct Query is not limited in refreshing, even with a free license, isn't it?

 

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