Is Direct Lake the answer to everything? With Microsoft Fabric, many see Direct Lake as the default choice for semantic models, but the reality is far more nuanced. Choosing between Import mode, Direct Lake over OneLake, and Direct Lake over the SQL Endpoint depends on far more than just performance.

In this session, we take a practical look at when each storage mode makes the most sense. We compare capacity impact, engine behavior, and the difference between on-demand loading versus loading the full model into memory.

We also cover semantic modeling implications for model authors, Direct Lake fallback scenarios, and the performance impact of poorly designed Delta tables and partitioning strategies.

Learn how to make the right storage mode decision instead of simply following the hype around Direct Lake.