Power BI Dataset Size Limits

Question: What’s the maximum dataset size Power BI can support?

Answer: As of now (Sep 1, 2018), the maximum dataset size that Power BI Pro can support is 1 GB. The maximum dataset size with Power BI Premium and Power BI Embedded is 10 GB but it depends on the SKU purchased.

The important point is “as of now”, as with everything cloud these limits will probably get higher soon. Also, recall that Power BI compresses data well so don’t jump to conclusions of how many rows a dataset can pack if you base the estimate solely on the dataset original size. For example, a 100 MB Excel file might compress to 10 megabytes.

The limits apply to datasets after compression. So, if the file size fits the limit, Power BI will let you upload it. But what happens if the dataset size increases after the dataset memory footprint expands or if it continues to expand on refresh? For example, a 10 GB pbix file might translate to a much larger memory footprint once loaded up (due to abf compression, dictionary expansion, assorted data structures, etc.). So, even if the dataset is loaded is loaded up, there will not be enough memory to do anything useful with it like run queries, do refresh, etc. because all the physical memory is used up. So there are also limits based on the actual memory used. The documentation refers to some extra memory that Power BI grants the dataset to allow future expansion to a point, such as up to 12 GB for a 10 GB dataset.