Power BI Interview Questions
Power BI Interview Questions
Power BI Interview Questions
Let's start with some commonly asked Power BI interview questions and answers for
beginners.
Power BI is a Business Analytics solution by Microsoft used to visualize business data
from hundreds of data sources and share insights across your organization. It is a cloud-
based Self-Service BI tool that collects applications, connectors, and software services
used to organize raw data into informative content.
Provides a secure and reliable connection to your data in the cloud or on-
premises
Want to enrich your career and become a professional in Power BI, then Enroll in Power BI
Training and Certification Course. Our hands-on guided-learning approach helps you meet
your career goals quickly.
6. What are the major components of Power BI? And what do they
do?
When users in Power BI click on the icon “Get Data”, a drop-down menu displays all
data sources from which data can be ingested. Data can directly get ingests from
sources such as Excel, XML, PDF, JSON, CSV, and SharePoint folder databases and
formats such as SQL, SQL Server Analysis Services, IBM, Access, Oracle, MySQL, and
much more.
As the name suggests, relationships in Power BI are used to define connections or the
relation between two or more tables. To perform analysis on multiple tables,
relationships are used.
In the second table drop-down list, select the other table you want in the
relationship. Select the other column you want to use, and then choose OK.
Excel is better at
Power BI is not so handy
Tabular reports handling tabular-style
for tabular style reports
reports.
Offers high-level
Analytics Offers simple analytics
analytics
Power View can be used to download data to Excel as well as make nice
transformations.
Power BI Personal Gateway is used for reports that are deployed in Powerbi.com. On
the other hand, data management is an app that installs the gateway on source data
machines to deploy reports on Sharepoint and schedule to refresh automatically.
13. Explain DAX
DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions. It is a collection of operators, functions, and
constants used to calculate formulas and return values. In other words, it helps you
create new info from data you already have.
14. SUM() vs SUMX(): What is the difference between the two DAX
functions?
The sum function (Sum()) takes the data columns and aggregates them totally but the
SumX function (SumX()) lets you filter the data which you are adding.
SUMX(Table, Expression), where the table contains the rows for calculation. Expression
is a calculation that will be evaluated on each row of the table.
Improve performance
Improve readability
Reduce complexity
Simplify debugging
Power BI is a business intelligence and Analytics tool for non-technical and technical
users to manage, analyze, visualize and share data with others. One of its key features
is visualization - that is, presenting data and insights using appealing visuals. Among the
visuals available in power BI are maps.
Map (Basic)
Filled Map
Shape Map
ArcGIS Maps
Power BI utilizes two built-in map charts map and a filled map. A filled map shows data
points with geospatial areas rather than points on a map. Areas can be continent,
country, state, city. Working with a filled map, however, is not as easy and convenient as
the map chart is
19. What data sources can you connect to Power BI?
The Power BI data sources are extensive, which are divided as follows:
Files: Data can be imported from Power BI Desktop files (.pbix), Excel (.xlsx, xlxm), and
Comma Separated Value (.csv).
Content Packs: It refers to the collection of related files or documents that are stored
as a group. There are two types of content packs in Power BI: those from service
providers including Google Analytics, Salesforce, or Marketo, and those created and
shared by other users in the organization.
Power BI Desktop is a free desktop application that can be installed on your computer. It
cohesively works with the Power BI service by providing advanced data modeling,
shaping, exploration, and creating reports with highly interactive visualizations. It
enables users to save the work to a file or publish their reports and data right to your
Power BI site to share with others.
Users can use Power BI for free. However, the Power BI Pro subscription avails more
from Microsoft Store. The subscription offers an enhanced version of various features
available with the free Power BI account. Most business users use the subscribed
account as it provides more data refreshers per day and other features than the free
version.
23. Can we store data in Power BI? If so, where does it get stored?
Power BI stores data in a few different locations. All the data stays secure through
measures such as encryption and password protection. It mainly depends on the
channel that you used to import the data. Data is stored in a few places, but it all boils
down to one of the main two locations: the cloud and your desktop.
To perform grouping in power bi, please select the fields you want to group, and right-
click on it will open the context menu. Please select the Group option from the menu.
Once you click on the group option, Power BI will automatically group those items, as
shown below. That's it; we did the grouping. If you observe closely, the legend section is
replaced by group, and colour is placed in the details section.
M is a query formula language used in Power BI Query Editor to prepare data before
loading in the Power BI model.
Power Query works with Excel, Analysis Services, and Power BI workbooks. Its core
functionality is to filter and combine, i.e., to mash up data from one or more rich
collections of supported data sources. Any such data mashup is expressed using Power
Query M Formula Language.
27. Can you explain a few ways of how a Power Query can transform
the data?
Power Query is available through getting & Transform in Excel 2016 or Power Pivot.
28. Which data sets can be used to create dashboards with streaming
data tiles?
Streaming datasets
Hybrid Datasets
29. What are the different views that Power BI Desktop contains?
Report View
Data View
Relationship View
30. What do you know about Row Level Security? And how do you
implement it?
Row-level security restricts the data that users view and access based on filters. To
configure row-level security, users can define rules and roles within Power BI Desktop
and publish them to Power BI Service. Also, the username() function can restrict data in
the table to the current user.
However, to enable row-level security, a Power BI Pro subscription account is essential,
and Excel sheets can be used when converted to the .pbix file format.
Following are the ways to implement Row Level Security in Power BI:
Quick Insights
Acquiring data
Real-time information
Quick decisions
Sharing
Power BI Query Editor is used to transform or edit data files before they are loaded. The
Query Editor plays the role of an intermediate data container where you can transform
data by selecting rows and columns, splitting rows and columns, pivoting and unpivoting
columns, etc.
The modifications done by the Query Editor are not reflected in the actual datasheet.
35. What are the different types of gateways available in Power BI?
Why would you use them?
The Gateway acts as an extension between azure cloud administration and on-premise
data sources. There are three major types of Gateways listed as follows:
premises data sources. You can use an on-premises data gateway with all
supported services with a single gateway installation. For complex scenarios, this
user to connect to sources that can’t be shared with others. This gateway is best
suited to scenarios in which you only create reports and don’t need to share any
The virtual network data gateway: This data gateway allows multiple users to
connect various data sources that are secured by virtual networks. For complex
scenarios in which multiple people access multiple data sources, this data
Yes, Power BI can display geographical visualizations. That’s why some kind of location
data is needed.
Z-order is a design strategy used to arrange visuals over shapes. It can also be defined
as a method applied to implement when reports consist of multiple elements. Moreover,
this can also be used to refresh the display when items in a report are changed.
In Power BI, the primary requirement for the table is that it contains unique rows. It must
also contain location data, which can be in a Latitude/Longitude pair.
You can use address fields instead, such as street, city, etc., which Bing can geolocate.
39. What is the difference between Power BI, Power Query, and Power
Pivot?
Powerful DAX
Powerful DAX All Excel users can
calculations going
calculations benefit from this tool
beyond standard Excel
40. Name some important tools of Power BI
Power BI Desktop
Power BI Service
Of course, Power Bi reports can be refreshed with Data Management Gateway and
Power BI Personal Gateway.
42. What are content packs in Power BI? And why would you use
one?
In Power BI, content packs are used to share objects, such as reports, dashboards, or
datasets with individuals within your organization. The sharing takes place over the
Power BI website and can be shared with multiple users. No one can change the original
content in the content pack. Also, users have “read-only” access to the Power BI content
shared with them.
A DAX expression can be applied to tables filtering their rows at query time.
A table is typically created in the model that relates to specific dimensions and
roles.
values in tables.
Storage mode: You can specify which visuals require a query to back-end data
45. What are the key differences between a Power BI dataset, a report,
and a dashboard?
A series of
A series of Power Query A way of pulling
visualizations, filters, and
queries that have been visualizations together
static elements on a
shaped in a DAX model. from several reports.
canvas.
A Power BI dashboard is
A Power BI dataset can a single page, often
Each report can have
have many data called a canvas, that
multiple sheets.
sources. uses visualizations to tell
a story.
Filter: It thoroughly filters the visual/tile based on the filter selection of another
variable.
By clicking the tile option in Power BI dashboards will bring users to SSRS
reports
Five major reasons why Power BI will create a good career path for you:
industry.
In perspective, Qlik and Tableau (both high in Gartner ranking) have a market
Power BI Analyst/Developer
Data Analyst
Business Analyst
importing from distinct data sources as well as model data according to the
requirement.
Power BI: It is an online solution that empowers users for sharing interactive
reports and queries that you have created with Excel BI Toolkit.
Power BI offers distinct kinds of features to help you get started in searching for data in a
completely new way. Power BI Pro, on the other hand, caters to some additional
features like scheduling data, live data sources, storage capacity, complete interactivity,
and much more.
Excel BI Toolkit allows users for creating an interactive report by importing data from a
distinct range of sources and model data according to requirements.
Both Power BI Desktop and Power BI are free of cost. For Power BI Pro, users have to
pay $9.99 per month after a 60-day free trial.
55. What are the basics needed for using Power BI?
To use Power BI, you need to have a web browser and a work email address.
work email addresses finishing in .mil and .gov are not supported currently.
Power BI does not have email addresses provided by telecommunications providers and
consumer email services, thus there is a need of signing up with work email.
57. Name the work email addresses that are currently supported?
Work email addresses that are finishing with .org and .edu are currently supported.
Yes, Power BI supports mobile devices. It consists of apps for iOS devices, Windows 10
devices, and Android smartphones. You can install Power BI apps from the below app
stores:
Google Play
Apple Store
Windows Store
Visualization is a process to represent data in pictorial form like tables, graphs, or charts
based on the specific requirement.
The report is a Power BI feature that is a result of visualized data from a single data set.
A report can have multiple pages of visualization.
61. What is Power Pivot and what is the filter written in Power BI?
Visualization level
Report Level
Page-Level
The following data sources that support DirectQuery in Power BI are as follows:
Amazon Redshift
Google BigQuery
You can take data and create reports at the click of a button. You can take data and
create reports with a button click. It helps in attracting new customers to service and
monitor existing customers. You can keep track of information and set your goals
accordingly. In general, building an ETL solution (Extraction, Transformation, and
Loading) ultimately helps to make better decisions. The ROI is very high Helps to make
unwanted data into progressive information.
Datasets are the data sources that are uploaded or connected to databases. These
sources include Excel workbooks and Power BI Desktop files. The following are also
included in your data capacity. Reporting Services on-premises visualizations are pinned
to a Power BI dashboard.
To use the Power BI service for free, you need a work email and a web browser. With
this, you can explore data as well as create reports in Power BI Desktop. The mobile
app can be downloaded from the following stores:
There are some resources to get assistance and get started with Power BI. They are as
follows:
Webinars
Power BI Blog
Last but not least, joining a related community and getting answered
67. What is SSBI?
SSBI stands for Self-Service Business Intelligence. It can also be termed as accessing
data analytics to empower business users to divide, clean, and interpret data. SSBI has
made it easy for end-users to access their data and create various kinds of visuals to
acquire useful business insights. Anyone who has basic data knowledge can build
reports for creating spontaneous and shareable dashboards.
The dashboard is used to visualize the strategic data of one or multiple reports at a
glance.
CORR is a correlation function that provides a correlation between two distinct variables
ranging from -1 to 1.
There are two destinations for output we get from power query:
Import
Direct Query
A data source filter is a parameter of data filtering before loading into machines.
74. What are the Different Products in the PowerBI family?
Power BI Desktop
Power BI Services
Power BI Mobile
Power BI Gateway
Power BI Premium
Power BI Embedded
Power View is a data visualization technology, which lets you create interactive graphs,
charts, maps, and other visuals to bring life to your data. It is available in Excel, SQL
Server, SharePoint, and Power BI.
A new programming language is used in a power query called M-Code. It is easy to use
and similar to other languages. M-code is a case-sensitive language.
Go to getting data Sources and click on your required sources (Excel, SQL, CSV) then
Load it. Click on the Data view to view that data.
To choose the table click on the fields and you can pick a visualization to generate a
report.
Streaming datasets (we need to have data that is cached in memory before we use
streaming data sets)
Hybrid Datasets
Power BI license can be purchased at powerbi.com. However, you can also get
assistance from Microsoft partners to aid using Power BI implementation.
The user cannot avail of the service as an internal or private cloud service. However,
with Power BI and Power BI Desktop, the user can connect to their on-premise data
sources securely.
Data Analysis Expression (DAX) is used to calculate column fields in Power Pivot.
It cannot be used to calculate rows, though you can calculate measures and
calculated columns
It is a model that is made up of data types, tables, columns, and table relations. The data
tables are generally constructed to hold data for a business entity.
Power Query is an ETL tool to clean, shape, and transform data without any code using
intuitive interfaces. With this:
You can import data from various sources like databases from files
M-code which is a new programming language is used in Power Query. This language is
easy to use and is quite similar to other languages. Also, it is case-sensitive.
Two destinations are there for the output we receive from the power query. They are:
Power BI Designer, a standalone app that is used to create reports in Power BI and to
upload them to Powerbi.com. It is a combination of Power View, Power Pivot, and Power
Query.
The split function is used for splitting the string database on the given delimiter.
93. Name all the platforms for which the Power BI app is available?
Android
94. What is the difference between older and newer Power BI?
There is a new design tool that is used in the new Power BI called Power BI Desktop. It
is a standalone designer, including Power Pivot, Power View, and Power Query in the
back end. Whereas, Older Power BI consists of excel add-ins. In the newer Power BI
version, there are several graphs available including treemap, line area chart, waterfall,
combo chart, etc.
95. Is it possible in the power pivot data model to have more than one
active relationship between two tables?
No, it is not possible. There cannot be more than one active relationship in the power
pivot data model between two tables. It is possible to have only one active and many
inactive relationships.
KPIs are Key Performance Indicators, which evaluate the organization’s performance in
distinct areas by evaluating measurable goals and values. A KPI has a measure or base
value that is evaluated against target values. It includes a comparison of the
performance with the target. The KPI also helps you evaluate the analysis performances
with their graphical representation. Thus, KPIs will show whether your goals have been
met or not.
We can use both Distinct() and Values() functions to return the values into a column or
cell on the worksheet. The difference between them is that the Values() function returns
blank values along with unique values, whereas the Distinct() function returns only
unique values.
Users can build huge data sets of data visualizations using the Direct Query Method, but
the Power BI desktop supports data visualizations on smaller sets alone. There is no
limit to the dataset for the direct query method and a 1GB dataset limit is not applicable
in this method.
If you want to put a scenario and based on that if you want to see the visuals, the best is
the What-if parameter. It helps you to forecast data and perform advanced analytics. For
example, if you have set up the product discount from the what-if parameter from 1 to
10. And users can change the values and see the changes in profit, sales, revenue,
margin, etc. that help in detailed analysis.
Incremental refresh is used to refresh the newly added data to avoid truncating and
loading data.
102. What are the three main tabs in the Reports development
Window?
Relationship tab
Report Tab
Around 26 Views
Slicers are the visual filters, which are present in the report page of Power BI. It
Slicers unlike filters present as a report visual and you can select values on it
Using Normal filters users were not allowed to interact with dashboards or reports, but
using slicers we can interact with dashboards and reports.
A new column is an area in Power Bi where the physical data is stored when logic is
applied, whereas, the measure is where the calculations are performed on the fly based
on dimensions. Measure, unlike Column, won't store any physical data.
There is an option in the Power BI service, which publishes to the web to generate a link
address for the Power BI report and can be shared across clients.
110. How do you Hide and Unhide a Specific Report in Power BI?
In the menu bar, choose the Selection pane and hide/unhide the report and the action to
pass to the bookmark.
111. How do you compare Target and Actual Values from a Power BI
report?
A gauge chart is used to compare two different measures where the Target and Actuals
are inferred.
There are two destinations for output we get from power query:
113. Can we Refresh Data Reports that are uploaded to the Cloud?
Yes, you can refresh the data reports which are uploaded to the cloud. Power BI
personal gateway and Data management gateway helps you acquire the same.
114. How are a Power BI Dashboard and Report different from each
other?
To understand the difference between Power BI Dashboard and Report, let’s run
through some quick points.
Data sources It has a single dataset Can have data tiles from
per report. one or more datasets or
reports.
115. How to Toggle Between Two Option and Make it Interact with the
rest of the Visualizations in a Report?
Toggling is an action that is achieved in Power BI reports when there exist two or more
dimensions. With “Enlighten Slicer”, you can show this in Power BI and can be imported
from Marketplace.
Rank() calculates regular competition rank thus returning identical values. You can ask
for ascending or descending values in the second argument accordingly.
The main aspect to learn before attending any PowerBi interview is “how the data
representation and general business intelligence is going to work!”
One of the great reasons for choosing a career in BI is the on-demand outlook.
According to a report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for expert BI
managers and analysts is expected to soar to 14% by 2026, with the overall need for
data professionals to climb to 28% by 2020.
Both Tableau and Power BI allow the user to connect to distinct data sources. However,
Tableau provides better support to connect to a different data warehouse, and Power BI
is heavily integrated with Microsoft’s portfolio like the Azure cloud platform.
Power BI doesn’t require users to write SQL code like BI tools but requires MS Excel
knowledge.
Data is useless without proper analytics. Any professional with analytical skills can easily
master the ocean of Big Data and become a crucial asset to the organization, boosting
the business as well as career. There are several on-demand job opportunities in Big
Data management and Analytics and are constantly growing.
IT Team, IT Professional
Data Scientist
Power BI is a more powerful tool compared to Microsoft Excel. Power BI is easy to use
and is much more flexible while Microsoft Excel is not so handy to use. Power BI is
mostly used for data visualization and dashboard sharing to a large number of users
while Microsoft Excel is mostly used for in-depth driver analysis.
In Power BI, a user can export any dashboard or visual. To export your data, choose the
ellipses (3 dots) on the top-right side of any visualization and choose the icon: Export
data. Your data is exported as an a.CSV file. You can even save and open the file in
Excel.
Step 2: connection
Step 7: Select the table that you want to apply a DAX rule
Step 9: After creating a DAX expression, select the checkbox placed above the
Step 2: Task. Describe the issue or problem you were confronted with
Step 3: Action
Step 4: Results
Use a customized
User Interface Simple and easy to use
dashboard
Summarize(<table>,<grouping column>,[<name>,<expression>])
grouping column - the column name you want to use for grouping
131. Can you export Power BI report data into any other format like
SSRS?
Yes, you can export a Power BI report data to another file format, such as PowerPoint,
PDF, Image, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft Excel, or export the report by generating an
Atom service document, listing the Atom-compliant data feeds available from the report.
132. What is the difference between the measure and the calculated
column?
The difference is the context of evaluation. A measure is evaluated in the context of the
cell evaluated in a report or in a DAX query. While the calculated column is computed at
the row level within the table it belongs to.
DATEDADD is the most versatile function used for time intelligence. However, pretty
much of the time intelligence can be recreated with DATEDADD.
Following the tidy data philosophy, column usage should be limited. Also utilizing the
star schema to limit joins will also improve the model.
Disabling unused tables from loading also helps. Also using lookups can also improve
overall functionality.
137. How can You Change the Value Measure to Show Multiple
Measures Dynamically?
You can dynamically change and switch functions to show multiple measures using
harvesting measures.
Dashboards, datasets, and reports are the heart of Power BI, and they enable users to
create personalized dashboards combining cloud-born and on-premises data in a single
view. It allows monitoring the most important data enterprise-wide and from all their
business apps.
Importing data into Power BI Desktop is an easy task. You can even create reports that
share valuable insights without using DAX formulas in it. But if you want to analyze the
growth percentage of different date ranges and across product categories or calculate
year growth compared to market trends? DAX formulas support this capability. DAX
stands for Data Analysis Expression language. Knowing how to use DAX formulas helps
you to get the most out of your data. DAX works on operators, functions, and constants
to further extend your model.
The three fundamental concepts of Power BI DAX are Syntax, Context, and Functions.
Syntax:
It comprises various components that make up the formula. To understand the DAX
formula, let’s break down each of the elements into a language.
The equals sign (=) indicates the start of the DAX formula.
Context:
It is one of the essential concepts of DAX. There are two types of Contexts - Row
Functions:
Functions are structured, predefined, and ordered formulae. They complete calculations
using arguments passed on to them.
These functions carry out calculations on the date and time values.
Information Functions
These functions provide particular information on the data values included in rows and
columns. It checks the given condition in a function for the given value and returns
TRUE or FALSE.
Logical Functions
These functions are used to perform all sorts of mathematical functions on the reference
values.
Statistical Functions
These functions carry out statistical and aggregation functions on data values in a DAX
expression.
Parent-Child functions
These are used for data values that are a part of a parent-child hierarchy.
Table functions
In DAX formulas, these functions are used to apply operations and conditions on entire
tables.
Other functions
There are a bunch of functions that do not fit in any particular category.
DAX formulas can also be called DAX Calculations as they calculate an input value and
return a resultant value. The calculations that you can perform using DAX in Power BI
are Calculated Measures and Calculated Columns.
Calculated Columns: They create a new column in your existing table. The only thing
is there should be at least one function in the calculated column. When you want to
create a column with filtered or sorted information, calculated columns are used.
Calculate functions allow you to modify the filter context of tables or measures. You can
perform the following:
management.
DAX and M are the two languages supported by Power BI to filter, handle and
visualize data.
DAX is an analytical data calculation language used for analyzing data in the
n the flip side, M is a query formula language used in Power BI Query Editor to
Power BI works with the advanced version of excel, so one needs to have an excellent
knowledge of MS Excel and to build interactive dashboards to get hired.
Q&A in Power BI allows you to explore data using natural language capabilities and
obtain answers in the form of graphs and charts. You'll find Q&A on dashboards in the
Power BI service.
Learn everything there is to know about the organization. Tailor your responses specific
to the company's needs.
Look over the responsibilities of the role. Brainstorm at least one example from your
previous experience that matches the requirements listed. When the interviewer asks a
question about that criterion, you'll be prepared with an example.
While you can't predict what the company will ask, familiarizing yourself with common
interview questions will help you prepare.
No coding is required to use Power BI. It’s a data visualization tool to create business
intelligence dashboards. However, Power BI has formula languages like M and DAX that
executes operations similar to programming languages.
Yes, Power BI has a great scope. It has numerous benefits for any organization, and
even novices can get jobs as a Power BI Developer at the junior level. There are various
analytics focussed companies that readily hire talented Power BI Freshers these days.
Yes, Power BI is a very good career. Simply put, there has never been a more exciting
time to work with data. Every day, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created, and the rate
is only increasing. As organisations' data collecting develops in extent and
sophistication, it's inevitable that they'll want to make use of it, and Power BI pros are at
the forefront of this trend.
On-premises or in the cloud, Power BI provides a scalable and unified platform for data
collection, refinement, analysis, and presentation. Through interactive dashboards and
data-rich, easy-to-understand reporting, it provides organizations with a 360-degree view
of their operations. It is a part of Microsoft Business Intelligence (MSBI) suite, and it
includes a variety of services, products, and applications.
Power BI jobs will offer you handsome salaries and give you a chance to work with top
MNCs. In the United States, the average annual pay for a power bi developer is
$105,000, or $53.85 an hour. Entry-level jobs start at $92,625 per year, with the highest-
paid individuals earning up to $135,000 per year.
Power BI Developers are already in great demand, and that demand is projected to rise
even more in the near future. By 2026, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a
27.9% growth in demand for data skills.
To break into the data field, formal education is mandatory. A bachelor's degree in
Computer Science, Administration, or a closely related field is necessary. Aside from
academic qualifications, the position of a Power BI Developer demands a lot.
Some of the key skills are listed below:
The specific responsibilities that a Power BI Developer performs vary widely based on
the industry and the organization for which they work. A Power BI developer should
expect to encounter some or all of the roles and responsibilities listed below:
12. What are the job profiles that a Power BI developer can look for?
There are a variety of job profiles available due to Power BI's popularity:
Power BI Developer
Power BI Analyst
Power BI Business Analyst
Power BI Data Analyst
Power BI Software Engineer
Senior Business Intelligence Analyst
Because of Power BI's ubiquity, there are a plethora of resources for aspiring
professionals to understand all aspects of the platform, from the basic information to
advanced.
Here is a list of different ways you may use to learn Power BI, whether you're just getting
started or want to brush up on your existing knowledge.