To implement an incremental refresh of a dataset in Power BI, what should you do first?

To implement an incremental refresh of a dataset in Power BI, the first essential step is to define filter parameters in Power BI Desktop. This step involves creating a set of filters that determine how the incremental refresh will operate. By specifying parameters for date ranges or other relevant dimensions, you establish the criteria that the dataset will use to identify which data needs to be refreshed incrementally, rather than fully re-importing the entire dataset each time an update occurs.

This practice is crucial for performance optimization and for managing the amount of data processed during refresh operations. It helps in minimizing refresh times and optimizing the resource consumption of the Power BI service, which is particularly important when dealing with large datasets or regular updates.

The definition of the incremental refresh policy follows the specification of these filter parameters, as it relies on them to execute the refresh correctly. Once the parameters are established, the next steps such as defining the refresh policy, publishing the dataset, or ensuring the workspace is on a Premium SKU can be addressed, but starting with the filter parameters is foundational to a successful incremental refresh setup.