PL-300 Visualize and analyze the data Practice Test 5 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You create a bar chart showing sales by product category. You want to sort the categories by total sales descending. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Click the ellipsis menu on the visual and choose 'Sort by Sales' then 'Sort descending'. You can sort the visual by the Sales field in descending order. Option B is wrong because sorting by category name is alphabetical. Option C is wrong because the data model does not have a sort by column for this purpose. Option D is wrong because sorting by a measure is done via the visual's sort options.

Answer

Sort the visual by category name ascending

Answer

Create a measure that returns the sales value and sort by that measure

Answer

In the data model, set the Sort by Column property for Category

Question 2

Refer to the exhibit. The DAX query is executed in DAX Studio. It returns a table with Category and Total Sales. However, the total sales values are incorrect because they include all categories regardless of context. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The relationship between Sales and Product is inactive. In DAX, SUMMARIZE creates filter context for the group-by columns. If the relationship between Sales and Product is active, the measure should evaluate per category. If the relationship is inactive, the filter on Product[Category] does not propagate to Sales, so SUM(Sales[Amount]) returns the grand total for each row, matching the symptom described.

Answer

The query does not filter by any specific context, so it returns grand total for each category

Answer

The SUMMARIZE function syntax is incorrect

Answer

The GROUP BY column should be from the Sales table

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. This JSON defines a row-level security (RLS) role in Power BI. A user assigned to the 'Sales Manager' role runs a report that shows total sales across all regions. The sum displayed is lower than expected. What is the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

The RLS filter restricts data to the West region only. The RLS role filters the Sales table to only show rows where Region is 'West', so the total sum only includes West region sales. Option A is wrong because the filter is applied regardless of the role's name. Option C is wrong because the sum is not a bug; it's the intended behavior. Option D is wrong because the user is in the role, so RLS is enforced.

Answer

The role name 'Sales Manager' does not match the user's job title

Answer

The user is not a member of the role

Answer

The FILTER function syntax is incorrect and causes an error

Question 4

You are a Power BI analyst at a retail company. The company has a SQL Server data warehouse with tables: 'Sales' (SalesID, ProductID, CustomerID, SalesDate, Amount, Quantity), 'Products' (ProductID, ProductName, Category, UnitPrice), 'Customers' (CustomerID, CustomerName, Region, Segment). The data warehouse is refreshed nightly. You need to build a Power BI solution that meets the following requirements:
- The report must be published to the Power BI service and support scheduled refresh.
- Users must be able to analyze sales by product category and customer region.
- The data model should follow a star schema design.
- A measure must calculate the running total of sales by date.
- The report must include a visual that shows the top 5 products by sales amount for the current year.
- Performance is critical; the report should load quickly.

You have imported the data into Power BI Desktop. Which of the following actions should you take to meet the requirements?

Accepted Answer

Create a date dimension table. Build a star schema with Sales as fact and Products, Customers, and Date as dimensions. Use TOTALYTD for running total and TOPN for top products.. It directly satisfies every stated requirement: adding a dedicated Date dimension enables a proper star schema with Sales as the fact table and Products, Customers, and Date as dimensions, which is the recommended Power BI model for fast performance and time intelligence. TOTALYTD is the appropriate DAX time-intelligence function for a running total of sales by date, and TOPN (or a Top N visual filter) correctly returns the top 5 products by sales amount for the current year. The other options fail for specific reasons: B uses a calculated column with FILTER/EARLIER instead of a measure, which is slower and not a true running total measure, and it lacks a Date dimension. C uses DirectQuery and per-visual SQL, which conflicts with the nightly-refresh requirement and typically performs worse than Import mode for this scenario. D collapses the model into a single flat table, violating the star schema requirement, and EARLIER is not valid in a measure.

Answer

Import all tables. Create a calculated column for running total using FILTER and EARLIER. Use a slicer to filter by current year and sort a bar chart by sales.

Answer

Use DirectQuery mode to connect to the data warehouse. Write a SQL query for each visual to ensure real-time data. Use a SQL window function for running total.

Answer

Create a single flat table by merging all tables in Power Query. Use a measure for running total with EARLIER function. Create a Top N filter on a table visual.

Question 5

You are building a report that uses a calculated column with the formula: 'Profit = Sales[Revenue] - Sales[Cost]'. Users report that the Profit column shows negative values for some rows when it should be positive due to a known data issue in the Cost column. What is the best approach to handle this without modifying the source data?

Accepted Answer

Modify the calculated column to use COALESCE or IF to treat missing or incorrect cost values.. The scenario involves a known data issue in the Cost column, and using IF or COALESCE in the calculated column lets you substitute or correct incorrect/missing cost values at the model layer without altering the source data. This keeps the Profit = Sales[Revenue] - Sales[Cost] logic intact while handling bad Cost inputs gracefully. Option A does not fix the underlying calculation and merely filters results, which can hide valid rows. Option B only changes visual formatting and does not change the negative Profit values themselves. Option C changes the data retrieval mode but does not address the incorrect Cost values, so the negative profits would persist.

Answer

Create a measure that filters out rows with negative profit.

Answer

Apply conditional formatting on the Profit column to hide negative values.

Answer

Switch the table to DirectQuery mode to retrieve live data.

Question 6

You are designing a report for mobile users. Which layout consideration is most important to ensure usability on small screens?

Accepted Answer

Use a vertical layout with key metrics placed at the top.. A vertical layout with key metrics at the top ensures that the most important information is immediately visible without scrolling, which is crucial for mobile usability. Option A is wrong because horizontal arrangement forces horizontal scrolling, which is inconvenient on small screens. Option B is wrong because placing all visuals on a single page can lead to an overwhelming experience and excessive vertical scrolling. Option D is wrong because while tooltips can provide additional details, they are not the primary layout consideration for mobile usability.

Answer

Arrange visuals horizontally to use screen width.

Answer

Place all visuals on a single page to avoid page navigation.

Answer

Use tooltips to provide additional details on tap.

Question 7

You are building a Power BI report that shows sales by region. You want to use a visual that displays hierarchical data, such as region -> country -> city, and allows drilling up and down. Which visual should you use?

Accepted Answer

Decomposition tree. The Decomposition tree (option D) is correct because it is purpose-built for hierarchical, drill-down analysis: you can add Region, Country, and City as successive dimensions and expand or drill into each level interactively. It supports AI-assisted "Explain by" splits and lets users navigate a region -> country -> city hierarchy directly. A scatter plot (A) shows correlation between two numeric measures and has no hierarchy drill path, a stacked bar chart (B) can show categories but does not provide the same multi-level decomposition/drill experience, and a Card (C) displays a single aggregate value with no hierarchy at all.

Answer

Scatter plot

Answer

Stacked bar chart

Answer

Card

Question 8

You have a Power BI dataset that contains a table with sales data and a separate date table. You create a measure that uses CALCULATE and DATESYTD to show year-to-date sales. The measure returns incorrect values for the first month of the year. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The date table does not contain a continuous range of dates for the entire year.. The date table does not contain a continuous range of dates for the entire year. Time intelligence functions such as DATESYTD rely on a complete, contiguous set of dates in the marked date table; if dates are missing (for example, days with no sales were not generated), the YTD calculation can produce incorrect results, especially at the start of the year when the accumulation window is short. A single-directional relationship (A) is normal and sufficient for filtering the sales table from the date table, so it does not cause this error. Month granularity (C) would prevent proper day-level time intelligence but is not the described symptom, and not marking the table as a date table (D) would typically cause time intelligence functions to fail or behave unpredictably rather than specifically returning wrong values only for the first month.

Answer

The relationship between tables is single-directional.

Answer

The date table uses month granularity instead of day.

Answer

The date table is not marked as a date table.

Question 9

You are troubleshooting a Power BI report that uses a measure with the following formula: Profit Margin = DIVIDE(SUM(Transactions[Profit]), SUM(Transactions[Revenue])). The measure returns blank for rows where revenue is zero. You want to display 0% instead of blank. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Add a third argument to DIVIDE: DIVIDE(SUM(Transactions[Profit]), SUM(Transactions[Revenue]), 0).. The correct option is B: adding a third argument to DIVIDE, DIVIDE(SUM(Transactions[Profit]), SUM(Transactions[Revenue]), 0), because DIVIDE's optional third parameter specifies the value to return when division by zero (or blank denominator) occurs, so it directly yields 0 instead of BLANK. This is the intended, most efficient fix for the scenario. Option A uses COALESCE, which is not a native DAX function (the DAX equivalent is COALESCE only in newer versions and would still require the measure to be non-blank), and it does not address the division-by-zero semantics. Option C uses IFERROR, which is not a DAX function (DAX has IFERROR only in some contexts and it targets errors, not blank results from DIVIDE). Option D wraps the measure with IF(ISBLANK(...)), which would work but is more verbose and less efficient than using DIVIDE's built-in third argument.

Answer

Use COALESCE([Profit Margin], 0).

Answer

Use IFERROR( [Profit Margin], 0).

Answer

Wrap the measure with IF(ISBLANK([Profit Margin]), 0, [Profit Margin]).

Question 10

Which TWO of the following are required to use Copilot in Power BI? (Select two.)

Accepted Answer

A Power BI Premium capacity (PPU or Premium Gen2).. Copilot in Power BI requires a paid Fabric capacity because the natural-language model runs on Fabric infrastructure, so option D (a Power BI Premium capacity, either PPU or Premium Gen2) is correct as it provides the required dedicated capacity for Copilot features. Option E (a Fabric license of F64 or higher) is also correct because Copilot capabilities are gated behind Fabric capacities at the F64 SKU or above, which supply the necessary compute for AI workloads. Options A, B, and C are not requirements: a dataset can come from any source rather than being built from scratch, Copilot works in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service rather than Desktop only, and no custom visual is needed since Copilot operates on standard semantic models and reports.

Answer

A dataset created from scratch in Power BI Desktop.

Answer

Power BI Desktop only (service not supported).

Answer

A report with at least one visual using a custom visual.

Question 11

You are designing a Power BI report for executives. The report must show sales performance across regions, with the ability to drill down from region to country to city. The data model includes a Sales table and a Geography table. Which type of hierarchy should you create in the Geography table to enable drill-down?

Accepted Answer

Create a standard multi-level hierarchy in the Geography table using the region, country, and city columns.. Creating a standard multi-level hierarchy (grouping) on the Geography table using the region, country, and city columns enables drill-down in Power BI visuals. Options A, B, and D do not create a proper hierarchy for drill-down.

Answer

Create a calculated table that combines region, country, and city.

Answer

Create a relationship between the Sales table and a Geography table that includes region, country, and city columns.

Answer

Add a calculated column that concatenates region, country, and city.

Question 12

You are creating a Power BI report that includes a matrix visual showing sales by product category and year. You want to highlight the highest sales value in each category. Which conditional formatting option should you use?

Accepted Answer

Color by rules with a rule to highlight the maximum value per category.. The correct option is C: Color by rules with a rule to highlight the maximum value per category. In a Power BI matrix visual, conditional formatting by rules lets you define a condition based on an aggregation (e.g., the maximum value within each category group), so the highest sales value per product category can be flagged with a specific background or font color. A color scale (A) applies a continuous gradient across values and cannot target only the maximum per group, while icons (B) and data bars (D) visualize magnitude but do not isolate and highlight the single highest value per category. Therefore, only the rule-based color formatting satisfies the requirement of highlighting the top value in each category.

Answer

Color by color scale with a diverging gradient.

Answer

Icons with a traffic light icon set.

Answer

Data bars with a bar color.

Question 13

Which THREE of the following are valid ways to share a Power BI report with users who do not have a Power BI Pro license? (Select THREE.)

Accepted Answer

Embed the report in a secure portal or website using the embed option for internal users.. Options A, C, and E are correct. Option B is wrong because sharing via email requires Pro. Option D is wrong because publishing to web makes report public, which may not be desired.

Answer

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

Answer

Publish the report to the web (public) and share the link.

Question 14

Which TWO of the following are valid ways to create a calculated table in Power BI? (Select TWO.)

Accepted Answer

Use the DAX expression with the SUMMARIZE function.. A calculated table in Power BI is created with a DAX table expression, and SUMMARIZE is a valid DAX function that returns a table by grouping data and projecting columns, so a new table can be defined as, for example, NewTable = SUMMARIZE(Sales, Sales[Product], "Total", SUM(Sales[Amount])). Option D is also correct because ADDCOLUMNS is a DAX table function that returns a table with added calculated columns, and it is commonly used inside calculated table expressions such as NewTable = ADDCOLUMNS(VALUES(Product[Category]), "Total Sales", CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]))). Option B is not correct because Merge Queries in Power Query Editor transforms or combines existing queries and produces a query, not a DAX calculated table. Option C is not correct because Split Column is a Power Query transformation that divides a column's text into multiple columns and does not create a calculated table. Option E is not correct because Group By in a matrix visual is a visual-level aggregation behavior, not a method for creating a calculated table.

Answer

Use the Merge Queries feature in Power Query Editor.

Answer

Use the Split Column feature in Power Query Editor.

Answer

Use the Group By feature in a matrix visual.

Question 15

You have a Power BI report that uses a live connection to an Azure Analysis Services tabular model. Users report that the report loads slowly when filtering by a specific date range. You need to improve performance without changing the data source. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Enable the 'Reduce queries sent to the source' option in the report settings.. Enabling 'Reduce queries sent to the source' in the report settings lets Power BI batch and consolidate the DAX queries it issues to the Azure Analysis Services tabular model, cutting the number of round trips and improving responsiveness when users filter by a date range. This addresses the slow loading without altering the live connection or the underlying data source. Option A is not viable because a live connection to Azure Analysis Services does not permit switching a table to Import storage mode. Option B merely restricts the data shown and does not reduce the query load on the model. Option C adds a field parameter for measure selection, which is unrelated to date-range filtering performance.

Answer

Change the storage mode to Import for the fact table.

Answer

Apply a visual-level filter to limit the date range.

Answer

Create a field parameter to allow users to select measures.