Import is the default data connectivity mode for Power BI Desktop, and the import models created in Power BI Desktop use the same in-memory, columnar compressed storage engine (Vertipaq) featured in SSAS Tabular 2016+ import models. Import mode models support the integration of disparate data sources (for example, SQL Server and DB2) and allow more flexibility in developing metrics and row-level security roles given via full support for all DAX functions.
This recipe describes a process of using M and the Query Editor to develop the queries supporting a standard star-schema analytical model. A staging query approach is introduced as a means of efficiently enhancing the dimensions of a model, and tips are included to use less resources during refresh and to avoid refresh failures from revised source data. More details of these methods are...