importing multiple dataframes from an R environment file (.RData)

[cdok1091]

I have an R environment file (.RData) with ~120 dataframes whose combined file size when exported to text files is ~90MB.  When I load the R environment into Power BI Desktop via R script... load(filename.RData)... the data frames quickly appear in the Navigator window.  But when I select all the dataframes and click "Load" in the window, Power BI starts loading them but never seems to resolve.  A list appears with all the dataframes listed with "Creating connection in model..." and an animated loading icon next to each one. 

I waited for more than 90 minutes, only for the operation to timeout with an error that there wasn't enough memory to complete the operation.  However, when I close the 'load' dialog box showing the errors for each dataframe, and I go into the Query Editor again -- and all the dataframes appear to be loaded as individual queries -- which is exactly what I wanted.  However, I can't seem to 'Apply' / 'Apply and Close' the Query Editor without initiating the same process -- this time with an Apply query changes dialog showing all the dataframes, each with another "Creating connection in model..." message.

The amount of data I'm loading is relatively small.  Is there a limit to the number of dataframes or size of files Power BI can simultaneously import from an R environment?   Is this an issue with my computer's memory or performance?  Does this error have something to do with Power BI Desktop compressing the data that it imports? 

Please advise!

-cdok1091

[Saleemsk195]

I have the same issue but with less than 10 dataframes. Loading them works fine using R studio but loading them in powerBI only returns the first (in alphabetical order) dataframe to select.

The problem is Power BI doesn't look like it's designed for people who just want to use it to visualise data that's pre-prepared on R. You're almost forced to do all the data preparation in Power BI and just use R for adhoc queries and visualisations.

[v-huizhn-msft]

Hi @cdok1091,

You have got a great discovery in this thread. 

When we download Power BI desktop, there are no limitation for loaded file. The efficency depands on our computer memory and performance. Usually, in order to reduce the amount of RAM your Data Model uses, we must consider casting the columns to the appropriate data types.

Here is an article to optimize data model to improve the performance.

Data Import Best Practices in Power BI and Power BI Performance Tips and Techniques.

Best Regards,
Angelia