Free Exam PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Exam PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A report uses only Import tables. After the source database is updated, what makes the new rows available to the report?

   1. A. Reopen the report without refreshing its model.
   2. B. Refresh the semantic model to reimport the data.
   3. C. Change a slicer to query the source directly.
   4. D. Refresh the browser to rebuild the imported cache.

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Microsoft states, "Visuals don’t reflect source changes until you refresh (reimport)." The semantic model must load the changed source data; reopening or filtering the report still uses its existing cache.

   Reference: DirectQuery in Power BI — Import connections

2. 2What is the principal purpose of a relationship between Product and Sales in a Power BI model?

   1. A. Copy product descriptions into every Sales row.
   2. B. Propagate Product filters to the related Sales data.
   3. C. Enforce database foreign-key constraints on import.
   4. D. Replace the need for aggregation in Sales measures.

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Microsoft states, "A model relationship propagates filters applied on the column of one model table to a different model table." Relationships establish filter paths; they do not copy columns or enforce source integrity.

   Reference: Model relationships in Power BI Desktop — Relationship purpose

3. 3Which visual is designed to emphasize the shape of revenue changes along a continuous time axis?

   1. A. Treemap
   2. B. Funnel chart
   3. C. Donut chart
   4. D. Line chart

   Answer: D

   Explanation: Microsoft explains, "Line charts emphasize the overall shape of values over time, making them ideal for showing trends and patterns." A line chart directly represents the requested time trend.

   Reference: Visualizations overview in Power BI — Line charts

4. 4An authorized analyst has a PBIX ready but needs a new collaborative workspace before publishing it. Which workflow should be used?

   1. A. Create the workspace in the Power BI service, then publish Desktop content to it.
   2. B. Type a new workspace name during Desktop publication and rely on automatic creation.
   3. C. Save the PBIX into a new local folder and rely on it becoming a service workspace.
   4. D. Rename the PBIX and rely on its next publication creating a workspace with that name.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Microsoft states, "You create and manage workspaces in the Power BI service (in a browser at app.powerbi.com), not in Power BI Desktop." Desktop can publish to existing workspaces but does not provide workspace creation settings.

   Reference: Create a workspace in Power BI — Introduction

5. 5For a supported relational source, what distinguishes a DirectQuery connection from an Import connection when a visual requests data?

   1. A. It imports all selected source rows before displaying visuals.
   2. B. It incrementally copies changed rows whenever a visual is used.
   3. C. It waits for scheduled import before answering visual queries.
   4. D. It sends queries to the underlying data source.

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The documentation says, "No data is imported at load time. Each visual triggers one or more queries to the underlying source." DirectQuery obtains results from the source rather than relying on a fully imported table.

   Reference: DirectQuery in Power BI — DirectQuery connections

6. 6Product has one row per ProductID, while Sales can contain many rows per ProductID. What cardinality describes the relationship from Product to Sales?

   1. A. Many-to-many
   2. B. One-to-one
   3. C. Many-to-one
   4. D. One-to-many

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The matching example explains, "The cardinality type would be one-to-many, as the ProductID column in the Product table contains unique values." Product is the unique side, and Sales is the repeated-key side.

   Reference: Model relationships in Power BI Desktop — One-to-many (and many-to-one) cardinality

7. 7Which visual is recommended for comparing values across categories when category names are long?

   1. A. A horizontal bar chart
   2. B. A pie chart
   3. C. A radial gauge
   4. D. A funnel chart

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The guidance says, "Use column charts for time-based comparisons and bar charts when category names are long." Horizontal bars accommodate long category labels while supporting comparisons.

   Reference: Visualizations overview in Power BI — Bar and column charts

8. 8A workspace should display designated support contacts and notify them about workspace issues. Which workspace setting should be configured?

   1. A. Workspace OneDrive
   2. B. Capacity assignment
   3. C. Contact list
   4. D. Workspace image

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The contact-list guidance states, "The contact list appears in the user interface (UI) to help users get help related to the workspace." It identifies help contacts and controls issue-notification recipients.

   Reference: Create a workspace in Power BI — Create a contact list

9. 9A small dataset fits in memory, nightly refresh is sufficient, and the analyst prioritizes full transformation flexibility and interactive performance. Which storage mode should be considered first?

   1. A. Import
   2. B. DirectQuery
   3. C. Direct Lake on SQL
   4. D. Direct Lake on OneLake

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The quick decision guide gives Import for maximum interactivity and transformation flexibility, explaining: "In-memory columnar engine and rich modeling features" The stated workload has no freshness or size constraint requiring a different mode.

   Reference: DirectQuery in Power BI — Quick decision guide

10. 10During refresh, duplicate keys arrive in the one-side column of an Import model relationship. What is the documented result?

    1. A. The data refresh fails.
    2. B. The duplicates are automatically removed.
    3. C. The relationship changes to many-to-many.
    4. D. Only the duplicated column is skipped.

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The warning states, "If a data refresh operation attempts to load duplicate values into a "one" side column, the entire data refresh will fail." Uniqueness must be maintained rather than relying on automatic deduplication or cardinality changes.

    Reference: Model relationships in Power BI Desktop — Cardinality, Note