The correct first step is to check the on-premises data gateway performance and logs for errors. This is because the gateway acts as the critical bridge between Power BI’s cloud service and your on-premises SQL Server when using a DirectQuery connection; any bottleneck, misconfiguration, or connectivity failure there will directly cause slow loading and “Data is not available” errors, even if the source database itself is not under load. On the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals PL-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the gateway’s role in hybrid data architectures and the logical order of troubleshooting—a common trap is to jump to optimizing the SQL query or increasing report resources, but the gateway is the most likely single point of failure. Remember the memory tip: “Gateway first, gateway last—if the bridge is broken, the data won’t pass.”
PL-900 Demonstrate capabilities of Power BI Practice Question
This PL-900 practice question tests your understanding of demonstrate capabilities of power bi. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are a Power BI administrator for a large retail company. The company has a Power BI workspace that contains a dashboard named 'Sales Overview'. The dashboard is shared with the sales team. Recently, users have reported that the dashboard is loading slowly, and some visuals show 'Data is not available' errors. The dashboard uses a DirectQuery connection to an on-premises SQL Server database. The database team confirms that the server is not under heavy load. You need to troubleshoot and resolve the issue. What should you do first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Check the on-premises data gateway performance and logs for errors
Option A is correct because the on-premises data gateway is the critical bridge between Power BI and the on-premises SQL Server when using DirectQuery. Slow loading and 'Data is not available' errors often stem from gateway performance issues, connectivity problems, or errors logged by the gateway service. Checking the gateway logs and performance metrics is the first logical troubleshooting step before making architectural changes.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Check the on-premises data gateway performance and logs for errors
Why this is correct
Slow load and data errors often indicate gateway issues.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Replace the DirectQuery connection with an Import connection
Why it's wrong here
This would require a full data load and might not address the immediate issue.
✗
Ask the database team to add more indexes to the SQL Server tables
Why it's wrong here
The database team confirmed the server is not under load, so indexing may not be the issue.
✗
Increase the scheduled refresh frequency to every 15 minutes
Why it's wrong here
DirectQuery does not use scheduled refresh; it queries live.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the issue is database-side (indexes or load) or try to change the connection mode (Import) without first verifying the gateway, which is the most common point of failure in hybrid Power BI deployments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
DirectQuery sends T-SQL queries through the on-premises data gateway to the SQL Server, and the gateway translates Power BI's DAX queries into SQL. Gateway logs can reveal timeouts, authentication failures, or network latency issues that manifest as slow loading or missing data. In real-world scenarios, gateway resource exhaustion (e.g., memory or concurrent query limits) often mimics database performance problems, making log analysis essential.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Demonstrate capabilities of Power BI — This question tests Demonstrate capabilities of Power BI — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Check the on-premises data gateway performance and logs for errors — Option A is correct because the on-premises data gateway is the critical bridge between Power BI and the on-premises SQL Server when using DirectQuery. Slow loading and 'Data is not available' errors often stem from gateway performance issues, connectivity problems, or errors logged by the gateway service. Checking the gateway logs and performance metrics is the first logical troubleshooting step before making architectural changes.
What should I do if I get this PL-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has a Power BI dataset that refreshes daily. Users report that the report shows stale data from two days ago. What is the most likely cause?
hard
A.The dataset uses DirectQuery mode
B.Incremental refresh is configured incorrectly
✓ C.The scheduled refresh has failed for the past two days
D.The on-premises data gateway is offline
Why C: The most likely cause is that the scheduled refresh has failed for the past two days. Power BI datasets that rely on scheduled refresh must complete successfully to update the data; if the refresh fails, the dataset retains the last successful refresh’s data, which in this case is from two days ago. Users seeing stale data from two days ago directly indicates that the refresh has not succeeded since then.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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This PL-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PL-900 exam.
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