Choosing the correct data type when building your data model helps to ensure that the size of your model is kept to a minimum. It can also help with performance when it comes to refreshing the data in your model.
When you load new data into your model, the modeling engine will attempt to pick the most efficient data type for a column, based on the values that it is importing for that column. However, it is worth checking the data types that it selects, as it may not always choose the most appropriate data type for your data needs. For example, if a column currently contains only integer numbers, the modeling engine will pick the Whole Number data type. If this column subsequently contains fractional values, then the fractional ...
