Push mode for real-time streaming without refreshing or stressing the data source

Get or connect to data

Answer Correct answer: D — push mode receives rows from the source, needs no refresh, and never queries the source from Power BI.

You have a Power BI semantic model that connects to a streaming data source. The data source is updated frequently. You need to create a Power BI report that meets the following requirements: • Supports real-time analytics • Minimizes performance impact on the data source • Displays the most recent data without performing a data refresh Which connectivity mode should you use for the dataset?

DirectQuery mode
import mode
LiveConnect mode
push mode Correct Answer

push mode streaming real time dataset power bi connectivity

Community Votes

57%

43%

57% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Community Insight

Push mode inverts the data flow: the source pushes rows into the Power BI dataset as they arrive, so Power BI never queries the source, no scheduled or manual refresh exists, and the latest data is simply there.

A frequently updated streaming data source must feed a report that shows real-time data with no dataset refresh and minimal performance impact on the source, so the connectivity mode must not query the source from Power BI at all.

Mapping 'real-time analytics' to DirectQuery by reflex — DirectQuery does deliver current data, but every visual interaction fires a query against the source, which is the performance impact the requirement explicitly forbids.

Community Discussion (15 comments)

rcaliandro 👍 8 Selected: A

real-time analytics => DirectQuery

drigotto8 👍 3 Selected: D

Push mode: This mode allows data to be pushed directly into Power BI from a streaming data source. It is designed for real-time analytics and does not require a data refresh because the data is continuously updated as it is pushed into Power BI. This minimizes the performance impact on the data source since the data is sent directly to Power BI without querying the source repeatedly.

Pritch 👍 2 Selected: D

D. push mode https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/refresh-data Push semantic models don't contain a formal definition of a data source, so they don't require you to perform a data refresh in Power BI. You refresh them by pushing your data into the semantic model through an external service or process, such as Azure Stream Analytics. This is a common approach for real-time analytics with Power BI.

SylUK 👍 1 Selected: D

The correct answer is D: Push Mode

f133b89 👍 1 Selected: D

Push mode. The Refresh is for the data set. Not the report

Odidepse 👍 3 Selected: D

Pushmode handles frequent data updates without requiring a data refresh. Cannot be direct query, as stated on the requirement '• Displays the most recent data without performing a data refresh' direct query it requires querying the data source each time the report is viewed or interacted with. 100%

esrath 👍 1 Selected: C

C. LiveConnect Mode DirectQuery and Import modes are to connect to the data source, not the dataset. Push mode is a semantic model, not a connectivity mode. LiveConnect is used to connect to a semantic model that already exists: Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-live-connect-dq-datasets Excerpt: "When you create your report in Power BI Desktop, you can connect it to a semantic model that already exists. A live connection allows you to rely on existing data, which can be updated without accessing the report."

desibaby09 👍 2 Selected: D

Push mode displays without a data refresh

jaume 👍 1 Selected: A

With LiveConnection we can connect a PBI report to a Semantic Model but question is about "connectivity mode should you use for the dataset" so the answer should be DirectQuery (note: Dataset is the former name of current Semantic models)

nyanlinhtike.nlh 👍 3 Selected: D

Correct answer is D

ak57 👍 2

I think it's Push mode based on this article:

539d541 👍 2 Selected: C

Should be C. The power bi semantic model that's connected to the live streaming data source already is created and exists. You want to build a report by connecting to that semantic model, therefore you should just connect to it as a live dataset.

ChopChop007 👍 3

Direct Query.

1CY1 👍 4 Selected: A

Live connection and DirectQuery comparison https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-live-connect-dq-datasets Live connection is a method that lets you build a report in Power BI Desktop without having to build a semantic model for it. The semantic model can dynamically request data from a data source it's connected to using a method called DirectQuery. When using DirectQuery, your report uses Data Analysis Expression (DAX) queries to get data. After the semantic model receives the report's DAX query, it generates another set of queries that are run on your data source, to get the required data. From this I am concluding use DirectQuery.

Jayaruwan 👍 2 Selected: D

As I guess answer is push mode

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Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

In push mode, the streaming source pushes data into the Power BI dataset continuously; Microsoft documents that push semantic models contain no formal definition of a data source and therefore require no data refresh. The report displays whatever was most recently pushed, real-time analytics are supported, and the data source experiences zero query load from Power BI visuals because Power BI never connects back to it.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

DirectQuery (A) sends each visual interaction back to the source, which violates the minimizes-performance-impact requirement even though the data is current. Import mode (B) shows data only as fresh as the last scheduled or manual refresh, contradicting the no-refresh requirement. LiveConnect mode (C) connects a report to an existing published model — it changes where the report reads from, not how streaming data lands, and it still depends on that underlying model's refresh.

Community Comment Notes

The push-mode camp quotes the official refresh documentation noting push semantic models have no data source definition and need no refresh. The DirectQuery camp reasons only from the phrase 'real-time analytics' and misses the second requirement about source performance, which is precisely what disqualifies DirectQuery here.

Official Reference

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-real-time-streaming

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