Choosing column data types

Setting the data types of columns in Power BI Desktop is usually the final step of queries and has great implications for all layers of the solution including data refresh, modeling, and visualization. Choosing appropriate data types reduces the risk of refresh failures, ensures consistent report results, and provides analytical flexibility to the data model and visualization layers.

This recipe includes four common examples of choosing and defining data types to load to Power BI Desktop. Additional details on data types and the implications of data types for Power BI development are contained in the sections following these examples.