This post is a part of the PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Exam Prep Hub; and this topic falls under these sections:
Prepare the data (25–30%)
   --> Transform and load the data
      --> Configure Data Loading for Queries

Below are 10 practice questions (with answers and explanations) for this topic of the exam.
There are also 2 practice tests for the PL-300 exam with 60 questions each (with answers) available on the hub.

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Practice Questions

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Question 1

You create a Power Query that cleans raw data and is referenced by several other queries. The query should not appear as a table in the data model. What should you do?

A. Hide the table in Report View
B. Disable Load for the query
C. Delete the query after use
D. Set the query to DirectQuery mode

✅ Correct Answer: B

Explanation:
Staging or helper queries should have Enable Load turned off so they don’t create unnecessary tables in the data model.

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Question 2

Which setting determines whether a Power Query is loaded into the Power BI data model?

A. Include in report refresh
B. Enable Load
C. Query folding
D. Incremental refresh

✅ Correct Answer: B

Explanation:
The Enable Load option controls whether a query results in a table in the data model.

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Question 3

You disable load for a query that other queries reference. What is the impact?

A. Dependent queries will fail
B. The query is deleted
C. The query still runs but does not load into the model
D. Relationships are automatically removed

✅ Correct Answer: C

Explanation:
Disabling load does not prevent the query from executing. It simply prevents it from creating a table in the model.

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Question 4

A dataset contains historical data spanning 10 years and refresh times are very slow. What configuration would MOST improve refresh performance?

A. Disable query folding
B. Hide the table from report view
C. Enable incremental refresh
D. Convert the table to DirectQuery

✅ Correct Answer: C

Explanation:
Incremental refresh limits refresh operations to new or changed data, dramatically improving performance for large datasets.

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Question 5

Which requirement must be met before configuring incremental refresh?

A. The table must use Import mode
B. The table must contain a Date/Time column
C. The query must be disabled for load
D. The model must use DirectQuery

✅ Correct Answer: B

Explanation:
Incremental refresh requires a Date/Time column to define data partitions using parameters like RangeStart and RangeEnd.

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Question 6

Why is it a best practice to disable load for staging queries?

A. It improves DAX performance
B. It reduces the number of visuals
C. It reduces model size and complexity
D. It enables bidirectional filtering

✅ Correct Answer: C

Explanation:
Loading only final tables keeps the model lean, efficient, and easier to maintain — a key PL-300 principle.

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Question 7

Which Power BI feature visually shows how queries depend on each other?

A. Model View
B. Query Diagnostics
C. Query Dependencies
D. Performance Analyzer

✅ Correct Answer: C

Explanation:
Query Dependencies provides a visual map showing which queries reference others, helping validate load configuration decisions.

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Question 8

Which action helps preserve query folding and improve data loading performance?

A. Creating calculated columns
B. Filtering data early in Power Query
C. Disabling load for fact tables
D. Hiding columns in Data View

✅ Correct Answer: B

Explanation:
Applying filters early allows Power Query to push transformations back to the data source, improving performance during load.

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Question 9

A query is hidden from Report View but still increases dataset size. Why?

A. Hidden tables still load into the model
B. Hidden tables are cached
C. Hidden tables are duplicated
D. Hidden tables disable query folding

✅ Correct Answer: A

Explanation:
Hiding a table only affects visibility. It does not prevent data from being loaded into the model.

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Question 10

Which configuration prevents a query from refreshing but keeps it in the model?

A. Disable Load
B. Remove the query
C. Uncheck “Include in report refresh”
D. Convert to DirectQuery

✅ Correct Answer: C

Explanation:
Unchecking Include in report refresh keeps the table in the model but excludes it from refresh operations.

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Key PL-300 Takeaways

• Enable Load controls whether a query creates a model table
• Disable load for staging and helper queries
• Incremental refresh is critical for large datasets
• Query folding affects how data is loaded
• Hidden tables still consume memory

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