Microsoft Certification, PL-300, Power BI

PL-300: Practice Exam 2 (60 questions with answer key)

PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst practice exam

Total Questions: 60
Time Recommendation: 120 minutes

Note: We have sectioned the questions to help you prepare, but the real exam will have questions from the sections appearing randomly.
The answers are at the end, and we recommend only looking at the answers after you have attempted the questions.

SECTION 1: Prepare the Data (Questions 1–16)

1. (Scenario – Single choice)
You are importing data from a SQL Server database. You want to ensure transformations are executed at the source whenever possible. What should you prioritize?

A. Using Import mode
B. Maintaining query folding
C. Creating calculated columns
D. Disabling Auto Date/Time

2. (Multi-select)
Which Power Query actions typically preserve query folding? (Select two)

A. Filtering rows
B. Adding a custom column with complex M logic
C. Removing columns
D. Changing column order

3. (Fill in the blank)
Power BI’s feature that automatically detects column data types during import is called __________.

4. (Scenario – Single choice)
You need to combine two tables with the same columns but different rows. What should you use?

A. Merge Queries
B. Append Queries
C. Relationship
D. Lookup column

5. (Single choice)
Which data type is most memory-efficient for categorical values?

A. Text
B. Whole Number
C. Decimal Number
D. DateTime

6. (Scenario – Multi-select)
You are profiling a dataset and notice unexpected null values. Which tools help identify data quality issues? (Select two)

A. Column quality
B. Column distribution
C. Conditional columns
D. Replace errors

7. (Single choice)
Which connector allows ingestion of multiple files stored in a directory?

A. Excel Workbook
B. SharePoint List
C. Folder
D. Web API

8. (Scenario – Single choice)
You want to standardize values such as “USA”, “U.S.”, and “United States”. What is the most scalable solution?

A. DAX calculated column
B. Replace Values in Power Query
C. Visual-level filter
D. Manual edits in Data view

9. (Matching)
Match the transformation to its outcome:

TransformationOutcome
A. Group By1. Reduce row-level detail
B. Remove duplicates2. Aggregate data
C. Filter rows3. Exclude unwanted records

10. (Single choice)
Which data source does NOT support DirectQuery?

A. Azure SQL Database
B. SQL Server
C. Excel workbook
D. Azure Synapse Analytics

11. (Scenario – Single choice)
A column contains numbers and text. You need to fix errors without removing rows. What is the best option?

A. Remove errors
B. Replace errors
C. Change data type
D. Split column

12. (Multi-select)
Which actions reduce dataset size? (Select two)

A. Removing unused columns
B. Increasing column cardinality
C. Disabling Auto Date/Time
D. Using calculated tables

13. (Single choice)
Which step most commonly breaks query folding?

A. Sorting rows
B. Renaming columns
C. Adding a custom M function
D. Filtering

14. (Fill in the blank)
Power Query transformations are written using the __________ language.

15. (Scenario – Single choice)
You want to reuse a transformation across multiple queries. What should you create?

A. Calculated table
B. Custom column
C. Function
D. Measure

16. (Single choice)
Why is disabling Auto Date/Time considered a best practice?

A. It improves visual formatting
B. It reduces hidden tables and model size
C. It enables DirectQuery
D. It improves gateway performance

SECTION 2: Model the Data (Questions 17–32)

17. (Single choice)
Which schema design is recommended for Power BI models?

A. Snowflake
B. Relational
C. Star
D. Hierarchical

18. (Scenario – Single choice)
You have multiple fact tables sharing the same Date table. What relationship setup is recommended?

A. Many-to-many
B. One-to-one
C. One-to-many from Date
D. Bi-directional

19. (Multi-select)
Which actions improve DAX performance? (Select two)

A. Using variables
B. Using volatile functions
C. Reducing iterator usage
D. Increasing column cardinality

20. (Fill in the blank)
A table that stores transactional events is called a __________ table.

21. (Scenario – Single choice)
You need a calculation that must be evaluated only once during refresh. What should you use?

A. Measure
B. Calculated column
C. Visual filter
D. Slicer

22. (Single choice)
Which function changes filter context?

A. SUM
B. FILTER
C. CALCULATE
D. VALUES

23. (Scenario – Single choice)
You need a metric that responds to slicers and cross-highlighting. What should you create?

A. Calculated table
B. Calculated column
C. Measure
D. Static column

24. (Matching)
Match the DAX concept to its definition:

ConceptDefinition
A. Filter context1. Row-by-row evaluation
B. Row context2. Visual and slicer filters
C. Iterator3. Loops through rows

25. (Single choice)
Which DAX function safely handles division when the denominator is zero?

A. IF
B. DIV
C. DIVIDE
D. CALCULATETABLE

26. (Multi-select)
Which functions are considered time intelligence? (Select two)

A. DATEADD
B. SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR
C. SUMX
D. FILTER

27. (Scenario – Single choice)
Why should you mark a Date table?

A. To enable RLS
B. To improve visual formatting
C. To ensure correct time intelligence
D. To reduce refresh duration

28. (Single choice)
What is the purpose of a bridge table?

A. Speed up refresh
B. Resolve many-to-many relationships
C. Enable DirectQuery
D. Create calculated measures

29. (Multi-select)
Which are iterator functions? (Select two)

A. COUNT
B. SUMX
C. AVERAGEX
D. DISTINCT

30. (Scenario – Single choice)
You have two date relationships between the same tables. One is inactive. How do you use the inactive one?

A. USERELATIONSHIP
B. CROSSFILTER
C. RELATED
D. LOOKUPVALUE

31. (Single choice)
What is a key downside of calculated columns?

A. They cannot be filtered
B. They increase model size
C. They cannot use DAX
D. They slow down visuals

32. (Fill in the blank)
The recommended relationship direction in most models is __________.

SECTION 3: Visualize and Analyze the Data (Questions 33–48)

33. (Single choice)
Which visual best compares values across categories?

A. Line chart
B. Bar chart
C. Scatter plot
D. Area chart

34. (Scenario – Single choice)
You want users to navigate to a detail page by right-clicking a visual. What should you configure?

A. Drill-down
B. Drillthrough
C. Bookmark
D. Tooltip

35. (Multi-select)
Which visuals support hierarchies? (Select two)

A. Matrix
B. Card
C. Bar chart
D. Gauge

36. (Fill in the blank)
A report page designed to show details for a selected value is called a __________ page.

37. (Single choice)
Which feature allows toggling between different visual states?

A. Filters
B. Bookmarks
C. Themes
D. Sync slicers

38. (Scenario – Single choice)
You want values over target to appear green and under target red. What should you use?

A. KPI visual
B. Conditional formatting
C. Measure
D. Theme

39. (Multi-select)
Which fields can be used in a slicer? (Select two)

A. Measures
B. Date columns
C. Text columns
D. Tooltips

40. (Single choice)
What is the primary purpose of report tooltips?

A. Navigation
B. Additional context on hover
C. Filtering
D. Security

41. (Scenario – Single choice)
You want slicer selections on one page to apply to other pages. What should you use?

A. Drillthrough
B. Visual interactions
C. Sync slicers
D. Bookmarks

42. (Single choice)
Which export option respects RLS and aggregation?

A. Export underlying data
B. Export summarized data
C. Copy visual
D. Analyze in Excel

43. (Multi-select)
Which actions improve report performance? (Select two)

A. Reduce number of visuals
B. Use complex custom visuals everywhere
C. Prefer measures over columns
D. Increase page interactions

44. (Single choice)
What does a KPI visual compare?

A. Actual vs target
B. Categories vs totals
C. Trends over time
D. Part-to-whole

45. (Scenario – Single choice)
Which visual supports row and column grouping with totals?

A. Table
B. Matrix
C. Card
D. Gauge

46. (Fill in the blank)
The feature that allows users to ask questions using natural language is __________.

47. (Single choice)
Where do you configure how visuals affect each other?

A. Model view
B. Edit interactions
C. Dataset settings
D. Themes

48. (Single choice)
Which visual is best for showing part-to-whole relationships?

A. Line chart
B. Pie chart
C. Scatter plot
D. Table

SECTION 4: Manage and Secure Power BI (Questions 49–60)

49. (Single choice)
Row-Level Security primarily restricts access to:

A. Reports
B. Rows of data
C. Dashboards
D. Workspaces

50. (Scenario – Single choice)
Different users must see different departments’ data using the same report. What should you implement?

A. App audiences
B. RLS roles
C. Workspace permissions
D. Bookmarks

51. (Multi-select)
Which workspace roles can publish content? (Select two)

A. Viewer
B. Contributor
C. Member
D. Admin

52. (Single choice)
Where are RLS roles defined?

A. Power BI Service
B. Power BI Desktop
C. Azure AD
D. SQL Server

53. (Single choice)
What does Object-Level Security control?

A. Row visibility
B. Column or table visibility
C. Dataset refresh
D. Report access

54. (Scenario – Single choice)
Which role should be assigned to users who only consume content?

A. Admin
B. Member
C. Contributor
D. Viewer

55. (Fill in the blank)
A curated, read-only package of Power BI content is called an __________.

56. (Single choice)
Which component enables scheduled refresh for on-premises data?

A. DirectQuery
B. Dataset
C. Gateway
D. Workspace

57. (Multi-select)
Which authentication types are supported by on-premises data gateways? (Select two)

A. Windows
B. OAuth
C. Basic
D. Anonymous

58. (Scenario – Single choice)
You want to minimize refresh time for a very large dataset. What should you configure?

A. RLS
B. Incremental refresh
C. DirectQuery
D. OLS

59. (Single choice)
Who can manage users and permissions in a workspace?

A. Viewer
B. Contributor
C. Member
D. Admin

60. (Single choice)
What is a primary advantage of Power BI apps?

A. Faster DAX calculations
B. Controlled content distribution
C. Reduced data volume
D. Improved gateway reliability

ANSWER KEY WITH EXPLANATIONS

Prepare the Data (1–16)

  1. B — Query folding pushes transformations to the source
  2. A, C — Filtering and removing columns fold well
  3. Type detection
  4. B — Append stacks rows
  5. B — Whole numbers compress best
  6. A, B — Profiling tools reveal quality issues
  7. C — Folder connector ingests multiple files
  8. B — Clean once at ingestion
  9. A-2, B-1, C-3
  10. C — Excel does not support DirectQuery
  11. B — Replace errors preserves rows
  12. A, C — Less data, fewer hidden tables
  13. C — Custom M breaks folding
  14. M
  15. C — Functions promote reuse
  16. B — Prevents unnecessary date tables

Model the Data (17–32)

  1. C — Star schema is best practice
  2. C — Date is a shared dimension
  3. A, C — Variables and fewer iterators improve performance
  4. Fact
  5. B — Calculated columns are refresh-time only
  6. C — CALCULATE modifies filters
  7. C — Measures are dynamic
  8. A-2, B-1, C-3
  9. C — DIVIDE handles zero safely
  10. A, B — Both are time intelligence
  11. C — Required for correct time calcs
  12. B — Bridge resolves many-to-many
  13. B, C — Iterators loop rows
  14. A — USERELATIONSHIP activates inactive relationships
  15. B — Stored in memory
  16. Single-direction

Visualize & Analyze (33–48)

  1. B — Best for categorical comparison
  2. B — Drillthrough navigates pages
  3. A, C — Support hierarchies
  4. Drillthrough
  5. B — Bookmarks store states
  6. B — Conditional formatting applies rules
  7. B, C — Columns only
  8. B — Context on hover
  9. C — Sync slicers cross pages
  10. B — Respects aggregation & security
  11. A, C — Fewer visuals, measures preferred
  12. A — Actual vs target
  13. B — Matrix supports grouping
  14. Q&A
  15. B — Edit interactions
  16. B — Part-to-whole

Manage & Secure (49–60)

  1. B — RLS filters rows
  2. B — Role-based filtering
  3. B, D — Can publish
  4. B — Defined in Desktop
  5. B — Hides columns/tables
  6. D — Viewer is read-only
  7. App
  8. C — Gateway enables refresh
  9. A, C — Supported auth types
  10. B — Incremental refresh
  11. D — Admin manages users
  12. B — Centralized, controlled distribution

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