Question

Is it possible to store data in Power BI statically so that it remains unchanged after a data refresh? If so, how can this be implemented?
I want to retain specific data in Power BI without it getting refreshed or overwritten when the dataset updates. Is there a way to store and preserve historical or static data in Power BI, such as through calculated tables, incremental refresh, or other techniques? How can this be implemented effectively?

Answer 1

Yes, you can retain specific data in Power BI without it changing after a refresh using these methods:

1. Calculated Tables – Use DATATABLE or SUMMARIZE to create a table that doesn’t depend on external sources. Example:

StaticTable = DATATABLE("ID", INTEGER, "Value", STRING, { {1, "A"}, {2, "B"} })

• This remains unchanged unless manually updated.

• Incremental Refresh (Premium or Pro with Direct Lake) – Retain historical data by setting refresh policies in Power BI Service. Load only new data while keeping past data static.

• Manually Imported Excel/CSV – Load static data from an Excel/CSV file once, then remove the connection to prevent overwrites.