PL-300 Model the data Practice Question
You are preparing a Power BI semantic model for a retail chain. The model contains a Products dimension and a Sales fact table. Management wants to analyze sales by product category and also by product subcategory, which is stored in a separate Subcategory table that relates to Products. You need to decide which relationship and modeling choices let filters flow from Subcategory through Products to Sales. (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming bidirectional cross-filtering is needed to push filters through a snowflake, when single-direction relationships along the hierarchy already propagate them.
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
✓
Ensure the Products table has a unique value for the subcategory key on the one side of the relationship.
Filter propagation through a snowflaked dimension depends on a correctly defined one-to-many relationship with unique values on the one side and single-direction filtering along the hierarchy. Hiding keys, forcing bidirectional filtering, or marking an unrelated table as a date table does not enable the required filter flow and can introduce ambiguity or validation errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Ensure the Products table has a unique value for the subcategory key on the one side of the relationship.
Why this is correct
A one-to-many relationship requires the one side to contain unique values; if the products table's subcategory key repeated, the relationship could not be created as one-to-many and would either fail or become many-to-many. Uniqueness on the one side guarantees correct filter propagation from Subcategory to Products and onward to Sales.
- ✗
Set the relationship between Subcategory and Products to bidirectional cross-filtering to guarantee filters reach Sales.
Why it's wrong here
Single-direction filtering from Subcategory to Products already propagates through the existing Products-to-Sales relationship, so bidirectional filtering is unnecessary. Enabling it here can create ambiguous filter paths and unpredictable results, and it is considered an anti-pattern unless a specific many-to-many or lookup scenario requires it.
- ✗
Mark the Subcategory table as a date table so it participates in time intelligence.
Why it's wrong here
Marking a table as a date table is only valid for a table containing a contiguous date column, and it enables time intelligence functions rather than controlling filter flow. Applying it to a subcategory dimension would fail validation and does nothing to help filters travel from Subcategory through Products to the Sales fact table.
- ✓
Create a one-to-many relationship from Subcategory to Products on the subcategory key, with single-direction filtering from Subcategory to Products.
Why this is correct
A one-to-many relationship from the subcategory table to the products table, filtered in the direction of the dimension hierarchy, lets a subcategory selection narrow products and then flow to the sales fact table through the existing product relationship. This models a snowflake extension of the dimension correctly and keeps filter direction predictable.
- ✗
Hide the subcategory key columns in both tables so users interact only with the descriptive names.
Why it's wrong here
Hiding key columns improves the report authoring experience and reduces clutter, but it has no effect on how filters propagate between Subcategory, Products, and Sales. The question asks what enables filter flow, and hiding columns does not create or change any relationship behavior, so it is not part of the required solution.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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