This PL-300 practice question tests your understanding of model 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```dax
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS(
'Date'[Year],
'Product'[Category],
"Total Sales", CALCULATE(SUM('Sales'[Amount]), FILTER('Sales', 'Sales'[Amount] > 100))
)
```
You are analyzing a DAX query as shown in the exhibit. You need to determine the result set. The model contains tables: Date, Product, and Sales with relationships. Which statement accurately describes the output?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The query returns total sales per year and category for Amount > 100
Option A is correct because the DAX query uses SUMMARIZE to group sales by 'Year' from the Date table and 'Category' from the Product table, then filters the Sales table to include only rows where Amount > 100. The result is a table of total sales (sum of Amount) for each combination of year and category that meets the filter condition.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
The query returns total sales per year and category for Amount > 100
Why this is correct
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS groups by Year and Category, and the CALCULATE with FILTER sums only where Amount > 100.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The query returns total sales for each year, ignoring category
Why it's wrong here
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS includes both Year and Category, so output is grouped by both.
✗
The query returns sales amounts only for products with Amount > 100
Why it's wrong here
It sums amount for all rows where Amount > 100, not filtering products.
✗
The query returns total sales for each category, ignoring year
Why it's wrong here
Both Year and Category are grouping columns.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often misinterpret the SUMMARIZE function as returning individual rows rather than aggregated groups, or they overlook that the filter condition applies to the underlying Sales rows, not to the aggregated result.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS includes both Year and Category, so output is grouped by both.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The SUMMARIZE function in DAX performs a group-by operation over specified columns (here, 'Year' and 'Category') and can compute aggregate expressions like SUM(Sales[Amount]). The filter condition 'Amount > 100' is applied at the row level of the Sales table before aggregation, which is a common pattern to pre-filter detail rows. In real-world scenarios, this query is useful for generating summary reports that require both time and product dimensions with a threshold filter.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Model the data — This question tests Model the data — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The query returns total sales per year and category for Amount > 100 — Option A is correct because the DAX query uses SUMMARIZE to group sales by 'Year' from the Date table and 'Category' from the Product table, then filters the Sales table to include only rows where Amount > 100. The result is a table of total sales (sum of Amount) for each combination of year and category that meets the filter condition.
What should I do if I get this PL-300 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.