Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, Microsoft Certification, PL-300, Power BI

Create a Narrative Visual with Copilot (PL-300 Exam Prep)

 
This post is a part of the PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Exam Prep Hub; and this topic falls under these sections:
Visualize and analyze the data (25–30%)
   --> Create reports
      --> Create a Narrative Visual with Copilot

Note that there are 10 practice questions (with answers and explanations) at the end of each topic. Also, there are 2 practice tests with 60 questions each available on the hub below all the exam topics.

Where This Topic Fits in the Exam

Within the Visualize and analyze the data (25–30%) section of the PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst exam, Microsoft evaluates not only your ability to build visuals, but also your ability to communicate insights effectively.

The “Create a narrative visual with Copilot” objective focuses on using Copilot in Power BI to generate narrative explanations that summarize trends, patterns, and key takeaways from report data. This capability supports storytelling and helps business users understand what the data means, not just what it shows.

On the exam, this topic is primarily conceptual and scenario-based, testing your understanding of when and why to use Copilot-generated narratives and how they fit into report design.

What Is a Narrative Visual with Copilot?

A narrative visual is a text-based visual that describes insights derived from data, such as:

  • Trends over time
  • Comparisons between categories
  • Significant increases or decreases
  • Notable outliers or anomalies

With Copilot in Power BI, these narratives can be generated automatically using natural language, based on the data in the report and the context of selected visuals.

The goal is not to replace visuals, but to augment them with plain-language explanations that improve accessibility and understanding.

Purpose of Narrative Visuals

Narrative visuals help bridge the gap between data and decision-making by:

  • Summarizing insights for non-technical users
  • Reducing the need for manual interpretation
  • Providing context that may not be obvious from charts alone
  • Supporting executive and summary-style reporting

In exam scenarios, Copilot narratives are positioned as a way to enhance clarity and storytelling, not as a data modeling or calculation feature.

How Copilot Supports Narrative Creation

When creating a narrative visual with Copilot, Power BI uses:

  • The data model and relationships
  • Filters and slicer context
  • Existing visuals on the report page

Copilot analyzes this context and generates a written summary describing what is happening in the data. These narratives can update dynamically as filters or slicers change, ensuring the explanation stays aligned with the current view of the data.

Key Characteristics of Copilot Narrative Visuals

You should understand the following characteristics for the PL-300 exam:

Automatically Generated Insights

Copilot creates narratives based on patterns it detects, such as:

  • Growth or decline trends
  • Highest and lowest performers
  • Significant changes over time

These narratives are designed to be readable and business-friendly.

Context-Aware

Narratives respond to:

  • Page-level filters
  • Visual-level filters
  • Slicer selections

This ensures the narrative reflects the same scope of data as the visuals on the report page.

Editable and Customizable

Although Copilot generates the narrative, report authors can:

  • Edit the text
  • Refine wording
  • Remove or emphasize specific insights

This ensures the final narrative aligns with business language and reporting standards.

When to Use a Narrative Visual with Copilot

Narrative visuals are especially useful when:

  • Reports are consumed by executive or non-technical audiences
  • A high-level summary is needed alongside detailed visuals
  • Users want quick explanations without deep analysis
  • Reports are shared broadly and need self-service clarity

On the exam, the correct answer often involves using Copilot narratives when clarity, explanation, or summarization is explicitly requested.

What This Topic Is Not About

It’s important to recognize exam boundaries. This objective is not about:

  • Creating DAX measures
  • Writing custom calculations
  • Designing complex visuals
  • Performing data transformations

If a question focuses on calculations, performance, or data modeling, Copilot narratives are not the correct solution.

Common Exam Scenarios

You may see scenarios such as:

  • A business user wants a written explanation of trends shown in a report
  • Executives need a quick summary without interpreting multiple visuals
  • A report should dynamically explain changes when slicers are adjusted

In these cases, creating a narrative visual with Copilot is often the best answer.

Best Practices to Remember for the Exam

  • Use Copilot narratives to complement visuals, not replace them
  • Ensure the narrative aligns with the filtered data context
  • Prefer narrative visuals when explanation and storytelling are required
  • Understand that Copilot-generated text can be edited by the report author

When answering exam questions, focus on intent: if the requirement is to explain, summarize, or describe insights, Copilot narratives are likely the correct choice.

Summary

The Create a narrative visual with Copilot topic evaluates your understanding of how AI-assisted features in Power BI can improve report usability and insight communication.

For the PL-300 exam, you should know:

  • What narrative visuals are
  • How Copilot generates context-aware summaries
  • When narrative visuals are appropriate
  • How they enhance report storytelling

Mastering this concept prepares you not only for the exam, but also for building more accessible, insight-driven Power BI reports in real-world scenarios.

Practice Questions

Go to the Practice Exam Questions for this topic.

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