A Power BI semantic model whose tables use different storage modes, for example some Import and some DirectQuery, chosen table by table. Tables in Dual mode can work either way, and Power BI picks whichever suits each query best.
Read more: Microsoft Learn
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains Composite model in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- Power BI
Microsoft's analytics and reporting service. It reaches data held on-premises through the on-premises data gateway.
- Semantic model
Sometimes called an OLAP model, this Power BI and Fabric layer defines the measures, hierarchies, tables and relationships that reports and dashboards query; star schema design is the usual pattern.
- General-purpose v1
The older storage account kind (
Storage), which lacks access tiers, Archive and premium file shares and retires on 13 October 2026. Converting to ZRS requires first upgrading to GPv2, a one-way change. - DirectQuery
Power BI connection mode in which reports fetch data from the source in real time; Direct Lake outperforms it.
- Event
Table in Log Analytics where entries from Windows event logs are kept.
Related terms
- DirectQuery for Power BI semantic models
Lets an author whose report is live-connected to a published semantic model choose Make changes to this model, turning that link into a local composite model to which their own tables and columns can be added. Tenant settings have to allow it.
- Limited relationship
Neither side of this kind of relationship is guaranteed to be unique; examples include many-to-many relationships and those spanning source groups in a composite model. Power BI evaluates it using inner join semantics, and the join cannot always be sent down to the source.
- Make changes to this model
Use this on a live-connected report in Power BI Desktop to bolt on a local model. Doing so turns the connection into DirectQuery and the report becomes a composite model, letting you mix in extra data such as spreadsheet tables.