Quick Answer
The answer is List.Dates. This M function generates a list of sequential date values when you provide a start date, a count of how many dates to create, and a step duration such as #duration(1,0,0,0) for one-day increments. To build a date table covering the full range of your OrderDate column, you first calculate the count as Duration.Days(MaxDate - MinDate) + 1, then pass that count along with the minimum date and the step into List.Dates. On the PL-300 exam, this task tests your ability to create a proper date dimension in Power Query, a common requirement for time-intelligence calculations. A frequent trap is confusing List.Dates with List.Generate or Date.AddDays—List.Dates is the direct, clean approach for a fixed sequential list. Memory tip: think “Dates need a Start, Count, and Step”—like a recipe with three ingredients.
This PL-300 practice question tests your understanding of prepare the data. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
You are building a Power BI data model from an Azure SQL Database. The source table contains a column 'OrderDate' of type datetime. You want to create a date table in Power Query that includes all dates from the minimum to maximum OrderDate. Which M function should you use to generate the list of dates?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
List.Dates
List.Dates(start, count, #duration(1,0,0,0)) generates a list of consecutive dates.
List.Generate
Why wrong: List.Generate is more complex and not the simplest for a continuous date range.
List.DateTimes
Why wrong: List.DateTimes generates a list of datetime values, not just dates.
List.Range
Why wrong: List.Range extracts a sublist from an existing list, it does not generate dates.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
List.Dates
Option A is correct because `List.Dates` generates a list of sequential dates (type `date`) given a start date, a count of values, and a step duration. In Power Query, when you need a date table covering the range from the minimum to maximum `OrderDate`, you compute the count as `Duration.Days(MaxDate - MinDate) + 1` and use `List.Dates(MinDate, Count, #duration(1,0,0,0))`. This produces a clean list of dates without time components, ideal for a date dimension.
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.
List.Dates
Why this is correct
List.Dates(start, count, #duration(1,0,0,0)) generates a list of consecutive dates.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
List.Generate
Why it's wrong here
List.Generate is more complex and not the simplest for a continuous date range.
List.DateTimes
Why it's wrong here
List.DateTimes generates a list of datetime values, not just dates.
List.Range
Why it's wrong here
List.Range extracts a sublist from an existing list, it does not generate dates.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `List.DateTimes` (which includes time) with `List.Dates` (date only), or they overcomplicate the solution by choosing `List.Generate` when a simpler, purpose-built function exists.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `List.Dates` uses the `#duration` function to increment each step, and the resulting list is of type `date`. A subtle behavior is that the step value can be negative to generate dates backward, and the count must be a non-negative integer. In real-world scenarios, you often wrap this in a `Table.FromList` or `List.Transform` to create a full date table with additional columns like Year, Month, and Day, ensuring the date table is contiguous even if the source data has gaps.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: List.Dates — Option A is correct because `List.Dates` generates a list of sequential dates (type `date`) given a start date, a count of values, and a step duration. In Power Query, when you need a date table covering the range from the minimum to maximum `OrderDate`, you compute the count as `Duration.Days(MaxDate - MinDate) + 1` and use `List.Dates(MinDate, Count, #duration(1,0,0,0))`. This produces a clean list of dates without time components, ideal for a date dimension.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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