PL-300 Model the data Practice Question
You are modeling data for a subscription business in Power BI Desktop. The Subscriptions table has StartDate and EndDate columns, and the Dates table is marked as the official date table. Analysts need a measure that counts subscriptions that were active on any given day selected in a slicer from Dates, and the relationship between Subscriptions and Dates must remain inactive to avoid ambiguity. Which approach should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for USERELATIONSHIP to solve an interval problem when only one relationship can be activated at a time and the scenario needs two date comparisons.
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 a measure that uses FILTER over the Subscriptions table comparing StartDate and EndDate to the selected date range, evaluated inside CALCULATE.
Counting subscriptions active on a selected date requires an interval test across two date columns, which no single relationship can express. Iterating the fact table with FILTER and comparing both StartDate and EndDate to the slicer context captures the overlap precisely. USERELATIONSHIP handles only one relationship, calculated columns cannot react to slicer selections, and cross-filter direction does not perform interval logic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Change the relationship between Subscriptions and Dates to bidirectional cross-filtering and count the Subscriptions rows.
Why it's wrong here
Bidirectional cross-filtering changes filter propagation but provides no mechanism to test whether a subscription's StartDate and EndDate bracket the selected date. It also introduces ambiguity when multiple date columns relate to the same Dates table, and it cannot produce an interval-overlap count on its own.
- ✓
Create a measure that uses FILTER over the Subscriptions table comparing StartDate and EndDate to the selected date range, evaluated inside CALCULATE.
Why this is correct
Iterating the Subscriptions table with FILTER and comparing each row's StartDate and EndDate to the date selected in Dates expresses the overlap condition directly, without relying on any active relationship. This is the standard pattern for interval or 'active on date' logic and keeps the physical relationship inactive, avoiding ambiguity.
- ✗
Create a measure that uses CALCULATE with USERELATIONSHIP to activate the relationship between Subscriptions and Dates inside the measure.
Why it's wrong here
USERELATIONSHIP activates an existing inactive relationship for the duration of the CALCULATE, but it can only engage one relationship at a time. Counting active subscriptions requires testing both StartDate and EndDate against the selected date, so a single USERELATIONSHIP cannot express the overlapping interval and would undercount or overcount subscriptions.
- ✗
Create a calculated column on Subscriptions that flags active rows, then use COUNTROWS on the filtered Subscriptions table in the measure.
Why it's wrong here
A calculated column is computed at refresh time and cannot respond to a slicer selection made at query time, so it cannot evaluate 'active on the selected day.' It would also require storing a flag per row, and the flag would be stale as soon as the slicer changes, making the measure return incorrect results.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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