10 beginner questions on the PL-300 skills measured: unpivot, append and storage modes (Prepare the data); star schema, CALCULATE and date tables (Model the data); slicers, filters and drillthrough (Visualize and analyze the data); and row-level security and gateways (Manage and secure Power BI).

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  1. An analyst imports a spreadsheet with one row per product and a separate column for each month (Jan, Feb, Mar and so on). The analyst needs one row per product and month, with a Month column and a Sales column. Which Power Query transformation should the analyst use?

    • A. Pivot column
    • B. Transpose
    • C. Unpivot columns ✔ correct
    • D. Group by

    Answer: C. Unpivot columns turns the selected month columns into attribute-value pairs, giving one row per product and month. Pivot does the opposite, and Group by aggregates rows instead of reshaping columns.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/unpivot-column · Domain: Prepare the data

  2. A business receives sales for each region in separate tables that have the same columns. The analyst wants all the rows stacked into one table. Which Power Query operation should the analyst use?

    • A. Merge queries
    • B. Append queries ✔ correct
    • C. Duplicate query
    • D. Reference query

    Answer: B. Append queries adds the rows of one or more tables below another table with the same columns. Merge queries joins tables side by side on matching key columns, like a SQL join.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/append-queries · Domain: Prepare the data

  3. When a semantic model uses DirectQuery, Power BI does not import the data; it sends queries to the underlying data source when visuals need data.

    • A. True ✔ correct
    • B. False

    Answer: A. True. In DirectQuery mode the data stays in the source and Power BI queries it at report time. In Import mode, the data is copied into the model and must be refreshed to show changes.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/desktop-directquery-about · Domain: Prepare the data

  4. In a star schema, which type of table stores descriptive attributes, such as product name, category and color, that are used to filter and group data?

    • A. Dimension table ✔ correct
    • B. Fact table
    • C. Bridging table
    • D. Calculated measure table

    Answer: A. Dimension tables describe business entities and are used to filter and group. Fact tables store events or transactions, such as sales lines, with numeric columns that are summarized.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema · Domain: Model the data

  5. Which DAX function evaluates an expression in a modified filter context, for example total sales for only the Red color?

    • A. RELATED
    • B. SUMX
    • C. DISTINCTCOUNT
    • D. CALCULATE ✔ correct

    Answer: D. CALCULATE evaluates an expression after applying or changing filters, such as CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]), Product[Color] = "Red"). RELATED fetches a value from a related table.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dax/calculate-function-dax · Domain: Model the data

  6. An analyst plans to use DAX time intelligence functions, such as year-to-date totals. What should the model include for these calculations to work reliably?

    • A. A calculated column that stores the current date in every fact row
    • B. A date table with one row per day, marked as a date table ✔ correct
    • C. A separate semantic model for each calendar year
    • D. A text column that stores the month name only

    Answer: B. Time intelligence needs a date table with a contiguous range of dates (one row per day), related to the fact tables; the classic time intelligence functions also require it to be marked as a date table. Month names alone or per-year models do not provide this.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/transform-model/desktop-date-tables · Domain: Model the data

  7. A report designer wants users to filter the visuals on a report page by region. Which two features can do this? (Select TWO)

    • A. A slicer visual on the page ✔ correct
    • B. A report theme file
    • C. A page-level filter in the Filters pane ✔ correct
    • D. Performance Analyzer
    • E. A custom color palette

    Answer: A, C. Slicers are on-canvas visuals that filter other visuals, and the Filters pane supports visual, page and report-level filters. Themes and palettes change formatting only, and Performance Analyzer measures visual performance.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-slicers · Domain: Visualize and analyze the data

  8. A report has a summary page and a product detail page. Users want to right-click a product in a summary chart and jump to the detail page, already filtered to that product. What should the designer configure?

    • A. Sync slicers across both pages
    • B. Drillthrough on the detail page ✔ correct
    • C. A report page tooltip
    • D. Automatic page refresh

    Answer: B. Drillthrough lets users right-click a data point and go to a target page that is filtered to that value. Sync slicers share slicer selections across pages, and tooltips only show a pop-up on hover.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/desktop-drillthrough · Domain: Visualize and analyze the data

  9. A company publishes one sales report to all sales managers, but each manager must see only the rows for their own region. What should the analyst implement?

    • A. Row-level security (RLS) roles ✔ correct
    • B. A sensitivity label on the report
    • C. A separate workspace for each manager
    • D. Endorsement of the semantic model

    Answer: A. RLS uses roles with DAX filter rules to limit which rows each user can see in the same semantic model. Sensitivity labels classify content, and endorsement only marks content as promoted or certified.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/security/service-admin-row-level-security · Domain: Manage and secure Power BI

  10. To schedule a refresh in the Power BI service for a semantic model that imports data from an on-premises SQL Server, you need an on-premises data gateway.

    • A. True ✔ correct
    • B. False

    Answer: A. True. The on-premises data gateway is the bridge that lets the Power BI service reach data sources inside a private network for scheduled refresh. Cloud sources reachable from the internet usually do not need one.

    Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-gateway-onprem · Domain: Manage and secure Power BI

Original practice questions written by xOps School (DevOpsSchool Private Limited) from the public Microsoft exam objectives (PL-300 skills measured as of 2026-04-20), checked 2026-10-25. They are not actual exam questions. xOps School is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft; exam names are trademarks of their owners. Official exam page: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/data-analyst-asso.

Last modified: Sunday, 25 October 2026, 9:57 PM