Basic Level Questions

What is Power BI?

• Power BI is a business analytics tool by Microsoft that helps visualize data, share insights,
and create interactive dashboards and reports.

What are the components of Power BI?

• Power BI Desktop

• Power BI Service (Cloud-based)

• Power BI Mobile

• Power BI Report Server

• Power Query and Power Pivot

What is a Power BI Dashboard?

• A dashboard is a single-page interface displaying visuals and key metrics from one or more
reports.

What is the difference between Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service?

• Power BI Desktop: Used for creating reports and visuals.

• Power BI Service: A cloud-based platform for sharing, collaborating, and managing reports.

What are DAX functions in Power BI?

• Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) are formulas used for calculations and data manipulation in
Power BI.

Intermediate Level Questions

What are calculated columns in Power BI?

• A calculated column is a custom column created using DAX expressions in a data model.
What is the difference between a calculated column and a measure?

• Calculated Column: Adds a new column to a table.

• Measure: Performs on-the-fly calculations, providing dynamic results.

How do you create relationships between tables in Power BI?

• Go to the Model view, drag and drop columns to create relationships based on keys.

What are slicers in Power BI?

• Slicers are visual filters that allow users to filter data in reports interactively.

What are some common data sources for Power BI?

• Excel, SQL Server, Azure, SharePoint, Salesforce, Google Analytics, JSON, and OData.

Advanced Level Questions

What is a Power BI Gateway?

• A gateway acts as a bridge to connect on-premises data with Power BI Service.

What are composite models in Power BI?

• Composite models allow using DirectQuery and Import modes simultaneously in a single
report.

What is Row-Level Security (RLS) in Power BI?

• RLS restricts data access for users based on roles defined in the Power BI model.

What is the difference between DirectQuery and Import modes in Power BI?

• DirectQuery: Queries data directly from the source.

• Import: Imports data into Power BI for faster performance.

• Power BI can import Excel data and visualize it, and users can export Power BI data to Excel.

DAX Questions

What is the CALCULATE function in DAX?

• CALCULATE modifies the filter context of a measure or calculation.

What is the difference between SUM and SUMX in DAX?

• SUM: Adds values in a column.

• SUMX: Adds values after row-by-row calculations.

What is the use of ALL() in DAX?

• ALL removes filters applied to a column or table.

What is the RELATED function in DAX?

• RELATED retrieves data from a related table in a relationship.

How do you handle errors in DAX?

• Using functions like IFERROR or ISERROR.

• Performance Optimization

How can you optimize performance in Power BI reports?

• Reduce dataset size.

• Use aggregations.

• Optimize DAX queries.

• Limit visuals and slicers.

• Query folding refers to pushing data transformations to the source system.

How do you improve Power BI dashboard loading time?

• Optimize visuals.

• Reduce data load.

• Use aggregated tables.

What is the VertiPaq engine?

• The VertiPaq engine compresses and stores data in memory for fast retrieval in Power BI.

How do you manage large datasets in Power BI?

• Using data reduction techniques like aggregation, incremental refresh, and partitioning.

• Visualizations and Reports

What are KPI visuals in Power BI?

• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) visuals track performance against targets.

What is drill-through in Power BI?

• Drill-through allows users to navigate to detailed reports by selecting data points.

What is conditional formatting in Power BI?

• Conditional formatting changes visual formatting based on values.

What are bookmarks in Power BI?

• Bookmarks capture the current state of a report page for navigation or storytelling.
How do you use tooltips in Power BI?

• Tooltips display additional information when hovering over visuals.

• Deployment and Sharing

How do you publish a report to Power BI Service?

• Click "Publish" in Power BI Desktop and choose the desired workspace in Power BI Service.

What are the different types of licenses in Power BI?

• Free

• Pro

• Premium

What is the Power BI REST API?

• The REST API allows developers to interact with Power BI Service programmatically.

How do you embed a Power BI report into an application?

• Using Power BI Embedded and APIs to integrate reports into web apps.

What is Power BI Workspace?

• Workspaces are collaborative environments for sharing reports and dashboards.

• Scenario-Based Questions

How would you handle missing data in Power BI?

• Use Power Query to filter, replace, or fill missing values.

How would you show year-over-year growth in Power BI?

• Use DAX functions like SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR or DATEADD.

• Use bar/column charts with a region slicer or filter.

How would you design a report for non-technical users?

• Focus on simplicity, using KPIs, cards, and interactive visuals.

What would you do if a report fails to refresh?

• Check data source connections, gateway settings, and query errors.

• Miscellaneous Questions

What are Power BI custom visuals?

• Custom visuals are additional visual types created by developers or third parties.

How do you create hierarchies in Power BI?

• Drag and drop fields in the Model view to create a hierarchy.

What are quick measures in Power BI?

• Predefined DAX calculations available for common analytics.

What is incremental refresh in Power BI?

• Incremental refresh updates only new or changed data instead of the entire dataset.

What are dataflows in Power BI?

• Dataflows are reusable ETL processes in Power BI Service for transforming data.

• Problem-Solving Questions
How would you identify and fix slow queries in Power BI?

• Use Performance Analyzer to identify bottlenecks and optimize DAX queries.

What are the advantages of using Power BI over Excel?

• Interactive dashboards.

• Scalability.

• Better data integration.

How do you manage Power BI report versioning?

• Save versions locally and use comments or descriptions in Power BI Service.

What is the purpose of Q&A in Power BI?

• Q&A allows users to ask natural language questions and generate visuals automatically.

Can Power BI handle real-time data?

• Yes, using streaming datasets and live dashboards.