Re: Modern Power BI architecture choices for reporting on Azure Databricks: A performance benchmark for Power BI storage modes

Import mode was intentionally excluded from this comparison.

The main reason is straightforward: if report performance is the primary concern, Import mode would most likely be the fastest option, so the expected result was already relatively clear.

If a customer prioritizes report performances over data freshness and low latency, Import mode remains a very strong choice.

However, this study was focused on comparing architectures that provide lower-latency access to data, such as Direct Lake and DirectQuery. Including Import mode would also introduce many additional factors, such as refresh strategy, incremental refresh, data volume, and refresh frequency, which would significantly expand the scope of the testing.

For that reason, Import mode was selectively excluded to keep the comparison focused.