This PL-300 practice question tests your understanding of prepare the data. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which TWO of the following are valid data source types in Power BI that support DirectQuery? (Select TWO.)
Snowflake
Snowflake supports DirectQuery.
Excel workbook
Why wrong: Excel only supports Import mode.
Azure Synapse Analytics
Azure Synapse Analytics supports DirectQuery.
SharePoint Online List
Why wrong: SharePoint Online List only supports Import mode.
JSON file
Why wrong: JSON files only support Import mode.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Snowflake
Snowflake is a cloud-based data warehouse that supports DirectQuery in Power BI, allowing queries to be sent directly to Snowflake without importing data into Power BI's in-memory engine. This is possible because Snowflake provides a SQL-based interface that Power BI can connect to via its native connector, enabling real-time querying of large datasets.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Snowflake
Why this is correct
Snowflake supports DirectQuery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Excel workbook
Why it's wrong here
Excel only supports Import mode.
Azure Synapse Analytics
Why this is correct
Azure Synapse Analytics supports DirectQuery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
SharePoint Online List
Why it's wrong here
SharePoint Online List only supports Import mode.
JSON file
Why it's wrong here
JSON files only support Import mode.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse file-based or list-based data sources (like Excel, JSON, or SharePoint) as being DirectQuery-capable because they can be connected to Power BI, but DirectQuery is strictly limited to relational databases and data warehouses that support live query execution.
Detailed technical explanation
DirectQuery in Power BI translates report visuals into native SQL queries sent to the source database, bypassing the VertiPaq in-memory engine. For Snowflake and Azure Synapse Analytics, this leverages their MPP (Massively Parallel Processing) architectures to handle large-scale queries efficiently, but it also imposes limitations such as no support for time intelligence functions and slower performance compared to Import mode due to network latency and query execution overhead.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Prepare the data — This question tests Prepare the data — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Snowflake — Snowflake is a cloud-based data warehouse that supports DirectQuery in Power BI, allowing queries to be sent directly to Snowflake without importing data into Power BI's in-memory engine. This is possible because Snowflake provides a SQL-based interface that Power BI can connect to via its native connector, enabling real-time querying of large datasets.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This PL-300 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PL-300 exam.
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