PL-300 Practice Test 8 — 10 Questions

Question 1

You are importing data from a SQL Server database into Power BI. The source table has a column 'OrderDate' of type DATETIME. You want to filter data based on the date only, ignoring time. What is the most efficient approach?

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

Accepted Answer

Change the data type of the OrderDate column to 'Date' in Power Query. [wrong]. Changing the data type of the OrderDate column to 'Date' in Power Query is the most efficient approach. This modifies the existing column directly, avoiding the storage of an additional column and reducing memory usage. Unlike creating a new column with Date.From(), which keeps both the original datetime and the new date column, changing the data type is simpler and more memory-efficient. Power Query transformations like changing data type are applied during data load, making them more performant than DAX calculated columns, which are computed after data is loaded.

Answer

Create a calculated column in DAX using DATEVALUE(OrderDate). [CORRECT]

Answer

Create a new column in Power Query using Date.From(OrderDate). [wrong]

Answer

Use the 'Split Column' feature in Power Query to separate date and time. [wrong]

Question 2

You are importing data from a SQL Server database into Power BI. The source table has a column 'OrderDate' of type DATETIME. You want to filter data based on the date only, ignoring time. What is the most efficient approach?

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

Accepted Answer

Use a parameter for the date range and reference it in the filter.. Using a parameter for the date range and referencing it in the filter allows for dynamic, maintainable filtering in Power Query. This approach leverages Power Query's M language to apply a filter step that can be easily updated without modifying the query logic, ensuring only rows from the last 7 days are loaded during data refresh.

Answer

Load all rows and then use a DAX filter in the data model.

Answer

Split the column into date and time and then filter on the date part.

Question 3

Which TWO data sources can you connect to from Power BI Desktop using a native connector? (Select two.)

Accepted Answer

MySQL database (on-premises). Power BI Desktop provides native connectors for a wide range of data sources, including many on-premises databases. Both MySQL and Oracle databases have dedicated native connectors that allow direct connection from Power BI Desktop without requiring a gateway. This is a common point of confusion because the Power BI Service requires a gateway for on-premises data, but Desktop connections are direct.

Answer

Azure Blob Storage

Answer

Dataverse

Answer

MongoDB

Question 4

You need to ensure that only members of the 'Sales' security group can edit reports in the 'Sales Reports' workspace. The workspace currently has four members: three from Sales and one from Marketing. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Add the Sales security group as a workspace Admin and remove the Marketing user.. Adding the Sales security group as a workspace Admin grants full editing capabilities to all members of that group. Removing the Marketing user from the workspace ensures that only Sales members have edit access. Workspace roles like Admin allow editing of reports and other content. Option B is incorrect because Power BI does not have a 'Restrict editing' option at the workspace level; access is controlled through roles. Option C is incorrect because publishing reports as a Power BI app with 'Build' permissions does not control editing within the workspace; it controls how consumers interact with the app content. Option D is incorrect because keeping the Marketing user as a 'Member' still allows them to edit content in the workspace, which contradicts the requirement that only Sales members can edit.

Answer

Configure the workspace to allow only specific users to edit by using the 'Restrict editing' option.

Answer

Publish the reports to a Power BI app and grant the Sales group 'Build' permissions.

Answer

Assign the Sales security group the 'Contributor' role and keep the Marketing user as 'Member'.

Question 5

You need to combine two tables from different sources: 'Orders' from SQL Server and 'Returns' from an Excel file. Both tables have a column named 'OrderID'. You want to include all orders and only matching returns. Which join type should you use in Power Query?

Accepted Answer

Left Outer Join. In Power Query, a Left Outer Join returns all rows from the first (left) table ('Orders') and only the matching rows from the second (right) table ('Returns'), based on the 'OrderID' column. This matches the requirement to include all orders and only matching returns, ensuring no order is dropped even if it has no corresponding return.

Answer

Inner Join

Answer

Right Outer Join

Answer

Full Outer Join

Question 6

You are creating a Power BI report from a SQL Server database that contains a table Orders with columns: OrderDate, CustomerID, ProductID, Quantity, UnitPrice. You need to build a star schema. Which THREE tables should you create? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Date dimension table with date attributes.. In a star schema, dimension tables contain descriptive attributes (e.g., dates, products, customers) and are connected to a central fact table. For the Orders table, a Date dimension (B) is essential for time-based analysis, a Product dimension (C) provides product details, and a Customer dimension (D) stores customer attributes. These three dimensions normalize the data and enable efficient slicing and dicing in Power BI.

Answer

OrderDetails table with line items.

Answer

Sales fact table with measures.

Question 7

Your Power BI model includes a calculated column that concatenates first and last name. Users report that the column shows blank for some rows. The data source has no nulls. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

One of the columns contains only spaces. A column containing only spaces (e.g., '   ') is not null, but when concatenated with another name, the result may appear blank if the concatenation results in pure whitespace or if the column is trimmed before concatenation. Option A is incorrect because data type mismatch would typically cause an error, not a blank result. Option B is incorrect because the data source has no nulls, so missing rows are not the issue. Option C is incorrect because relationship direction does not affect calculated columns within the same table.

Answer

Data type mismatch between the two columns

Answer

The columns are from different tables without a relationship

Answer

The relationship between tables is set to single direction

Question 8

Which THREE of the following are considerations when implementing row-level security (RLS) in Power BI? (Select three.)

Accepted Answer

RLS does not apply to data accessed via the XMLA endpoint unless using dynamic security.. Options A, B, and C are correct. Row-level security (RLS) in Power BI ensures that users only see data they are authorized to view. Option A is correct because RLS does not apply to data accessed via the XMLA endpoint unless dynamic security is configured; static RLS filters are not applied through the endpoint. Option B is correct because RLS filters are applied at query time, restricting data in all visuals. Option C is correct because RLS can be defined using DAX filter expressions in the Manage Roles feature. Option D is incorrect because RLS applies to all users regardless of their role (Viewer, Editor, etc.); it is not limited to the Viewer role. Option E is incorrect because the "Show all" option in visuals does not bypass RLS; users cannot see data they are not permitted to see.

Answer

RLS is enforced only for users with the Viewer role.

Answer

RLS can be bypassed by using the 'Show all' option in visuals.

Question 9

You are reviewing a Power Query query that loads data from a SQL Server database. The query includes multiple steps that perform data transformation. You want to ensure that the query is optimized by pushing as many transformations as possible to the SQL Server. What should you look for?

Accepted Answer

Check for the 'Query Folding' indicators in the query editor.. Query folding indicators in Power Query Editor show whether transformations are being pushed to the SQL Server source. When a step shows a 'folded' icon (a table with a down arrow), it means the transformation is translated into native SQL and executed on the server, reducing data transfer and improving performance. Checking these indicators directly confirms which steps are folded and which are not, allowing you to optimize the query by reordering or rewriting steps to maximize folding.

Option A is incorrect because viewing the native SQL query only shows the final aggregated SQL, not the folding status of each individual step. Option B is also incorrect as the Performance Analyzer helps measure overall report performance but does not indicate folding for each step. Option D is irrelevant because data previews do not show folding status.

Answer

View the native SQL query generated by Power Query.

Answer

Use the Performance Analyzer in Power BI Desktop.

Answer

Review the data preview for each step.

Question 10

Which TWO actions are required to set up a Power BI deployment pipeline with separate data sources for Development and Production?

Accepted Answer

Define dataset parameters in Power BI Desktop for data source values.. Defining dataset parameters in Power BI Desktop for data source values allows you to make the data source connection dynamic. These parameters can then be overridden at each stage of the deployment pipeline, enabling separate data sources for Development and Production without modifying the report file.

Answer

Assign the dataset owner to each stage workspace.

Answer

Re-enter data source credentials for each stage after deployment.

Answer

Create separate gateways for each stage.