In a Power BI semantic model using Direct Lake mode, which option describes querying data directly from the lake without importing it?

In a Power BI semantic model using Direct Lake mode, which option describes querying data directly from the lake without importing it?

• A. Automatic
• B. Direct Lake
• C. Direct Query
• D. Import

Answer: (B)

Direct Lake mode means the data stays in the data lake and queries are executed against that lake without loading any data into the Power BI model. No import occurs, so you build your model on top of the lake’s files (like Parquet or Delta) and rely on the lake to provide the data at query time. This is ideal for very large datasets or when you want the results to reflect the current state of the data in the lake, since nothing is stored in the Power BI dataset. In contrast, importing loads data into the model, Direct Query targets a relational source, and Automatic isn’t the mode used for lake-based querying.

Direct Lake mode means the data stays in the data lake and queries are executed against that lake without loading any data into the Power BI model. No import occurs, so you build your model on top of the lake’s files (like Parquet or Delta) and rely on the lake to provide the data at query time. This is ideal for very large datasets or when you want the results to reflect the current state of the data in the lake, since nothing is stored in the Power BI dataset. In contrast, importing loads data into the model, Direct Query targets a relational source, and Automatic isn’t the mode used for lake-based querying.