PL-300 Deploy and maintain assets Practice Question
You need to ensure that a Power BI report uses the latest data from a cloud-based Azure SQL Database. The report is configured with scheduled refresh. What is the minimum required license for the dataset owner to configure a scheduled refresh?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume that because Azure SQL Database is a cloud source, a Free license might suffice, but Power BI Free does not support any form of scheduled refresh, regardless of the data source being cloud or on-premises.
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
✓
Power BI Pro
Power BI Pro is the minimum license required for a dataset owner to configure a scheduled refresh against a cloud-based Azure SQL Database. Scheduled refresh is a premium feature that is not available with a Power BI Free license, and while Power BI Premium capacity or Premium Per User can also support scheduled refresh, they are not the minimum requirement. The dataset owner must have a Pro license to schedule refreshes for datasets hosted in shared capacity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Power BI Premium capacity
Why it's wrong here
Power BI Premium capacity is a cloud-based computing resource that provides dedicated processing power, not a per-user license. Even when a workspace is assigned to Premium capacity, the user who creates or schedules the dataset refresh must hold a Power BI Pro license because scheduled refresh is a Pro feature. The capacity alone does not grant refresh scheduling rights.
- ✗
Power BI Premium Per User
Why it's wrong here
Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) is a per-user upgrade that bundles Power BI Pro capabilities with additional premium features, but it is not the minimum requirement for scheduling refresh. A standard Power BI Pro license already permits you to configure scheduled refresh in shared capacity, so PPU is more expensive than necessary and does not change the underlying licensing requirement.
- ✗
Power BI Free
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Power BI Free licenses are designed mainly for consuming content, not authoring and publishing reports that require scheduled refresh. In either shared capacity or a Premium-backed workspace, a free license lacks the service-level permissions needed to create dataset refresh schedules because scheduled refresh is reserved for Pro (or above) accounts. Therefore, Free cannot satisfy the requirement.
- ✓
Power BI Pro
Why this is correct
Power BI Pro is the correct minimum license because scheduled refresh in the Power BI service is a Pro-only feature. With a Pro license, you can create datasets, publish them to shared capacity, and configure a refresh schedule without needing Premium capacity or Premium Per User. A Pro license is sufficient for the standard, recurring data refresh scenario in shared capacity.
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