Reducing model size by disabling auto date/time
When the data is loaded into the data model, Power BI automatically creates some Date
tables to support calendar hierarchies for all columns in the DateTime
datatype. This feature is convenient, especially for beginners who do not know how to create a Date
table or create and manage hierarchies. However, it can consume too much storage, potentially leading to severe performance issues. As mentioned earlier, the auto date/time feature forces Power BI Desktop to create Date
tables for every single DateTime
column within the model. The Date
tables have the following columns:
Date
Year
Quarter
Month
Day
The last four columns create date hierarchies for each DateTime
column. The Date
column in the created Date
table starts from January 1 of the minimum year of the related column in our tables. It ends on December 31 of the maximum number of years for that column. It is a common practice in data...