Free Microsoft PL-300 practice questions

Question 1

You have a project management app that is fully hosted in Microsoft Teams. The app was developed by using Microsoft Power Apps.

You need to create a Power BI report that connects to the project management app.

Which connector should you select?

1. Microsoft Teams Personal Analytics
2. SQL Server database
3. Dataverse
4. Dataflows

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Dataverse

Power Apps stores data in Dataverse (formerly Common Data Service), which is the underlying data platform for Power Apps. When a Power Apps app is built and hosted in Microsoft Teams, its data resides in Dataverse, making Dataverse the correct connector choice for Power BI to access this data.

Why the other options are wrong

• A. Microsoft Teams Personal Analytics provides analytics about Teams usage, not data from Power Apps applications.
• B. SQL Server database is not the default data store for Power Apps; Power Apps uses Dataverse.
• D. Dataflows are a data preparation tool, not a connector type for accessing Power Apps data sources.

Question 2

For the sales department at your company, you publish a Power BI report that imports data from a Microsoft Excel file located in a Microsoft SharePoint folder.

The data model contains several measures.

You need to create a Power BI report from the existing data. The solution must minimize development effort.

Which type of data source should you use?

1. Power BI dataset
2. a SharePoint folder
3. Power BI dataflows
4. an Excel workbook

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Power BI dataset

To minimize development effort when creating a new report from an existing Power BI report that already contains a data model with measures, you should connect to the existing Power BI dataset as a data source. This allows you to leverage the alread
-efined measures and data model without recreating them, reducing development work significantly.

Why the other options are wrong

• B. Connecting directly to SharePoint folder would require re-importing and rebuilding the data model and measures.
• C. Dataflows are for data preparation and transformation, not the most efficient way to reuse an existing model.
• D. Using an Excel workbook directly would bypass the existing data model and measures already created.

Question 3

You import two Microsoft Excel tables named Customer and Address into Power Query. Customer contains the following columns:

• Customer ID

• Customer Name

• Phone

• Email Address

• Address ID

Address contains the following columns:

• Address ID

• Address Line 1

• Address Line 2

• City

• State/Region

• Country

• Postal Code

Each Customer ID represents a unique customer in the Customer table. Each Address ID represents a unique address in the Address table.

You need to create a query that has one row per customer. Each row must contain City, State/Region, and Country for each customer.

What should you do?

1. Merge the Customer and Address tables.
2. Group the Customer and Address tables by the Address ID column.
3. Transpose the Customer and Address tables.
4. Append the Customer and Address tables.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Merge the Customer and Address tables.

Merging the Customer and Address tables on the shared Address ID column will combine the two tables so that each customer row includes the related address information (City, State/Region, Country). This creates one row per customer with all required address fields, which is exactly what the requirement specifies.

Why the other options are wrong

• B. Grouping would aggregate rows rather than creating one row per customer with address details.
• C. Transposing switches rows and columns, which does not solve the requirement of combining customer data with address information.
• D. Appending stacks tables vertically, which does not create the customer-address relationship needed.

Question 4

You are building a Power BI report that uses data from an Azure SQL database named erp1.

You import the following tables.

You need to perform the following analyses:

• Orders sold over time that include a measure of the total order value

Orders by attributes of products sold The solution must minimize update times when interacting with visuals in the report.

What should you do first?

1. From Power Query, merge the Order Line Items query and the Products query.
2. Create a calculated column that adds a list of product categories to the Orders table by using a DAX function.
3. Calculate the count of orders per product by using a DAX function.
4. From Power Query, merge the Orders query and the Order Line Items query.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. From Power Query, merge the Orders query and the Order Line Items query.

Order Line Items query. To analyze orders sold over time with total order value and orders by product attributes while minimizing update times, the Orders and Order Line Items tables must be merged in Power Query first. This consolidation creates a denormalized table that eliminates the need for complex DAX calculations and relationship traversals during report interactions. Since Order Line Items contains the quantity and price details needed to calculate order values, and Orders contains the high-level order information, merging them in Power Query ensures that calculations are performed once during data refresh rather than repeatedly when users interact with visuals, resulting in optimal performance.

Why the other options are wrong

• A. Merging Order Line Items with Products would create unnecessary complexity for the primary requirement of analyzing orders by value over time, and doesn't directly support the performance optimization needed.
• B. Creating a calculated column with DAX functions to add product categories forces calculations to occur during report interactions rather than at refresh time, increasing visual update latency.
• C. Calculating order counts per product using DAX does not address the core requirement of calculating total order value and would still require DAX computation during report use rather than at data refresh.

Question 5

You have a Microsoft SharePoint Online site that contains several document libraries.

One of the document libraries contains manufacturing reports saved as Microsoft Excel files. All the manufacturing reports have the same data structure.

You need to use Power BI Desktop to load only the manufacturing reports to a table for analysis.

What should you do?

1. Get data from a SharePoint folder and enter the site URL Select Transform, then filter by the folder path to the manufacturing reports library.
2. Get data from a SharePoint list and enter the site URL. Select Combine & Transform, then filter by the folder path to the manufacturing reports library.
3. Get data from a SharePoint folder, enter the site URL, and then select Combine & Load.
4. Get data from a SharePoint list, enter the site URL, and then select Combine & Load.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Get data from a SharePoint folder and enter the site URL Select Transform, then filter by the folder path to the manufacturing reports library.

URL Select Transform, then filter by the folder path to the manufacturing reports library. To load multiple Excel files with the same structure from a specific SharePoint document library, you should use 'Get data from a SharePoint folder' with the site URL, then use Transform to filter by the folder path to the manufacturing reports library. This approach automatically combines multiple files from that location into a single table for analysis.

Why the other options are wrong

• B. SharePoint list connector is for loading list data, not document libraries containing files; filtering by folder path works with folder connector, not list connector.
• C. While Combine & Load can work with SharePoint folder, option A correctly specifies the Transform step needed for filtering.
• D. SharePoint list connector is inappropriate for document libraries; lists and folders are different connection types.

Question 6

You have a CSV file that contains user complaints. The file contains a column named Logged. Logged contains the date and time each complaint occurred. The data in Logged is in the following format:

2018-12-31 at 08:59.

You need to be able to analyze the complaints by the logged date and use a built-in date hierarchy.

What should you do?

1. Apply a transformation to extract the last 11 characters of the Logged column and set the data type of the new column to Date.
2. Change the data type of the Logged column to Date.
3. Split the Logged column by using at as the delimiter.
4. Apply a transformation to extract the first 11 characters of the Logged column. ✅Correct Answer: C, Split the Logged column by using at as the delimiter. The Logged column holds both parts in the format '2018-12-31 at 08:59'. Splitting the column by using 'at' as the delimiter produces a clean date column ('2018-12-31') and a separate time column. The date column can then be set to the Date data type, which gives you the built-in date hierarchy needed to analyze complaints by logged date.

Show answer and explanation

Question 7

You have a Microsoft Excel file in a Microsoft OneDrive folder.

The file must be imported to a Power BI dataset.

You need to ensure that the dataset can be refreshed in powerbi.com.

Which two connectors can you use to connect to the file? Each correct answer presents a complete solution.

NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point.

1. Excel Workbook
2. Text/CSV
3. Folder
4. SharePoint folder
5. Web

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D, E

D. SharePoint folder E. Web OneDrive for Business is backed by SharePoint, so the SharePoint folder connector can reach the file by using the site URL, and the Web connector can reach it by using the file's OneDrive URL. Both are cloud connections, so the dataset can be scheduled for refresh in powerbi.com without an on-premises data gateway.

Why the other options are wrong

• A. The Excel Workbook connector points to a local file path, so service refresh would depend on an on-premises data gateway.
• B. The Text/CSV connector reads delimited text files and cannot open the .xlsx workbook format.
• C. The Folder connector targets a local or UNC folder path rather than the cloud OneDrive location.

Question 8

You have an Azure SQL database that contains sales transactions. The database is updated frequently.

You need to generate reports from the data to detect fraudulent transactions. The data must be visible within five minutes of an update.

How should you configure the data connection?

1. Add a SQL statement.
2. Set the Command timeout in minutes setting.
3. Set Data Connectivity mode to Import.
4. Set Data Connectivity mode to DirectQuery.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Set Data Connectivity mode to DirectQuery.

For fraud detection with data visibility required within five minutes of database updates, DirectQuery mode is the correct choice. DirectQuery queries the source database directly for each report interaction, ensuring near-real-time data availability. Import mode would only show data as of the last scheduled refresh, which cannot guarantee the five-minute requirement.

Why the other options are wrong

• A. Adding a SQL statement alone does not address the refresh timing requirement; it's a query optimization, not a connectivity mode.
• B. Setting Command timeout affects query timeout duration, not refresh frequency or data freshness.
• C. Import mode requires scheduled refreshes and would not guarantee data visibility within five minutes of updates.

Question 9

A business intelligence (BI) developer creates a dataflow in Power BI that uses DirectQuery to access tables from an on-premises Microsoft SQL server. The Enhanced Dataflows Compute Engine is turned on for the dataflow.

You need to use the dataflow in a report. The solution must meet the following requirements:

• Minimize online processing operations.

• Minimize calculation times and render times for visuals.

• Include data from the current year, up to and including the previous day.

What should you do?

1. Create a dataflows connection that has DirectQuery mode selected.
2. Create a dataflows connection that has DirectQuery mode selected and configure a gateway connection for the dataset.
3. Create a dataflows connection that has Import mode selected and schedule a daily refresh.
4. Create a dataflows connection that has Import mode selected and create a Microsoft Power Automate solution to refresh the data hourly.

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. Create a dataflows connection that has Import mode selected and schedule a daily refresh.

To minimize online processing and calculation times while ensuring current-year data up to the previous day, you should create a dataflow connection in Import mode with a daily scheduled refresh. Import mode pre-processes and stores data, reducing query overhead and render times. A daily refresh ensures data freshness up to the previous day while minimizing processing burden, which aligns with all stated requirements better than DirectQuery's continuous querying.

Why the other options are wrong

• A. DirectQuery with the Enhanced Compute Engine would still perform online processing operations for each visual interaction, not minimizing them.
• B. DirectQuery mode does not minimize online processing; it increases it by querying the source database for each interaction.
• D. Hourly refresh is more frequent than necessary for the stated requirement and would increase resource consumption without benefit.

Question 10

You attempt to connect Power BI Desktop to a Cassandra database.

From the Get Data connector list, you discover that there is no specific connector for the Cassandra database.

You need to select an alternate data connector that will connect to the database.

Which type of connector should you choose?

1. Microsoft SQL Server database
2. ODBC
3. OLE DB
4. OData

Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. ODBC

When a specific connector is not available for a database like Cassandra, ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) is the appropriate universal connector choice. ODBC provides a standardized interface that works with many databases through their ODBC drivers. This is the standard approach for connecting to unsupported databases in Power BI Desktop.

Why the other options are wrong

• A. SQL Server connector is specific to Microsoft SQL Server and will not work with Cassandra.
• C. OLE DB is an older technology primarily for Windows and is less commonly used for modern database connections compared to ODBC.
• D. OData is a protocol for data access and is not suitable for direct database connectivity like ODBC.