PL-300 Model the data Practice Question
You are modeling a fact table that contains sales transactions with columns: OrderDate, ShipDate, SalesAmount, CustomerKey. You need to create a relationship to a date table. The date table has a single Date column. Which relationship should you create for the most accurate time-based analysis?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create an active relationship from OrderDate to Date and an inactive relationship from ShipDate to Date.
Option C is correct because a date dimension can have only one active relationship to a given fact table in Power BI / Tabular models, so OrderDate to Date is made active for default time intelligence, while ShipDate to Date is added as an inactive relationship that can be activated in specific measures using USERELATIONSHIP. This supports accurate analysis of both order-based and shipment-based metrics without ambiguity. Option A is wrong because it discards ShipDate analysis entirely, and Option B is wrong because two active relationships between the same two tables create an ambiguous filter path that is not allowed. Option D is wrong because making ShipDate the only relationship prevents standard order-date time intelligence and ignores OrderDate.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a single relationship from OrderDate to Date and ignore ShipDate.
Why it's wrong here
While OrderDate is the most common and important date for sales fact tables, eliminating ShipDate entirely means that shipping performance, delivery delays, and logistics metrics cannot be analyzed. Power BI supports multiple relationships between a fact and date table, but only one can be active; leaving ShipDate out completely removes the ability to later use USERELATIONSHIP for targeted shipping measures. A robust model should preserve both date roles even if OrderDate is the default.
- ✗
Create two active relationships: OrderDate to Date and ShipDate to Date.
Why it's wrong here
Power BI only allows a single active relationship between two tables; attempting to create two active relationships from OrderDate and ShipDate to the same Date table will cause an ambiguous filtering path, and the second relationship will be blocked or automatically converted to inactive. Even if both existed, default filters would be applied twice, producing incorrect results. The proper approach is to keep only OrderDate active and mark the ShipDate relationship as inactive, which can then be temporarily activated in DAX with USERELATIONSHIP.
- ✓
Create an active relationship from OrderDate to Date and an inactive relationship from ShipDate to Date.
Why this is correct
This design correctly distinguishes the default business date (OrderDate) from an alternative date role (ShipDate). Because a table can have multiple relationships but only one active, the ShipDate relationship is configured as inactive, meaning it won't affect normal filters. When shipping analysis is needed, a DAX measure can use CALCULATE with USERELATIONSHIP(ShipDate[Date], Date[Date]) to activate that relationship for the duration of the calculation, preserving both analytical paths without ambiguity.
- ✗
Create only one relationship from ShipDate to Date.
Why it's wrong here
Using ShipDate as the only relationship sacrifices OrderDate, which is typically the primary date for sales reporting, time intelligence, and standard fiscal calendars. OrderDate remains the most natural default for measures like sales amount or transaction count, and shipping only becomes relevant in specific scenarios. A single ShipDate relationship would force all date filters to apply based on shipping, distorting metrics that should reflect when the sale occurred.
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