The answer is to model Patients as a dimension, Visits as a fact table, and Procedures as a separate fact table with a many-to-one relationship to Visits. This star schema design correctly separates the grain of each table—Visits track one row per visit event, while Procedures track multiple procedure lines per visit—allowing you to analyze procedure costs by patient demographics like gender and age group, and by date hierarchies such as year, quarter, and month, without data redundancy. On the PL-300 exam, this scenario tests your ability to recognize when a single fact table is insufficient due to differing granularities; a common trap is merging all data into one wide table, which inflates row counts and breaks accurate cost aggregation. Remember the “one fact per grain” rule: if your source has a one-to-many relationship between events and line items, keep them as separate fact tables bridged by a dimension.
PL-300 Model the data Practice Question
This PL-300 practice question tests your understanding of model the data. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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 semantic model for a healthcare provider. The model must track patient visits and procedures. You have three source tables: Patients (PatientID, Name, DOB, Gender), Visits (VisitID, PatientID, VisitDate, DoctorID), Procedures (ProcedureID, VisitID, ProcedureCode, Cost). The model should allow users to analyze procedure costs by patient demographics (gender, age group) and by date (year, quarter, month). You need to design the star schema. Which of the following is the most appropriate design?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Patients as a dimension, Visits as a fact table, Procedures as a fact table with a many-to-one relationship to Visits.
Option A is correct: Patients as a dimension, Visits as a fact (or bridge), and Procedures as a fact. This allows cost analysis by patient attributes and date. Option B is wrong because merging all into one table leads to a wide table with redundancy. Option C is wrong because creating separate models for visits and procedures prevents combined analysis. Option D is wrong because using DirectQuery for all tables can cause performance issues.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use DirectQuery and create relationships between all three tables.
Why it's wrong here
DirectQuery may be slower and is not necessary for this scenario.
✗
Create a separate model for visits and another for procedures, then combine them in a composite model.
Why it's wrong here
Composite models are not needed and add complexity.
✓
Patients as a dimension, Visits as a fact table, Procedures as a fact table with a many-to-one relationship to Visits.
Why this is correct
This enables analysis of procedure costs by patient demographics and date.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Merge all tables into a single flat table in Power Query.
Why it's wrong here
A flat table is not normalized and leads to data duplication.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
DirectQuery may be slower and is not necessary for this scenario.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PL-300 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Model the data — This question tests Model the data — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Patients as a dimension, Visits as a fact table, Procedures as a fact table with a many-to-one relationship to Visits. — Option A is correct: Patients as a dimension, Visits as a fact (or bridge), and Procedures as a fact. This allows cost analysis by patient attributes and date. Option B is wrong because merging all into one table leads to a wide table with redundancy. Option C is wrong because creating separate models for visits and procedures prevents combined analysis. Option D is wrong because using DirectQuery for all tables can cause performance issues.
What should I do if I get this PL-300 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PL-300 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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