PL-300 Visualize and analyze the data Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are developing a Power BI report to analyze sales performance. The data model includes a 'Sales' fact table with a 'Date' column and a 'Region' dimension table. You need to create a measure that calculates the total sales amount for the current year compared to the previous year. Which TWO of the following steps are required to implement this calculation correctly?

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

Accepted Answer

Create a separate date table and mark it as a date table in Power BI.. A dedicated date table marked as a date table in Power BI is required for time intelligence functions like SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR to work correctly. Time intelligence functions rely on a continuous, contiguous date range with a 'Date' column marked as the date table, ensuring accurate year-over-year comparisons. Without this, the functions may return incorrect or blank results due to gaps or non-standard date hierarchies.

Answer

Use the Quick Measure feature to create a 'Year-over-year change' measure.

Answer

Apply the CALCULATE function to switch between years.

Answer

Ensure the 'Sales' table has a relationship to the 'Date' table with a many-to-many cardinality.

Question 2

You are reviewing a Power Query M script that imports sales data. The script filters orders from 2023, groups by CustomerID to sum SubTotal, sorts descending, and takes the top 10 customers. However, the query fails with an error. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The column name 'SubTotal' is misspelled; the correct column name is 'Subtotal'.. The error is most likely caused by a misspelled column name in the M script. Power Query is case-sensitive for column names, so 'SubTotal' does not match the actual column 'Subtotal', causing a runtime error when the script tries to reference the non-existent column.

Answer

The parameters in Sql.Database are reversed; the correct order is database name first, then server.

Answer

The Table.FirstN function is missing the second argument; it should be Table.FirstN(#"Sorted Rows", 10).

Answer

The #date function cannot be used with a datetime column; use DateTime.From instead.

Question 3

You are a Power BI analyst at a retail company. The company has a Power BI dataset that imports daily sales data from an on-premises SQL Server database. The dataset includes tables: 'Sales' (columns: SaleID, ProductID, SaleDate, Quantity, UnitPrice, CustomerID), 'Products' (ProductID, ProductName, Category), and 'Customers' (CustomerID, CustomerName, Region). The report needs to display a matrix visual showing total sales amount (Quantity * UnitPrice) by Category (rows) and Year (columns). The report currently shows blank values for the matrix. You have verified that relationships exist between the tables and that there is a date table marked as a date table. The measure used is: Total Sales = SUMX(Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[UnitPrice]). When you test the measure in a card visual, it returns a value. However, the matrix shows blanks. What is the most likely cause and solution?

Accepted Answer

Convert the SaleDate column to a date data type using Power Query.. The matrix shows blanks because SaleDate contains datetime values with times, while the date table contains date values (midnight). The active relationship on SaleDate = Date fails to match rows when the Year filter is applied, causing the Sales table to be filtered to an empty set, yielding BLANK. In a card visual, there is no Year filter, so all rows are included, returning a value. Converting SaleDate to a date data type (truncating time) ensures relationships match and filters propagate correctly.

Answer

Use the ALL function in the measure to ignore filter context.

Answer

Create an active relationship between the date table and the Sales table on the SaleDate column.

Answer

Modify the measure to use CALCULATE with USERELATIONSHIP to force the relationship.

Question 4

Drag and drop the steps to import data from a SQL Server database into Power BI Desktop into the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Open Power BI Desktop, then click Get Data and select SQL Server, then enter server name and database name and authentication, then select tables or write a SQL query and click Load or Transform.. Importing from SQL Server involves selecting the source, connecting to the server and database, choosing tables or queries, and loading or transforming data.

Answer

Click Get Data and select SQL Server, then open Power BI Desktop, then enter server name and database name and authentication, then select tables or write a SQL query and click Load or Transform.

Answer

Open Power BI Desktop, then enter server name and database name and authentication, then click Get Data and select SQL Server, then select tables or write a SQL query and click Load or Transform.

Answer

Open Power BI Desktop, then click Get Data and select SQL Server, then select tables or write a SQL query and click Load or Transform, then enter server name and database name and authentication.

Question 5

Match each data connectivity mode to its description.

Accepted Answer

Import: Data is stored in the Power BI dataset.. Correct matches: Import stores data locally, DirectQuery sends queries, Live Connection connects to existing model, Composite Model mixes Import and DirectQuery. Common confusion is between Import and DirectQuery.

Answer

Import: Data is not stored locally, queries are sent to source.

Answer

DirectQuery: Data is stored in Power BI cache.

Question 6

Match each DAX function category to an example function.

Accepted Answer

Aggregation: SUM. Correct matches: Aggregation → SUM, Logical → IF, Filter → CALCULATE. Common confusions: confusing text functions (LEFT) with date/time (DATE) and vice versa.

Answer

Text: DATE

Answer

Date/Time: LEFT

Question 7

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?

Accepted Answer

Use bookmarks with a region slicer.. Bookmarks allow you to capture different states of a report page, such as a slicer selection for a specific region, and let users switch between them without creating multiple pages. Option B is incorrect because tooltip pages show additional info on hover but do not allow switching between views. Option C is incorrect because drillthrough pages navigate to a separate page. Option D is incorrect because the Q&A visual is for natural language queries, not for switching between regional views.

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 8

You are designing a Power BI report to analyze customer churn. The data model includes a 'Customers' table and a 'Churn' table. You need to create a measure that calculates the churn rate for each month, defined as the number of customers who churned that month divided by the total number of active customers at the beginning of the month. What is the best approach?

Accepted Answer

Create a calculated table that summarizes active customers at the start of each month.. The best approach is to create a calculated table that summarizes active customers at the start of each month. This provides a snapshot of the denominator (active customers at month start) that can be used in a measure to calculate the churn rate per month. A calculated table is appropriate here because it precomputes the static values for each month, making the measure efficient. Option B is incorrect because COUNTROWS and FILTER would require complex logic to get the snapshot and may perform poorly. Option C is unrelated as RANKX is for ranking, not for aggregating churn by month. Option D is incorrect because a calculated column would evaluate row by row and not aggregate per month properly.

Answer

Write a measure using COUNTROWS and FILTER.

Answer

Use the RANKX function to order customers by churn date.

Answer

Create a calculated column in the 'Customers' table to mark churned status per month.

Question 9

You have a Power BI report that uses a live connection to an Azure Analysis Services (AAS) tabular model. You need to add a new measure to the report. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Add the measure to the AAS tabular model using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Visual Studio.. With a live connection to an Azure Analysis Services model, you cannot create measures in Power BI Desktop; they must be defined in the source model. The measure must be added to the AAS tabular model using a tool such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Visual Studio. Option A is incorrect because calculated columns cannot be added in Power BI Desktop with a live connection; they also must be added to the source model. Option B is incorrect because you cannot modify the AAS model directly from Power BI Desktop; live connections are read-only. Option D is incorrect because calculated tables are not measures, and they also cannot be created in Power BI Desktop with a live connection.

Answer

Use DAX to create a new calculated column in Power BI Desktop.

Answer

Modify the AAS model directly from Power BI Desktop.

Answer

Create a new calculated table in Power BI Desktop.

Question 10

You have a Power BI report with a date table and a sales table. The above DAX measure is used in a visual that also shows 'Date[Year]' on the axis. What does this measure return?

Accepted Answer

The sum of sales for the maximum year present in the Date table, regardless of the visual's year filter.. The FILTER with ALL(Date) removes all filters from the Date table, then keeps only rows where Year equals the maximum year in the entire Date table (since ALL removes the filter from the visual axis). Therefore, it shows the sum of sales for the max year regardless of the visual's year filter. Option A is wrong because it would require no filter or ALLSELECTED. Option B is wrong because that would be the simple SUM without the ALL. Option D is wrong because the measure does return a value (the sum for the max year), not a blank.

Answer

The sum of sales for all years.

Answer

The sum of sales for the current year on the axis.

Answer

A blank because the measure conflicts with the visual filter.

Question 11

You have a Power BI dataset that includes a 'Sales' table and a 'Calendar' table. You need to create a measure that calculates the running total of sales over the last 12 months, ending on the last date in the current filter context. Which DAX function should you use?

Accepted Answer

DATESINPERIOD. DATESINPERIOD returns a set of dates from the last date in the current filter context going back 12 months, which is ideal for a rolling 12-month total. Option A is wrong because DATEADD shifts dates but does not automatically give a period. Option B is wrong because PREVIOUSMONTH only returns the previous single month. Option C is wrong because DATESBETWEEN requires explicit start and end dates.

Answer

DATEADD

Answer

PREVIOUSMONTH

Answer

DATESBETWEEN

Question 12

You are building a Power BI report to display sales data. You want to ensure that when users export the report data to Excel, the exported data respects the current filters and slicers applied in the report. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'Export data' option from the visual's context menu.. The 'Export data' option from a visual's context menu in Power BI exports the underlying data while respecting all current filters and slicers applied to the report. Options A and B affect data permissions and report interaction, not export filtering. Option D, 'Analyze in Excel', creates a live connection that may not respect all report-level filters and slicers.

Answer

Apply row-level security (RLS) to the dataset.

Answer

Set the report to 'Read only' mode.

Answer

Use the 'Analyze in Excel' feature.

Question 13

Which THREE of the following are valid considerations when using Power BI's AI visuals? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Some AI visuals have a limit on the number of data points they can analyze.. Options B, D, and E are correct. Option B is correct because some AI visuals, such as Key Influencers, have limits on the number of data points they can analyze (e.g., up to 100,000 rows in certain scenarios). Option D is correct because certain features of AI visuals, like decomposition tree with automatic aggregation or advanced analytics, require Power BI Premium capacity. Option E is correct because some AI visuals require data in a specific format; for example, the decomposition tree requires numeric fields for the 'explain by' axis, and Key Influencers require categorical and numeric fields for analysis. Option A is incorrect because AI visuals are available with any Power BI license (Pro or Premium) and do not require a separate AI workload license. Option C is incorrect because AI visuals are not deprecated; they remain fully supported alongside Copilot features.

Answer

AI visuals are only available with an AI workload license.

Answer

AI visuals are deprecated in favor of Copilot.

Question 14

Which TWO of the following are valid ways to share a Power BI report with external users who do not have a Power BI license? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Publish the report to a Power BI app and grant access to external users if the tenant settings allow.. Options A and C are correct. To share a Power BI report with external users without licenses, you can either publish it to a Power BI app (if tenant settings allow external sharing) or use the 'Publish to web' option to generate an embed code that works without requiring a license. Option D (sharing directly) requires the recipient to have a Pro license. Option B (exporting to PDF and emailing) is not a built-in feature. Option E (sharing to a distribution group) still requires licenses for the users.

Answer

Export the report to PDF and email it to the external user.

Answer

Share the report directly from the Power BI service by entering the external user's email address.

Answer

Add the external user to a distribution group and share the report with that group.

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.. Relationships in a Power BI dataset are defined in the 'relationships' array within the JSON structure. Option B is incorrect because the 'tables' array holds table definitions, not relationships. Option C is incorrect because changing the 'version' field does not add a relationship. Option D is incorrect because adding a measure does not create a relationship between 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.