Preferences Runtime Settings

This page is part of the Preferences (Memory) docs:

Settings (runtime behavior and safety)

These are “knobs” that change how the server behaves at runtime. Common user-visible effects:

Smaller responses (row limits for queries/previews)
Formatting behavior (DAX/M formatting on/off)
Data masking behavior for returned results (PII/numeric masking, with exclusions)

Scope note (important): runtime settings behave like server configuration. If you ask for “model-specific settings”, the assistant may suggest using a separate MCP server instance or using rules/guardrails instead, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

Runtime settings you can ask to change

If you’re not sure what’s available in your environment, ask:

“List all available runtime settings and show current values.”

These are regular user settings, not “expert-only” settings.
If your mode/policy allows edits, you can set them directly through manage_memory.

Settings typically override built-in defaults for this server environment, but admins can still centrally lock down capabilities (for example, online formatting).

Common settings:

Output size: max_query_rows, max_preview_rows
Completion: completion_fuzzy_enabled, completion_fuzzy_threshold
Notifications: notification_log_level

Formatting settings (regular users)

These control how online formatters behave when formatting is used.

Setting ID	Tier	Accepted values	What it controls
`dax_formatting_enabled`	Free	`true` / `false`	Enables/disables online DAX formatting for this server session/environment.
`dax_formatting_line_style`	Free	`short` / `long`	DAX line wrapping style.
`dax_formatting_spacing_style`	Free	`best_practice` / `no_space`	DAX function spacing style.
`dax_formatting_list_separator`	Free	single character	DAX list separator (for example `,` or `;`).
`dax_formatting_decimal_separator`	Free	single character	DAX decimal separator (for example `.` or `,`).
`m_formatting_enabled`	Free	`true` / `false`	Enables/disables online Power Query (M) formatting.
`m_formatting_line_width`	Free	integer >= 1	Target line width for formatted M code.
`m_formatting_indent_length`	Free	integer >= 1	Indentation width for M formatting.
`m_formatting_indent_style`	Free	`spaces` / `tabs`	Indentation style for M formatting.

Important:

Formatting settings are global runtime settings.
Formatting still requires consent in write operations that call online formatters.
If your org centrally disables online formatting, turning it on via settings may still be blocked.

Prompts:

“Set dax_formatting_line_style=long and dax_formatting_spacing_style=best_practice.” “Set m_formatting_indent_style=spaces, m_formatting_indent_length=4, and m_formatting_line_width=120.” “Disable online DAX and M formatting in this environment.”

Masking settings (Pro, but regular usage)

Masking settings are frequently used in day-to-day analyst/consultant workflows.

Setting ID	Tier	Accepted values	What it controls
`pii_masking_enabled`	Pro	`true` / `false`	Toggles PII masking in query/preview outputs.
`pii_masking_exclude_tables`	Pro	string list	Tables that should never be PII-masked.
`pii_masking_exclude_columns`	Pro	string list	Columns that should never be PII-masked.
`numeric_masking_enabled`	Pro	`true` / `false`	Toggles numeric masking in query/preview outputs.
`numeric_masking_exclude_tables`	Pro	string list	Tables that should never be numerically masked.
`numeric_masking_exclude_columns`	Pro	string list	Columns that should never be numerically masked.

String-list format for excludes:

comma/semicolon/newline separated: Date,Calendar
JSON array: ["Date","Calendar"]
columns can be unqualified (CustomerId) or qualified (Customers[CustomerId] / Customers.CustomerId)

Prompts:

“Enable PII masking and numeric masking.” “Exclude table Date from numeric masking.” “Exclude Customers[CustomerId] and Customers[CustomerNumber] from PII masking.” “Set pii_masking_exclude_columns to [\"Customers[Email]\",\"Customers[Phone]\"].”

What masking is and isn’t configurable in Preferences

What you can configure with manage_memory settings:

on/off toggles for PII and numeric masking,
table/column exclusion lists.

What is currently deployment/admin-level (not end-user manage_memory settings):

custom PII regex patterns (MCP_ENGINE_PII_PATTERNS),
base masking enable flags (MCP_ENGINE_PII_MASKING, MCP_ENGINE_NUMERIC_MASKING),
default masking exclusions from deployment config.

What is not currently user-configurable via manage_memory:

custom PII hint dictionaries,
numeric masking scalar range and token dictionaries.

If a setting change is rejected, ask:

“Explain why this setting can’t be changed here (mode, policy, or license), and propose a safe alternative.”

Note: in some org deployments, online formatting can be centrally disabled. In that case, the assistant can help you turn it off, but turning it on may still be blocked.

Example prompts:

“Set query results to max 200 rows and table previews to max 50 rows.” “Turn on dax_formatting_enabled and set DAX style to long + best_practice.” “Enable numeric masking, but exclude Date and Calendar tables.”