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PL-900 Practice Question: A data analyst needs to combine data from two…
A data analyst needs to combine data from two Excel tables that have a common column 'ProductID'. Which Power BI tool should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse Append (stacking rows) with Merge (joining columns), often choosing Append because they think 'combining' always means adding rows, not realizing the requirement is to align data horizontally on a shared key.
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
✓
Merge Queries
Merge Queries is the correct tool because it combines two tables by matching rows based on a common column (ProductID), similar to a SQL JOIN. This allows the analyst to bring in additional columns from one table into the other, which is exactly what is needed when data from two Excel tables must be integrated on a shared key.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Append Queries
Why it's wrong here
Append adds rows from one table to another, not columns.
- ✓
Merge Queries
Why this is correct
Merge Queries joins tables based on a common column, similar to SQL JOIN.
- ✗
Pivot Column
Why it's wrong here
Pivot Column pivots data, not combine tables.
- ✗
Group By
Why it's wrong here
Group By aggregates data, not combine tables.
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