DP-600 · 3.2.3 · Implement and manage semantic models
Direct Lake framing and fallback
Configure Direct Lake, including default fallback and refresh behavior
refresh reframes table metadata; SQL-endpoint models can fall back to when a query cannot stay in Direct Lake.
Refresh means framing
A refresh does not re-import the data. It frames the model by reading the latest Delta metadata and pointing the model at the current Parquet files.
can fall back to when a query cannot be answered in Direct Lake. Automatic permits that . DirectLakeOnly makes the query fail instead, which is useful during development.
has no DirectQuery fallback.
Key points
- Refresh: reframes Delta-table metadata
- Automatic: SQL-endpoint models may fall back silently
- DirectLakeOnly: exposes queries that cannot use Direct Lake
- : never falls back
Click an underlined term for a one-line explanation, or see them all in the glossary .
Exam trap
Automatic can hide a slower path. Use DirectLakeOnly during development to expose queries that cannot remain in .
Sources · 3 Microsoft Learn pages Show ▾
- How Direct Lake works (Microsoft Fabric)
- Understand Direct Lake query performance (Microsoft Fabric)
- Analyze query processing for Direct Lake semantic models (Microsoft Fabric)
Checked on October 4, 2026. Report a problem
Go deeper on Microsoft Learn
- How Direct Lake works (Microsoft Fabric)
- Understand Direct Lake query performance (Microsoft Fabric)
- Analyze query processing for Direct Lake semantic models (Microsoft Fabric)
Checked against Microsoft Learn on October 4, 2026. Report a problem with this card