Partitions are the key to scaling in-memory SSAS Tabular models as only certain partitions, such as the partitions representing the last two months of data, need to be included in a recurring refresh process.
These partitions can be defined in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) as shown in the following screenshot, and many patterns and practices have been documented for automating the management and refresh of partitions:
Partition Manager in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)
In the preceding screenshot, the Reseller Sales table is comprised of multiple yearly partitions (that is, ResellerSales2018). In most large models, the partitions would ...
