PL-300 Practice Test 5 — 25 Questions

Question 1

You have a Power BI report that shows sales by product category. The report is used by the sales team, who need to see the data at a regional level. You want to allow users to switch between viewing data for all regions and a specific region without creating multiple pages. Which feature should you use?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Use bookmarks with a region slicer.. Bookmarks with a region slicer is the correct approach because bookmarks capture the current state of a report page, including slicer selections, so users can toggle between an 'All regions' view and a filtered single-region view on the same page without duplicating pages. This directly satisfies the requirement to switch views in place while keeping a single report page. Tooltip pages only show supplementary detail on hover and cannot replace the main page's filtered view, drillthrough pages navigate to separate pages per region rather than switching views on one page, and the Q&A visual requires users to type natural-language queries instead of providing a simple toggle control.

Answer

Add a tooltip page that shows regional data.

Answer

Create drillthrough pages for each region.

Answer

Enable the Q&A visual and let users type the region.

Question 2

You need to audit which users have accessed a specific Power BI dashboard in the last 30 days. What should you use?

Accepted Answer

Power BI Activity Log (audit log) in the Microsoft 365 admin center.. The Power BI Activity Log (audit log) in the Microsoft 365 admin center is the correct tool because it records user activities such as viewing dashboards and reports, and it can be filtered by date range (e.g., last 30 days) and by item to identify exactly which users accessed a specific dashboard. It captures events like ViewDashboard and ViewReport with user, timestamp, and artifact details, which is precisely what this audit requires. Microsoft Sentinel is a SIEM for security analytics and would only have this data if the Power BI logs were explicitly ingested, so it is not the direct source. Microsoft Purview compliance portal focuses on data governance, classification, and compliance rather than Power BI usage auditing. The Power BI REST API 'Get Datasets' endpoint only returns dataset metadata and does not provide user access activity.

Answer

Microsoft Sentinel.

Answer

Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

Answer

Power BI REST API 'Get Datasets' endpoint.

Question 3

You are building a Power BI report to analyze customer churn. You want to add a visual that shows the trend of churn rate over time. Which visual type is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Line chart. A line chart is best for showing trends over time. Option B is wrong because a stacked bar chart is better for comparing parts of a whole. Option C is wrong because a scatter plot shows correlation between two variables. Option D is wrong because a pie chart shows proportions at a single point in time.

Answer

Stacked bar chart

Answer

Scatter plot

Answer

Pie chart

Question 4

You are modeling data for a retail company. The source data contains a table 'Transactions' with columns: TransactionID, StoreID, ProductID, Quantity, and SalesAmount. You need to create a star schema in Power BI. What should you do with the TransactionID column?

Accepted Answer

Keep TransactionID in the fact table. The correct option is B: keep TransactionID in the fact table. In a star schema, the fact table stores the grain-level transactional rows along with their identifiers and numeric measures, so TransactionID belongs there as the unique key for each sales transaction, alongside StoreID, ProductID, Quantity, and SalesAmount. Creating a separate transaction dimension (A) would add no analytical value and would effectively duplicate the fact grain, while moving TransactionID to the Product dimension (C) is wrong because it is not a product attribute and would break the fact-to-dimension relationship. Removing it (D) is also incorrect because the transaction identifier is needed for traceability, drill-through, and row-level identification, even though it is not used for aggregation.

Answer

Create a separate dimension table for transactions

Answer

Move TransactionID to the Product dimension

Answer

Remove the TransactionID column to reduce model size

Question 5

You are modeling data from a SQL database that has a table with columns: OrderID, CustomerID, OrderDate, ProductID, Quantity, and Price. You want to create a star schema in Power BI. Which columns should you move to dimension tables?

Accepted Answer

CustomerID, ProductID, OrderDate. In a star schema these columns are foreign keys or attributes that belong in dimension tables: CustomerID links to a Customer dimension, ProductID links to a Product dimension, and OrderDate links to a Date dimension for time-based analysis. The fact table should retain the numeric measures and the order identifier, so Quantity, Price, and OrderID stay in the fact table. Option A incorrectly moves Quantity and Price, which are measures, into dimensions. Option B incorrectly moves Quantity and Price and keeps CustomerID/ProductID out of dimensions. Option D incorrectly moves Quantity and Price while leaving the dimension keys in the fact table.

Answer

OrderDate, Quantity, Price

Answer

Quantity, Price, OrderID

Answer

OrderID, Quantity, Price

Question 6

You need to create a KPI visual that shows whether current sales are above or below target. Which fields are required for a KPI visual?

Accepted Answer

Value, Trend axis, and Target. A KPI visual requires a Value (measure for current sales), a Trend axis (usually date), and a Target (goal).

Answer

Value, Trend axis, and Category

Answer

Value and Trend axis only

Answer

Value and Target only

Question 7

You have a Power BI dataset with a 'Sales' table that includes a 'ProductID' column. You also have a 'Products' table with 'ProductID' and 'Category' columns. You create a relationship between the tables. You want to create a measure that calculates the total sales for products in the 'Electronics' category. Which DAX expression should you use?

Accepted Answer

CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]), Products[Category] = "Electronics"). Option D is correct because CALCULATE modifies the filter context of SUM(Sales[Amount]) by applying a filter on the related Products table's Category column, and since a relationship exists between Sales and Products, the filter propagates to the Sales table to return only Electronics sales. Option A is invalid syntax: SUMX requires a table as its first argument and an expression as its second, not a boolean condition and a column. Option B is wrong because RELATED is a column-reference function that requires row context and cannot be used directly inside a CALCULATE filter argument like that. Option C returns total sales for all categories with no Electronics filter applied.

Answer

SUMX(Products, Products[Category] = "Electronics", Sales[Amount])

Answer

CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]), RELATED(Products[Category]) = "Electronics")

Answer

SUM(Sales[Amount])

Question 8

You have a Power BI report that uses a DirectQuery connection to a large SQL Server data warehouse. Users report that slicers and filters are slow to respond. What should you recommend to improve performance?

Accepted Answer

Optimize the SQL queries and add appropriate indexes in the data warehouse.. With DirectQuery, every slicer and filter interaction is translated into a SQL query sent to the source, so performance depends heavily on the underlying SQL Server query efficiency and index availability; optimizing the SQL and adding appropriate indexes reduces query execution time and speeds up slicer/filter responsiveness. Option B does not fit because a live connection is used with Analysis Services (tabular/multidimensional) models, not a SQL Server data warehouse, and it would not improve the underlying query performance. Option C does not fit because increasing Power BI service capacity memory does not address slow source-side SQL execution in DirectQuery. Option D does not fit because switching to Import mode changes the architecture and introduces refresh latency and dataset size limits, rather than directly fixing the DirectQuery query performance issue described.

Answer

Change the connection to a live connection to the data warehouse.

Answer

Increase the memory allocated to the Power BI service capacity.

Answer

Switch the report to Import mode and schedule refreshes.

Question 9

You have a report page that shows sales by region. You want users to be able to select a region and see the corresponding sales details on the same page without navigating away. Which feature should you use?

Accepted Answer

Slicer. A slicer is correct because it lets users interactively filter the report page by selecting a region, and the sales details visuals on that same page update in place without any navigation. This matches the requirement of staying on the same page while changing the displayed data. Drillthrough would not fit because it navigates users to a separate drillthrough page filtered to the selected item. A matrix with expand/collapse changes the level of detail within a single visual rather than filtering the whole page by region selection. A card visual only displays a single aggregated value and provides no selection mechanism.

Answer

Drillthrough

Answer

Matrix with expand/collapse

Answer

Card visual

Question 10

Refer to the exhibit. A Power BI dataset has the scheduled refresh configuration shown in the JSON. The refresh fails on Monday, March 2, 2026. Who will be notified?

Accepted Answer

The dataset owner.. The correct option is B, the dataset owner, because Power BI scheduled refresh failure notifications are sent by default to the owner of the dataset (the user who configured/owns the refresh), not to broader groups. In the exhibit's scheduled refresh configuration, no additional notification recipients are specified, so only the dataset owner receives the failure alert for the March 2, 2026 refresh. Workspace admins are not automatically notified of refresh failures unless they are the dataset owner or explicitly added as recipients. The Power BI tenant admin and all users with dataset access are also not default recipients of scheduled refresh failure emails.

Answer

All workspace admins.

Answer

The Power BI tenant admin.

Answer

All users with access to the dataset.

Question 11

Which THREE considerations are important when implementing row-level security (RLS) in Power BI? (Select exactly 3.)

Accepted Answer

Roles can use DAX expressions to define filters. Option A is correct because RLS roles in Power BI define filters using DAX expressions (for example, [Region] = "West" or USERPRINCIPALNAME()), which is the core mechanism for row-level filtering. Option B is correct because RLS is designed to filter data based on the user's identity, typically via functions like USERNAME() or USERPRINCIPALNAME() mapped to a security table. Option D is correct because in DirectQuery mode, RLS filters are translated and pushed down to the source database as part of the query, so the source must be able to process them. Option C is not correct because RLS is not automatically applied in Analyze in Excel; the connection must use a role or the user must be a member of a role, and behavior depends on the connection method. Option E is not correct because RLS filters rows, not measures; restricting access to specific measures is handled through object-level security (OLS), not RLS.

Answer

RLS is automatically applied when using Analyze in Excel

Answer

RLS can restrict access to specific measures

Question 12

You are creating a Power BI report and need to visualize the relationship between two numerical variables, such as sales amount and profit. Which visual type is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Scatter chart. The correct option is D, a scatter chart, because it plots each observation as a point on a two-dimensional plane with one numerical variable on the X-axis (e.g., sales amount) and the other on the Y-axis (e.g., profit), directly revealing correlation, clusters, and outliers between the two measures. Line charts are designed to show trends of a measure over a continuous axis such as time, not the relationship between two independent numerical variables. Stacked bar charts compare categorical values and show part-to-whole composition, and pie charts display proportions of a single categorical field, so neither can express the pairwise correlation of two numeric measures.

Answer

Line chart

Answer

Stacked bar chart

Answer

Pie chart

Question 13

You are modeling a fact table that contains sales transactions with columns: OrderDate, ShipDate, SalesAmount, CustomerKey. You need to create a relationship to a date table. The date table has a single Date column. Which relationship should you create for the most accurate time-based analysis?

Accepted Answer

Create an active relationship from OrderDate to Date and an inactive relationship from ShipDate to Date.. Option C is correct because a date dimension can have only one active relationship to a given fact table in Power BI / Tabular models, so OrderDate to Date is made active for default time intelligence, while ShipDate to Date is added as an inactive relationship that can be activated in specific measures using USERELATIONSHIP. This supports accurate analysis of both order-based and shipment-based metrics without ambiguity. Option A is wrong because it discards ShipDate analysis entirely, and Option B is wrong because two active relationships between the same two tables create an ambiguous filter path that is not allowed. Option D is wrong because making ShipDate the only relationship prevents standard order-date time intelligence and ignores OrderDate.

Answer

Create a single relationship from OrderDate to Date and ignore ShipDate.

Answer

Create two active relationships: OrderDate to Date and ShipDate to Date.

Answer

Create only one relationship from ShipDate to Date.

Question 14

You need to design a report that allows users to see sales data at the year, quarter, and month levels, with the ability to expand and collapse hierarchies. Which visual type should you use?

Accepted Answer

Matrix visual. The correct option is C, the Matrix visual, because it natively supports hierarchical row/column groupings (such as Year > Quarter > Month) with expand/collapse controls, which is exactly what the report requires. A matrix also supports drill-down and drill-up through the hierarchy, letting users navigate from year to quarter to month levels. Option A is wrong because a Table visual does not provide expand/collapse hierarchy interaction. Option B is wrong because a stacked bar chart with drill-down changes the chart's level rather than offering expandable/collapsible hierarchy rows. Option D is wrong because a Card visual displays a single aggregated value and has no hierarchy support.

Answer

Table visual with hierarchy

Answer

Stacked bar chart with drill-down

Answer

Card visual with hierarchy

Question 15

You receive the above JSON policy for a Power BI dataset. You need to add a relationship between the 'Sales' table and a 'Calendar' table in the same dataset. What must you modify in the JSON?

Accepted Answer

Add an object to the 'relationships' array.. The correct answer is A: add an object to the 'relationships' array. In a Power BI dataset's JSON schema (as used in Tabular Model Scripting Language / TMSL and the dataset definition), relationships between existing tables are declared as entries in the top-level 'relationships' array, where each object specifies the fromTable, fromColumn, toTable, toColumn, and cardinality/crossFilteringBehavior. Since both the 'Sales' and 'Calendar' tables already exist in the dataset, the only required modification is to append a new relationship object describing that join. Option B is wrong because adding a table to the 'tables' array would create a new table, not define a relationship between two existing ones. Option C is wrong because changing the 'version' field does not create a relationship and could break compatibility. Option D is wrong because a measure is a DAX calculation, not a relationship definition, and it would not establish the required join between the tables.

Answer

Add a new table to the 'tables' array.

Answer

Change the 'version' field to '2.0'.

Answer

Add a measure that references the Calendar table.

Question 16

Refer to the exhibit. You have a Power BI measure defined as shown. Users report that when they filter by region, the measure always shows sales for the North region regardless of the filter. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The filter argument in CALCULATE overrides the existing filter context on Region.. The CALCULATE function includes a filter argument that overrides any existing filter context on the Region column. Option B is wrong because SUM does not ignore filters. Option C is wrong because the measure syntax is valid. Option D is wrong because the filter is on Region, not on the entire table.

Answer

The SUM function ignores filters applied to the Sales table.

Answer

The measure syntax is invalid and defaults to no filter.

Answer

The filter is applied to the entire Sales table, not just the Region column.

Question 17

You are designing a Power BI data model for a retail company. The model must include a table with product prices that change over time. Which table design should you use to support historical price analysis?

Accepted Answer

Create a separate dimension table for price with effective date ranges and relate it to the fact table. Option C is correct because a slowly changing dimension (Type 2) with effective date ranges preserves each historical price version and lets the fact table relate to the price that was valid at the time of each transaction, enabling accurate historical price analysis. Option B fails because updating a single price column in the product dimension overwrites history, so past transactions would reflect the current price rather than the price at sale time. Option A is wrong because an unrelated price-change table cannot be joined to the fact table, so no historical price context can be applied. Option D is also wrong because storing and overwriting the current price in the fact table destroys prior values and prevents any trend or historical comparison.

Answer

Create a separate table for price changes without any relationship

Answer

Add a price column to the product dimension and update it when price changes

Answer

Store the current price in the fact table and overwrite when price changes

Question 18

Refer to the exhibit. User2 wants to add a new user to the Finance workspace. Can User2 perform this action, and why?

Accepted Answer

No, because only Admins can add users.. The correct answer is D: No, because only Admins can add users. In the workspace roles model, adding or removing users (managing workspace access) is an Admin-only capability; Members and Contributors can work with content but cannot change membership. Therefore User2 cannot add a new user to the Finance workspace regardless of being a Member or Contributor. Option A is wrong because the Contributor role does not include user management, and Option B is wrong because the Member role also lacks that permission. Option C is wrong because Premium capacity is unrelated to workspace user-addition rights; permissions are governed by workspace roles, not capacity SKU.

Answer

Yes, because User2 is a Contributor.

Answer

Yes, because User2 is a Member.

Answer

No, because the Premium capacity does not allow adding users.

Question 19

You are creating a Power BI report that uses a composite model (DirectQuery for large tables and Import for small dimension tables). You want to ensure that measures referencing the DirectQuery tables are responsive. Which of the following design choices should you avoid?

Accepted Answer

Use complex time intelligence measures that iterate over the fact table. The design choice to avoid is A: complex time intelligence measures that iterate over the fact table, because in a composite model the DirectQuery fact table is queried remotely, and row-by-row iteration (e.g., SUMX over the fact table) forces expensive, non-foldable queries that hurt responsiveness. Measures that aggregate columns (B) can often be folded into a single SQL GROUP BY, so they are efficient. Importing a date dimension (C) is a recommended pattern because it keeps time intelligence calculations local and foldable. User-defined aggregations (D) are also recommended, as they cache pre-aggregated DirectQuery data and improve query performance.

Answer

Use measures that aggregate columns rather than rows

Answer

Create a date dimension table imported from the source

Answer

Create user-defined aggregations for the DirectQuery table

Question 20

You are building a Power BI report that uses a composite model with a DirectQuery source and an imported local table. You want to create a measure that aggregates data from both sources. What must you ensure?

Accepted Answer

The relationships between tables must be defined correctly.. The correct answer is A: relationships between tables must be defined correctly. In a Power BI composite model, a measure can aggregate data from both a DirectQuery source and an imported local table only when the tables are related through properly defined relationships, which allows the DAX engine to propagate filters across storage-mode boundaries. Without a valid relationship (correct cardinality and cross-filter direction), the measure cannot combine the two sources. Option B is false because composite models explicitly support measures spanning Import and DirectQuery tables. Option C is wrong because composite models are designed to mix storage modes, not force them to match. Option D is unnecessary and would defeat the purpose of using an imported local table.

Answer

You cannot create measures that use columns from both sources.

Answer

Both tables must be set to the same storage mode (DirectQuery or Import).

Answer

The local table must be converted to DirectQuery.