Self Introduction

"I'm a data analyst with [Number] years of experience specializing in Power BI. I'm passionate about
transforming raw data into actionable insights through interactive dashboards and reports. My
expertise spans the entire Power BI development lifecycle, from data extraction and transformation
using Power Query to designing complex data models with DAX and creating visually compelling
reports. I'm particularly adept at optimizing report performance and ensuring data accuracy. I'm
eager to contribute my skills and experience to a challenging role where I can further develop my
Power BI capabilities and help an organization achieve its data-driven goals." (Tailor this to your
specific experience and the job you're applying for.)

2. Which visuals have you used in your projects?

"I've utilized a wide range of Power BI visuals, including:

 Basic Charts: Bar/Column charts (clustered, stacked, 100% stacked), Line charts, Pie charts,
Area charts. These are fundamental for showing trends, comparisons, and distributions.

 Advanced Charts: Scatter plots (for correlations), Bubble charts (for multidimensional data),
Treemaps (for hierarchical data), Funnel charts (for process visualization), and Maps (for
geospatial analysis).

 Tables and Matrices: For detailed data presentation and drill-down capabilities. I often use
conditional formatting to highlight key values.

 KPIs and Gauges: To track progress towards goals and visualize performance metrics.

 Custom Visuals: I explore the Power BI marketplace for visuals that best suit specific needs,
such as network diagrams or specialized financial charts. For instance, in a recent project, I
used a [Specific Custom Visual Name] to [Explain its purpose and benefit]."

3. Can you describe your client project?

"I worked with [Client Name/Industry] on a project to improve their sales reporting. They had
disparate data sources (CRM, ERP, Excel) and struggled to get a unified view of sales performance.
My objective was to consolidate this data, develop interactive dashboards, and empower them to
make data-driven decisions in real-time."

4. What was your role in the project?

"My role was comprehensive, covering:

 Data Acquisition and Preparation: Connecting to various data sources, cleaning,

transforming, and loading data using Power Query.

 Data Modeling: Designing the star schema, creating relationships between tables, and
developing DAX measures for key metrics like sales growth, market share, and customer
churn.

 Report Development: Designing interactive reports and dashboards, selecting appropriate

visuals, implementing drill-through functionality, and optimizing for performance.

 Deployment and Training: Publishing reports to the Power BI service, setting up data refresh
schedules, and providing training to end-users on how to use the dashboards effectively.
  Documentation: Creating documentation for the data model, DAX measures, and report
functionality."

5. What are the key components of Power BI?

"Power BI consists of several key components:

 Power Query (Data Transformation): The ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool for connecting
to various data sources, cleaning, shaping, and transforming data.

 Power Pivot (Data Modeling): Used for creating data models, defining relationships between
tables, and adding calculations using DAX.

 Power View (Data Visualization): The tool for creating interactive reports and dashboards
with a variety of visuals.

 Power BI Service (Cloud Platform): The cloud-based platform for publishing, sharing, and
collaborating on reports and dashboards. It also provides features like data refresh, security,
and administration.

 Power BI Desktop (Development Tool): The primary application for developing Power BI
reports and data models.

 Power BI Mobile Apps: For viewing reports and dashboards on mobile devices.

 Power BI Report Server (On-Premises Reporting): For organizations that require on-
premises reporting capabilities."

6. What is the difference between DATESBETWEEN and DATESINPERIOD functions?

 DATESBETWEEN(dates, start_date, end_date): Returns a table containing all dates within a

specified date range (inclusive). You define the start and end dates explicitly. It's good for
fixed date ranges.

 DATESINPERIOD(dates, start_date, number_of_intervals, interval): Returns a table

containing a set of dates that begins at a specified start date and continues for a specified
number of intervals. You specify the start date, the number of intervals, and the type of
interval (e.g., day, month, year). It's good for dynamic date ranges.

Example: DATESBETWEEN(Calendar[Date], DATE(2023, 1, 1), DATE(2023, 1, 31)) returns all dates in

January 2023. DATESINPERIOD(Calendar[Date], DATE(2023, 1, 1), 3, MONTH) returns dates for
January, February, and March 2023.

7. Have you used row-level security (RLS) in your project? Explain in detail.

"Yes, I've implemented RLS to restrict data access based on user roles. For example, in a sales
dashboard, I used RLS to ensure sales representatives could only see data for their assigned region.

RLS is implemented using DAX expressions that evaluate to TRUE or FALSE. You define roles in Power
BI Desktop and assign DAX filter expressions to these roles. When a user accesses the report, Power
BI evaluates the DAX expression for their role and filters the data accordingly.

Example: Suppose you have a Sales table with columns SalesRep, Region, and SalesAmount. You
create a role "SalesRepRole" with the DAX expression: [SalesRep] = USERPRINCIPALNAME(). This
compares the SalesRep column to the username of the report viewer. Only rows where SalesRep
matches the username will be visible to that user."
8. Did you have access to a premium Power BI account?

"In some projects, I had access to Power BI Premium Capacity, which offers features like larger
dataset sizes, improved performance, and advanced deployment options. In other projects, I worked
with Pro licenses, optimizing reports within those constraints. I'm comfortable in both
environments."

9. Provide a brief explanation of bookmarks with a scenario-based example.

"Bookmarks save different views of a report page, enabling users to switch between perspectives.

Scenario: A sales report has charts showing sales by product category and sales by region. Create
two bookmarks: "Product View" and "Region View." "Product View" shows only the sales by category
chart, while "Region View" shows only the sales by region chart. Users can then easily toggle
between these views using buttons or slicers."

10. What is cardinality, and what are its types?

"Cardinality describes the relationship between two tables in a data model, indicating how many
rows in one table are related to how many rows in the other. Types include:

 One-to-one: One row in table A relates to only one row in table B, and vice-versa. (Rare).

 One-to-many: One row in table A can relate to multiple rows in table B, but one row in table
B relates to only one row in table A. (Common). Example: One customer can have multiple
orders.

 Many-to-one: Multiple rows in table A can relate to one row in table B, but one row in table
B relates to only one row in table A. (Same as one-to-many from the other side). Example:
Multiple orders belong to one customer.

 Many-to-many: One row in table A can relate to multiple rows in table B, and one row in
table B can relate to multiple rows in table A. (Requires a bridging/junction table). Example:
Students can enroll in multiple courses, and courses can have multiple students. A junction
table would link students and courses.

What are dimension tables and fact tables?

 Dimension tables: Contain descriptive attributes that provide context for the data in fact
tables. They typically hold categorical data like product names, customer names, dates,
locations, and employee details. They are the "who, what, where, when, and why" of your
data. Think of them as lookup tables.

 Fact tables: Contain the numerical measurements, metrics, or events you want to analyze.
They typically hold transactional data like sales amounts, quantities, prices, order values, or
website visits. They represent the "what" that you're measuring. Fact tables are related to
dimension tables through foreign keys.

Example: Imagine a sales scenario.

 Fact Table: Sales (columns: SalesOrderID, ProductID, CustomerID, Date, Quantity,

SalesAmount)

 Dimension Tables:

o Products (columns: ProductID, ProductName, Category, UnitPrice)

 o Customers (columns: CustomerID, CustomerName, City, Country)

o Dates (columns: Date, Year, Month, Day)

The Sales fact table records the details of each sale, while the dimension tables provide context
about the products, customers, and dates involved in those sales.

12. Which data source did you use in your project, and what is the size of the data?

"In the sales performance dashboard project I described earlier, I used data from multiple sources.
The core transactional data came from a SQL Server database, which contained approximately 10
million rows of sales transaction data. Sales targets were stored in a CSV file with around 1,000 rows.
Regional information was in an Excel spreadsheet with about 50 rows. I combined these sources
using Power Query." (Be specific, but if you can't share exact numbers due to confidentiality, give a
general idea – e.g., "millions of rows," "hundreds of thousands of records"). Always mention the
types of data sources.

13. If your PBIX file is slow to load, what could be the cause, and how would you improve its
performance?

"Several factors can cause slow loading:

 Large Dataset Size: Too much data. Solutions:

o Data Filtering: Import only necessary data using Power Query filters.

o Aggregation: Pre-aggregate data at a higher level if detailed data isn't always

required.

o Incremental Refresh: Refresh only new or changed data.

 Complex DAX Measures: Inefficient DAX code. Solutions:

o Optimize DAX: Use efficient DAX functions, avoid iterating unnecessarily (use SUMX,
AVERAGEX with caution), and use variables to store intermediate results.

o Measure Branching: Break down complex measures into smaller, simpler ones.

 Relationships: Too many relationships or complex relationship types (many-to-many).

Solutions:

o Review Relationships: Ensure relationships are necessary and correctly defined.

o Bridging Tables: For many-to-many, use a proper bridging table.

 Visuals: Too many visuals on a page or complex custom visuals. Solutions:

o Reduce Visuals: Use only necessary visuals.

o Optimize Visuals: Use built-in visuals where possible.

 Power Query Steps: Too many transformation steps in Power Query. Solutions:

o Optimize Power Query: Combine steps where possible, avoid unnecessary data type
conversions.

14. What is incremental refresh? Please explain briefly. Have you worked on it?
"Incremental refresh allows you to refresh only the data that has changed since the last refresh,
rather than refreshing the entire dataset. This significantly improves refresh performance, especially
for large datasets. You define a date/time column in your data source, and Power BI uses this to
identify which data is new or modified. Yes, I've implemented incremental refresh in projects
involving large transactional datasets where full refreshes were impractical."

15. What is a Gateway, and what are its types?

"A Power BI Gateway is a software application that acts as a bridge between the Power BI service
(cloud) and on-premises data sources. It allows Power BI to connect to data sources that are behind a
firewall or otherwise not directly accessible from the cloud.

Types of Gateways:

 On-premises data gateway (personal mode): Used for personal use and allows only one user
to access data. Suitable for prototyping or individual report development.

 On-premises data gateway (standard mode): Used for sharing data sources with multiple
users and is suitable for production environments. It can be installed on a server or virtual
machine.

 Virtual network (VNet) data gateway: Used for connecting to data sources within an Azure
Virtual Network.

16. Explain the types of joins in Power BI.

Power BI uses the same join types as SQL:

 Inner Join: Returns only rows where there is a match in both tables based on the join
condition.

 Left Outer Join: Returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the right table.
If there's no match in the right table, it returns NULL values for the right table's columns.

 Right Outer Join: Returns all rows from the right table and matching rows from the left table.
If there's no match in the left table, it returns NULL values for the left table's columns.

 Full Outer Join: Returns all rows from both tables. If there's no match in either table, it
returns NULL values for the missing columns.

17. How do you handle data modeling in Power BI?

"I follow a structured approach to data modeling in Power BI:

1. Requirements Gathering: Understand the business requirements and the key metrics to be
analyzed.

2. Data Source Identification: Identify all relevant data sources.

3. Data Extraction and Transformation: Use Power Query to connect to the data sources, clean,
transform, and shape the data.

4. Star Schema Design: Design the data model using a star schema, with a central fact table
surrounded by dimension tables.

5. Relationship Creation: Create relationships between the fact table and dimension tables,
ensuring correct cardinality.
 6. DAX Measures: Develop DAX measures for key metrics and calculations.

7. Testing and Validation: Thoroughly test the data model to ensure accuracy and performance.

18. What are the different types of filters in Power BI?

 Report-level filters: Apply to all visuals on the entire report.

 Page-level filters: Apply to all visuals on a specific page.

 Visual-level filters: Apply to a single visual.

 Slicers: Interactive filters that allow users to filter data directly in the report.

 Drill-through filters: Pass filter context from one report page to another.

19. How do you create calculated columns and measures in Power BI?

 Calculated Columns: Added to a table and are computed at the row level. They become part
of the data model and consume memory. Use them when the calculation is needed for
filtering or slicing. Created using DAX expressions. Example: TotalCost = [Quantity] *
[UnitPrice]

 Measures: Calculations performed dynamically at the time of report viewing. They don't
consume memory as they are calculated on the fly. Use them for aggregations, ratios, or
other calculations that change based on the context. Created using DAX expressions.
Example: TotalSales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])

20. What is the difference between a dashboard and a report in Power BI?

 Report: A multi-page document containing visualizations, tables, and other elements that tell
a story with data. It is interactive, allowing users to explore the data. It is the foundation for a
dashboard.

 Dashboard: A single-page canvas that displays a curated set of visualizations (tiles) from one
or more reports. It provides a high-level overview of key metrics and insights. Dashboards
are designed for at-a-glance monitoring and are less interactive than reports. You can pin
visuals from reports to a dashboard.

Can you explain the concept of Power Query?

Power Query is a data transformation and preparation tool within Power BI. It allows you to connect
to various data sources (databases, files, web services, etc.), clean, transform, and shape the data
into a format suitable for analysis in Power BI. Think of it as the ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
process for Power BI.

Key aspects of Power Query:

 Data Connectivity: Connects to a wide range of data sources.

 Data Transformation: Provides a user-friendly interface (M language) to perform various

transformations:

o Filtering rows and columns

o Sorting data
 o Grouping and aggregating data

o Pivoting and unpivoting data

o Adding calculated columns

o Changing data types

o Merging and appending queries

 Query Folding: Optimizes queries by pushing transformations back to the data source,
improving performance.

 M Language: The underlying language used for Power Query transformations. While the UI is
generally sufficient, understanding M allows for advanced transformations.

22. How do you implement drill-through functionality in Power BI?

Drill-through allows users to click on a data point in a report and be taken to another report page (or
even another report) that provides more detailed information about that data point.

Steps to implement drill-through:

1. Create a Drill-through Page: Create a new report page that will display the detailed
information. This page should have visuals that are relevant to the data you want to drill
through.

2. Define Drill-through Filters: On the drill-through page, define filters that will receive the
context from the source visual. These filters are usually based on the same fields used in the
source visual.

3. Configure Drill-through Action: On the source visual, configure a drill-through action. Select
the drill-through page as the target and map the fields that will pass the filter context.

Example: You have a report showing sales by region. You want users to be able to click on a region
and see a detailed breakdown of sales by product for that region. You would create a drill-through
page with visuals showing sales by product. You would then configure the drill-through action on the
region chart to pass the selected region to the drill-through page's filters.

23. How do you optimize performance in Power BI?

Performance optimization is crucial for a good user experience. Key strategies include:

 Data Modeling:

o Use a star schema.

o Minimize the number of relationships.

o Optimize data types.

o Remove unnecessary columns.

 DAX Optimization:

o Use efficient DAX functions.

o Avoid iterating unnecessarily (use SUMX, AVERAGEX with caution).

 o Use variables to store intermediate results.

o Break down complex measures into smaller, simpler ones.

 Power Query Optimization:

o Optimize M code.

o Combine steps where possible.

o Ensure query folding is occurring.

 Visual Optimization:

o Use only necessary visuals.

o Optimize visual settings.

o Reduce the number of visuals on a page.

 Data Refresh:

o Use incremental refresh for large datasets.

o Schedule refreshes during off-peak hours.

 Hardware: Ensure adequate server resources (CPU, RAM) for the Power BI service.

24. How do you use the Q&A feature in Power BI?

Q&A allows users to ask natural language questions about the data in a report. Power BI interprets
the question and automatically generates the appropriate visualization.

How to use Q&A:

1. Type your question: In the Q&A box, type your question in natural language.

2. Review the results: Power BI will generate a visualization based on your question.

3. Refine your question: If the result isn't what you're looking for, refine your question or use
the Q&A suggestions.

4. Convert to a visual: You can convert a Q&A result into a regular Power BI visual that can be
customized further.

25. How do you manage large datasets in Power BI?

Managing large datasets effectively is essential for performance. Strategies include:

 Data Filtering: Import only the necessary data using Power Query filters.

 Aggregation: Pre-aggregate data at a higher level if detailed data isn't always needed.

 Incremental Refresh: Refresh only new or changed data.

 Data Partitioning: Divide large tables into smaller partitions.

 Premium Capacity: Utilize Power BI Premium Capacity for larger dataset sizes and improved
performance.
  Optimize Data Model: Follow best practices for data modeling (star schema, efficient
relationships).

26. How do you handle relationships with many-to-many cardinality?

Many-to-many relationships require a bridging table (also called a junction table or fact table) to
resolve the ambiguity.

Example: Students can enroll in multiple courses, and courses can have multiple students. A many-to-
many relationship exists between students and courses.

To handle this:

1. Create a Bridging Table: Create a new table with two foreign keys: one referencing the
student table and the other referencing the course table. This table represents the
enrollment relationship.

2. Create Relationships: Create one-to-many relationships between the student table and the
bridging table, and between the course table and the bridging table.

3. Use Measures: Use DAX measures to correctly aggregate data across the many-to-many
relationship.

27. What challenges have you faced while working with Power BI?

"Like any software, Power BI has its challenges. Some I've encountered include:

 Performance Bottlenecks: Large datasets or complex DAX measures can lead to slow report
performance. I've addressed this by optimizing DAX, using incremental refresh, and ensuring
proper data modeling. Example: I once had a report that took several minutes to load. By
rewriting some inefficient DAX measures using variables and optimizing the relationships, I
reduced the load time to a few seconds.

 Data Source Limitations: Connecting to certain data sources or dealing with inconsistent
data formats can be difficult. I've used Power Query's data transformation capabilities to
clean and prepare data for analysis. Example: I had to combine data from several different
sources, each with its own date format. I used Power Query to standardize the date format
before loading the data into the model.

 DAX Complexity: Mastering DAX can be challenging, especially for complex calculations. I've
invested time in learning DAX and practicing different functions and patterns. I also rely on
online resources and the Power BI community for help.

 Visual Limitations: Sometimes, the built-in visuals don't perfectly meet the requirements.
I've explored custom visuals from the marketplace or, in some cases, created my own using
D3.js.

 Deployment and Sharing: Managing deployments and sharing reports with users can be
complex, especially in larger organizations. I've learned about different deployment options
and security best practices.

Describe your most recent project and your contributions.

"In my most recent project, I developed a sales performance dashboard for a retail company. They
struggled to get a consolidated view of their sales data, which was spread across multiple systems.
My contributions included:

 Data Integration: I used Power Query to extract data from their CRM, ERP, and e-commerce
platform, cleaning and transforming it into a consistent format.

 Data Modeling: I designed a star schema data model, creating relationships between sales
transactions, products, customers, and time dimensions. I also created DAX measures for key
metrics like total sales, sales growth, and average order value.

 Dashboard Development: I designed and developed interactive dashboards that provided

insights into sales trends by region, product category, and customer segment. I used a variety
of visuals, including maps, charts, and tables, to present the data effectively.

 Performance Optimization: I optimized the data model and DAX measures to ensure fast
report loading and responsiveness.

 User Training: I trained the sales team on how to use the dashboards to track performance
and identify areas for improvement.

The dashboard enabled the company to gain a clear understanding of their sales performance,
identify top-performing products and regions, and make data-driven decisions to improve sales and
profitability." (Be specific about the business problem, your actions, and the results.)

2. Difference between calculated columns and measures?

 Calculated Columns: These are added to a table and are computed at the row level. They
become part of the data model and consume memory. Use them when the calculation is
needed for filtering or slicing. Created using DAX expressions. Example: TotalCost =
[Quantity] * [UnitPrice] (Calculated for each row)

 Measures: These are calculations performed dynamically at the time of report viewing. They
don't consume memory as they are calculated on the fly. Use them for aggregations, ratios,
or other calculations that change based on the context. Created using DAX expressions.
Example: TotalSales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]) (Calculated dynamically based on filters and
context)

3. Challenges faced in Power BI projects?

"Some challenges I've encountered include:

 Data Quality: Inconsistent or missing data can make it difficult to build accurate reports. I've
used Power Query to clean and transform data, handling missing values and inconsistencies.
Example: I had a project where customer addresses were entered inconsistently. I used
Power Query to standardize the address format.

 Performance Bottlenecks: Large datasets or complex DAX can slow down report
performance. I've optimized DAX, used incremental refresh, and ensured proper data
modeling. Example: A report with a large fact table was slow. I used incremental refresh to
refresh only the new data.

 Requirements Changes: Business requirements can change during the project. I've been
flexible and adapted my approach to accommodate these changes. Example: Mid-project,
 the client decided they needed additional metrics. I was able to modify the data model and
DAX measures to incorporate these new metrics.

 Data Security: Protecting sensitive data is crucial. I've implemented row-level security (RLS)
to restrict access to data based on user roles. Example: I used RLS to ensure that sales
representatives could only see data for their own region.

I approach challenges systematically, using my technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and a

willingness to learn. I also collaborate with colleagues and leverage online resources to find
solutions." (Always provide specific examples of challenges and how you addressed them.)

4. Visuals used in your projects?

"I use a variety of visuals depending on the data and the message I want to convey. Common ones
include:

 Bar/Column Charts: For comparing values across categories.

 Line Charts: For showing trends over time.

 Pie Charts: For showing parts of a whole (use sparingly).

 Scatter Plots: For showing correlations between two variables.

 Maps: For visualizing geospatial data.

 Tables/Matrices: For presenting detailed data and allowing drill-down.

 KPIs and Gauges: For tracking progress towards goals.

 Treemaps: For showing hierarchical data.

I also explore custom visuals from the Power BI marketplace when they are a good fit for the specific
needs of the project."

5. What is Power Query? What can we do with it?

"Power Query is a data transformation and preparation tool within Power BI. It's used for:

 Connecting to Data: Connecting to various data sources (databases, files, web services, etc.).

 Data Cleaning: Removing duplicates, handling missing values, correcting data types.

 Data Transformation: Filtering, sorting, grouping, pivoting, unpivoting, adding calculated

columns.

 Data Shaping: Restructuring data to make it suitable for analysis.

 Combining Data: Merging and appending queries from different sources.

Essentially, Power Query prepares the data for analysis in Power BI."

6. Difference between Append and Merge?

 Append: Combines two or more tables vertically. The tables must have the same columns (or
at least compatible columns). Think of it as stacking the tables on top of each other. Example:
Appending sales data from different regions into a single table.
  Merge: Combines two tables horizontally based on a common column (or columns). It's like
joining tables in SQL. Example: Merging a sales table with a product table using the product
ID.

7. How many types of Views in Power BI? Explain.

There are three main views in Power BI Desktop:

 Report View: This is where you design and create your reports, adding visuals, tables, and
other elements.

 Data View: This allows you to view and explore the data in your tables, similar to a
spreadsheet. You can also create calculated columns here.

 Model View: This is where you define relationships between tables in your data model.

8. How can data be imported into Power BI?

"Data can be imported from various sources:

 Files: Excel files, CSV files, text files, JSON files, etc.

 Databases: SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Oracle, MySQL, etc.

 Online Services: SharePoint, Dynamics 365, Salesforce, etc.

 Web: Data from web pages or APIs.

 Other Sources: Power BI also supports many other data sources, including Azure services
and various third-party connectors."

9. How will you join two tables with the help of DAX functions?

While relationships are the preferred method for joining tables in Power BI, you can use DAX
functions like LOOKUPVALUE or RELATED (for one-to-many relationships) to retrieve values from
related tables within calculations. However, relationships are generally more efficient for joining
tables.

10. Difference between dashboard and report? Give answers in detail with examples.

 Report: A multi-page document containing visualizations, tables, and other elements that tell
a story with data. It's interactive, allowing users to explore the data. Example: A sales report
might have multiple pages showing sales by region, product, and customer, with drill-down
capabilities.

 Dashboard: A single-page canvas that displays a curated set of visualizations (tiles) from one
or more reports. It provides a high-level overview of key metrics and insights. Dashboards
are designed for at-a-glance monitoring and are less interactive than reports. Example: A
sales dashboard might show key metrics like total sales, sales growth, and customer churn,
pulled from different reports. You can pin visualizations from a report to a dashboard.

. Explain the concepts of Data Modeling?

Data modeling is the process of creating a structured representation of data that reflects the
relationships between different data elements. In Power BI, data modeling involves:
  Star Schema: A common data modeling approach where a central fact table (containing
measurements or events) is surrounded by dimension tables (containing descriptive
attributes). This structure simplifies analysis and improves performance.

 Relationships: Defining how tables are connected. Cardinality (one-to-one, one-to-many,

many-to-one, many-to-many) specifies the nature of these connections.

 Calculated Columns and Measures: Creating new data or metrics using DAX expressions.

 Data Types: Ensuring correct data types for each column (e.g., number, text, date).

Effective data modeling is crucial for building accurate, performant, and user-friendly Power BI
reports.

12. Difference between SUM and SUMX?

 SUM(column): Adds up all the values in a single column. It's the simplest way to sum a
column. Example: TotalSales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])

 SUMX(table, expression): Iterates through each row of a table and evaluates the expression
for each row, then sums the results. It's used when you need to perform a calculation for
each row before summing. Example: TotalProfit = SUMX(Sales, Sales[Quantity] * (Sales[Price]
- Sales[Cost])) (Calculates profit for each sale and then sums the profits). SUMX is more
flexible but can be less performant than SUM for simple column sums.

13. Difference between Duplicate & Reference in Power Query?

Both Duplicate and Reference create a new query based on an existing one, but they differ in how
they are linked to the original query:

 Duplicate: Creates a completely independent copy of the original query. Changes made to
the duplicate query do not affect the original query, and vice versa.

 Reference: Creates a new query that is linked to the original query. Changes made to the
original query will affect the reference query. This is useful for creating multiple variations of
a query without repeating the same transformation steps.

14. Difference between Import Mode & Direct Query?

These are two different ways to connect to data in Power BI:

 Import Mode: Power BI imports the data from the data source into its own in-memory
storage. This allows for very fast report performance, but the data is not live. You need to
refresh the dataset to get the latest data.

 Direct Query: Power BI does not import the data. Instead, it sends queries directly to the
data source when you interact with the report. This ensures that you always see the latest
data, but report performance can be slower, as it depends on the speed of the data source.

15. Difference between Slicer & Filter?

Both slicers and filters are used to narrow down the data shown in visuals, but they differ in how
users interact with them:
  Filters: Can be applied at the report, page, or visual level. They are usually configured by the
report developer and are not as interactive for the end-user. Example: A report-level filter to
show data only for the current year.

 Slicers: Interactive controls that allow users to easily filter the data in a report. They are
visual elements (like buttons, dropdowns, or lists) that users can interact with to select which
data to display. Example: A slicer that allows users to select which product categories to view
in a chart.

16. Difference between Drilldown and Drillthrough in Power BI?

 Drilldown: Allows users to explore data at a more granular level within the same visual.
Example: You have a chart showing sales by region. Drilling down on a region might show
sales by city within that region.

 Drillthrough: Takes users to a different report page (or even a different report) that provides
more detailed information about the selected data point. Example: You have a chart showing
sales by region. Drilling through on a region might take you to a separate report page
showing detailed sales transactions for that region.

17. Can you explain bookmarks and their use cases in Power BI?

Bookmarks allow you to save different views of a report page. This is useful for creating different
perspectives on the same data or for guiding users through a data story.

Use cases:

 Different Views: Show different charts or tables on the same page. Example: One bookmark
shows sales by product, another shows sales by region.

 Data Storytelling: Create a sequence of bookmarks to guide users through a data analysis.

 User Interaction: Allow users to switch between predefined views using buttons or slicers.

18. How do you manage large datasets in Power BI?

Managing large datasets is crucial for performance. Strategies include:

 Data Filtering: Import only the necessary data using Power Query.

 Aggregation: Pre-aggregate data at a higher level.

 Incremental Refresh: Refresh only new or changed data.

 Data Partitioning: Divide large tables into smaller partitions (Premium feature).

 Optimize Data Model: Use a star schema, minimize relationships, and optimize data types.

 Premium Capacity: Utilize Power BI Premium for larger datasets and better performance.

19. How will you handle missing data or dirty data in Power BI?

Power Query is your primary tool for handling missing or dirty data:

 Missing Values: You can replace missing values with a specific value (e.g., 0, blank, or a
calculated average), remove rows with missing values, or use imputation techniques.
  Inconsistent Data: You can use Power Query to clean and transform data, correcting
inconsistencies, standardizing formats, and removing duplicates. Example: Standardizing date
formats, correcting spelling errors, or removing extra spaces.

20. What is an Index column and why will we use it in Power BI?

An index column is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each row in a table. It's often used when
you need a stable and unique identifier for rows, especially when the natural key is not suitable (e.g.,
if it's not unique or if it changes).

Why use an index column:

 Relationship Creation: Useful when you need to create a relationship between two tables
but don't have a suitable common column.

 Data Transformation: Can be used as a reference point during data transformations.

 Row Identification: Provides a unique way to identify and refer to specific rows.

Example: You have sales data without a unique order ID. You can add an index column to uniquely
identify each sales transaction. You can then use this index column to create a relationship with
another table that might contain more details about each sale (e.g., customer information).

Which type of Power BI Account did you use in your Project?

"In my projects, I've used both Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium Capacity, depending on the
client's needs. Power BI Pro is suitable for individual users and smaller teams, providing essential
features for report development and sharing. Power BI Premium Capacity is designed for larger
organizations and offers advanced capabilities like larger dataset sizes, improved performance, and
features like incremental refresh and deployment pipelines. For example, when working with large
datasets or needing features like RLS for a large user base, Premium Capacity was essential. When
working on smaller projects or for personal development, Pro was sufficient." (Be truthful and
explain why you used a specific type.)

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

Row-level security (RLS) allows you to control which rows of data a user can see in a report. This is
crucial for protecting sensitive data and ensuring that users only see the information they are
authorized to access. RLS is implemented using DAX expressions that evaluate to TRUE or FALSE. You
define roles in Power BI Desktop and assign DAX filter expressions to those roles. When a user
accesses the report, Power BI evaluates the DAX expression for their assigned role and filters the
data accordingly.

Example: Imagine a sales report where you want sales representatives to see only their own sales
data. You can create a role called "SalesRepRole" with a DAX expression like [SalesRep] =
USERPRINCIPALNAME(). This expression compares the SalesRep column in your data to the
username of the person viewing the report. Only rows where the SalesRep matches the username
will be visible to that user.

23. Difference between a pie chart and a donut chart?

Both pie charts and donut charts are used to show parts of a whole, but they have a slight visual
difference:
  Pie Chart: A circular chart divided into slices, where each slice represents a proportion of the
whole.

 Donut Chart: Similar to a pie chart, but with a hole in the center. This space can be used to
display additional information, such as the total value or a category label.

From a data perspective, they convey the same information. The choice between them is often a
matter of aesthetics or whether you want to include that central label. Pie charts are sometimes
criticized for being difficult to read when there are many slices.

24. Concept of conditional formatting in Power BI?

Conditional formatting allows you to dynamically change the appearance of visuals (e.g., colors,
fonts, icons) based on the values in the data. This helps to highlight important trends, outliers, or key
performance indicators (KPIs).

Example: You could use conditional formatting to color sales values in a table: green for high sales,
yellow for medium sales, and red for low sales. You could also use icons to indicate performance
against targets.

25. Difference between Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service?

 Power BI Desktop: A free desktop application used to develop Power BI reports and data
models. It's where you connect to data sources, transform data using Power Query, design
the data model, create visuals, and develop DAX measures.

 Power BI Service: A cloud-based platform for publishing, sharing, and collaborating on Power
BI reports and dashboards. It also provides features like data refresh, security, and
administration. You develop in Desktop and then publish to the Service.

26. What is Summarize DAX?

The SUMMARIZE function in DAX creates a summary table from an existing table. It groups data by
specified columns and calculates aggregations for other columns. It's useful for creating calculated
tables or for summarizing data within measures.

Example: SalesSummary = SUMMARIZE(Sales, Sales[Region], Sales[ProductCategory], TotalSales =

SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])) This creates a new table called SalesSummary that groups sales by region
and product category and calculates the total sales for each group.

27. Major components of Power BI?

(See answer to question 5 in the first set of questions. It's a good, concise list.)

28. Building blocks of Power BI? (Often asked in conjunction with components)

The building blocks are the fundamental elements you work with:

 Visualizations: Charts, graphs, maps, and other visual representations of data.

 Datasets: The underlying data that you use in your reports.

 Reports: Collections of visualizations that present data insights.

 Dashboards: Single-page views of key metrics and insights from one or more reports.

 Tiles: Individual visualizations displayed on a dashboard.

29. What is Workspace & App?

 Workspace: A container for reports, dashboards, and datasets in the Power BI service.
Workspaces are used for organizing and managing content, and they control who has access
to the content. There are different types of workspaces (e.g., My Workspace, app
workspaces).

 App: A collection of reports and dashboards that are bundled together and shared with
users. Apps are a way to distribute content to a wider audience. They are published from a
workspace.

Example: You might create a workspace for your sales team and publish a sales performance app
from that workspace. The app would contain the key sales reports and dashboards that the sales
team needs.

What have you done in your project, and what are your roles & responsibilities?

"In my most recent project, I developed a comprehensive marketing analytics dashboard for a SaaS
company. They needed a unified view of their marketing performance across various channels. My
roles and responsibilities included:

 Requirements Gathering: I worked closely with the marketing team to understand their key
metrics and reporting needs.

 Data Integration: I used Power Query to connect to data from Google Analytics, Salesforce,
and their internal marketing database. I cleaned, transformed, and combined this data into a
single, cohesive dataset.

 Data Modeling: I designed a star schema data model, creating relationships between
marketing campaigns, channels, demographics, and performance metrics. I developed DAX
measures for key metrics like customer acquisition cost, conversion rate, and return on ad
spend (ROAS).

 Dashboard Development: I designed and developed interactive dashboards that visualized

marketing performance across different channels and campaigns. I used a variety of charts,
tables, and maps to present the data effectively.

 Performance Optimization: I optimized the data model and DAX measures to ensure fast
report loading and responsiveness. I also implemented incremental refresh for the larger
datasets.

 Deployment and Training: I published the dashboards to the Power BI service and provided
training to the marketing team on how to use them.

The dashboard provided the marketing team with actionable insights into campaign performance,
enabling them to optimize their marketing spend and improve overall ROI." (Be specific about the
business problem, your actions, and the positive outcomes.)

2. What are the transformations used in your project?

"I used a variety of transformations in Power Query, including:

 Filtering: Removing unnecessary rows or columns.

 Data Type Conversion: Changing data types (e.g., text to number, date to date/time).
  Column Splitting: Dividing a single column into multiple columns.

 Merging Queries: Combining data from multiple tables based on a common column.

 Appending Queries: Stacking data from multiple tables with the same columns.

 Pivoting/Unpivoting: Reshaping data.

 Adding Custom Columns: Creating new columns based on existing data.

 Replacing Values: Handling missing or inconsistent data.

 Grouping and Aggregating: Summarizing data.

Example: I had a column containing combined date and time information. I split it into two separate
columns: one for date and one for time. I also converted the date column to the correct date/time
data type."

3. What are the different sources you have used in your project?

"I've connected to a wide range of data sources, including:

 Databases: SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle.

 Files: Excel, CSV, text, JSON.

 Online Services: Google Analytics, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, SharePoint.

 Web: Data from web pages or APIs.

Example: In the marketing analytics project, I used Google Analytics for website traffic data,
Salesforce for lead and opportunity data, and a SQL Server database for internal campaign data."

4. What is the difference between Import Mode and Direct Query?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous response.)

5. What is a Fact table and a Dimension table?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous response.)

6. Difference between Star Schema and Snowflake Schema?

 Star Schema: A simple data warehouse design where a central fact table is surrounded by
dimension tables. Dimension tables are not normalized.

 Snowflake Schema: An extension of the star schema where dimension tables are
normalized. This means that dimension tables can have their own sub-dimension tables. It
reduces data redundancy but can make queries more complex.

In practice, a pure snowflake schema is less common than a star schema or a hybrid approach.

What is Conditional Formatting in Power BI?

Conditional formatting in Power BI allows you to dynamically change the appearance of visuals (e.g.,
colors, fonts, icons) based on the values in the data. This helps to highlight important trends, outliers,
or key performance indicators (KPIs), making reports more visually informative.
Example: You could use conditional formatting to color sales values in a table: green for high sales
(above $10,000), yellow for medium sales (between $5,000 and $10,000), and red for low sales
(below $5,000). You could also use icons to indicate performance against targets (e.g., a green up
arrow for exceeding the target, a yellow sideways arrow for meeting the target, and a red down
arrow for falling below the target). Conditional formatting can be applied to various visual elements,
such as data bars, font colors, background colors, and icons.

13. How do you handle errors in Power Query?

Power Query provides several ways to handle errors:

 Try...Otherwise: This allows you to specify an alternative value or action to take if an error
occurs. Example: try [SalesAmount] otherwise 0 (If the SalesAmount column has an error,
replace it with 0).

 Error Handling Steps: You can add steps in your query to specifically handle errors. You can
choose to remove rows with errors, replace errors with a specific value, or create a separate
query to log errors.

 Query Diagnostics: Power Query provides diagnostics tools to help you identify the source of
errors.

Example: Imagine you're importing data from a CSV file, and some rows have incorrect data types in
the "OrderDate" column. You can use try...otherwise to handle these errors, perhaps by converting
the invalid dates to null values or a default date.

14. Three processes to replace null values:

1. Replace Values: In Power Query, you can use the "Replace Values" transformation to replace
nulls with a specific value, such as 0, a blank string, or a calculated value (e.g., the average of
the column).

2. Fill Down/Fill Up: If nulls occur in a column where the values above or below are the same,
you can use "Fill Down" or "Fill Up" to propagate the non-null value to the null cells. This is
useful for handling cases where a value is only recorded once and applies to subsequent
rows.

3. Conditional Column: You can create a conditional column that checks for nulls and replaces
them with a desired value based on certain conditions. This allows for more complex logic in
handling nulls.

Example: You have a "Region" column with nulls. If the "Country" is the same for the rows above and
below the null, use a conditional column to fill the Region with that value.

15. Difference between referencing and duplicating a query in Power Query.

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous response.)

16. What is the M language, and how does it relate to Power Query?

The M language (also known as the Power Query Formula Language) is the functional programming
language used by Power Query to perform data transformations. When you use the Power Query
Editor's graphical interface to perform transformations, Power Query generates M code behind the
scenes. While you can use the graphical interface for most common transformations, understanding
M allows you to perform more advanced transformations, create custom functions, and automate
complex data preparation tasks.

17. How do you schedule data refreshes in Power Query?

You don't schedule refreshes in Power Query. Power Query is used for data transformation. Data
refreshing is done in the Power BI service after you've published your report. You configure refresh
schedules in the Power BI service settings for the dataset associated with your report. You can set the
refresh frequency (e.g., daily, weekly), the time of day, and other refresh parameters.

18. What are custom columns in Power Query, and how do you create them?

Custom columns are new columns that you create in Power Query based on calculations or
transformations applied to existing columns. You create them using the M language.

Example: You have "Quantity" and "UnitPrice" columns. You can create a custom column called
"TotalPrice" using the formula [Quantity] * [UnitPrice]. You can also use more complex M code with
conditional logic, functions, and other operations to create custom columns.

19. What is the 'Group By' function in Power Query, and how is it used?

The "Group By" function in Power Query is used to aggregate data based on one or more columns. It
groups rows with the same values in the specified columns and then performs aggregations (e.g.,
sum, average, count) on other columns within each group.

Example: You have a table of sales transactions. You can use "Group By" to group the data by product
category and calculate the total sales for each category.

20. Explain how to remove duplicates from a dataset in Power Query.

Power Query provides a "Remove Duplicates" transformation. You select the column(s) that you want
to use to identify duplicates. Power Query then removes any rows where the values in the selected
columns are the same as the values in a previous row.

Example: You have a table of customer records with duplicate email addresses. You can use "Remove
Duplicates" on the "Email" column to remove any duplicate customer records.

What are the charts you have used in your project?

"I've used a variety of charts in my projects, selecting the most appropriate visual for the data and
the message I wanted to convey. Commonly used charts include:

 Column/Bar Charts: For comparing values across categories (e.g., sales by region, product
performance).

 Line Charts: For showing trends over time (e.g., sales growth, website traffic).

 Pie/Donut Charts: For showing parts of a whole (e.g., market share, product distribution).
(Use these sparingly, especially with many categories).

 Scatter Plots: For showing correlations between two variables (e.g., advertising spend vs.
website conversions).

 Maps: For visualizing geospatial data (e.g., sales by country, store locations).

 Tables/Matrices: For presenting detailed data and allowing drill-down.

  KPIs and Gauges: For tracking progress towards goals and visualizing key metrics.

 Treemaps: For showing hierarchical data (e.g., sales by product category and subcategory).

The specific charts I choose depend on the data I'm working with and the insights I want to
highlight."

2. Any Custom Charts have you used?

"Yes, I've explored and used custom visuals from the Power BI marketplace when they better suited
my needs. For instance, I've used [mention a specific custom visual name, e.g., a network chart or a
specialized financial chart] to visualize [explain the type of data and its purpose, e.g., relationships
between entities or complex financial metrics]. Custom visuals can offer more specialized
visualizations than the built-in charts, but it's important to choose them carefully and ensure they
are well-maintained and performant."

3. What is the difference between Filters and Slicers?

 Filters: Used to narrow down the data shown in visuals or reports. They can be applied at the
report, page, or visual level. Filters are typically configured by the report developer and are
less interactive for the end-user. Example: A report-level filter to show data only for the
current year.

 Slicers: Interactive controls that allow users to easily filter the data in a report. They are
visual elements (like buttons, dropdowns, or lists) that users can interact with to select which
data to display. Example: A slicer that allows users to select which product categories to view
in a chart. Slicers are more user-friendly and interactive than filters.

4. What are Bookmarks in Power BI?

Bookmarks in Power BI allow you to save different views of a report page. This is useful for creating
different perspectives on the same data or for guiding users through a data story. You can create
bookmarks that show different combinations of visuals, filters, and slicer states. Users can then easily
switch between these saved views using buttons or other controls.

Example: You might have a sales report with charts showing sales by product, region, and customer
segment. You could create three bookmarks: "Product View," "Region View," and "Customer View."
Each bookmark would show the relevant chart and filter the data accordingly.

5. How can you make your reports dynamic?

"Several techniques can make Power BI reports dynamic:

 Interactive Filters and Slicers: Allow users to explore the data by selecting different filter
options.

 Drill-down and Drill-through: Enable users to explore data at different levels of detail.

 Parameters: Allow users to input values that affect the calculations and visualizations in the
report.

 DAX Measures: Use DAX measures to create calculations that respond to user interactions
and filters.

 Conditional Formatting: Dynamically change the appearance of visuals based on data values.
  Bookmarks: Allow users to switch between predefined report views.

 What-If Analysis: Use scenarios to explore the impact of different assumptions on the data.

By using these techniques, reports become more engaging and allow users to discover insights on
their own."

6. Types of relationships in Power BI?

Power BI supports several types of relationships between tables:

 One-to-one: A row in table A is related to only one row in table B, and vice versa. (Rare).

 One-to-many: A row in table A can be related to multiple rows in table B, but a row in table B
is related to only one row in table A. (Most common). Example: One customer can have
multiple orders.

 Many-to-one: (Same as one-to-many, just from the other perspective). Multiple rows in table
A can be related to one row in table B, but a row in table B is related to only one row in table
A. Example: Multiple orders belong to one customer.

 Many-to-many: A row in table A can be related to multiple rows in table B, and vice versa.
(Requires a bridging table to handle correctly). Example: Students can enroll in multiple
courses, and courses can have multiple students.

7. What are Drill Through and Drilldown in Power BI?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous set of questions. It's a good, concise
explanation.)

8. How do you optimize the performance of a Power BI report?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous set of questions. It's a comprehensive list of
optimization strategies.)

9. How do you handle large datasets in Power BI Desktop?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous set of questions. It covers the key
techniques.)

10. Difference between Tile vs Report vs Dashboard?

 Tile: A single visualization (chart, table, etc.) pinned from a report to a dashboard. It's a
snapshot of a visual.

 Report: A multi-page document containing one or more visualizations, tables, and other
elements that tell a story with data. It is interactive, allowing users to explore the data.

 Dashboard: A single-page canvas that displays a curated set of tiles (visualizations) from one
or more reports. It provides a high-level overview of key metrics and insights. Dashboards
are designed for at-a-glance monitoring.

11. Difference between Drill down vs Drill Through?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous set of questions. It clearly explains the
difference with examples.)
What is the difference between Measures and Calculated Columns?

 Calculated Columns: These are added to a table and are computed at the row level. They
become part of the data model and consume memory. Use them when the calculation is
needed for filtering or slicing. Created using DAX expressions. Example: TotalPrice =
[Quantity] * [UnitPrice] (This calculation is performed for each row of the table).

 Measures: These are calculations performed dynamically at the time of report viewing. They
don't consume memory as they are calculated on the fly. Use them for aggregations, ratios,
or other calculations that change based on the context (filters, slicers, etc.). Created using
DAX expressions. Example: TotalSales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]) (This calculation is
performed dynamically based on the current filter context).

2. What are DAX functions you have used in your project?

"I've used a wide range of DAX functions, depending on the specific requirements of my projects.
Some commonly used functions include:

 Aggregation functions: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, COUNTROWS, DISTINCTCOUNT

 Logical functions: IF, AND, OR, SWITCH, TRUE, FALSE

 Date and time functions: YEAR, MONTH, DAY, DATE, DATESBETWEEN, DATESINPERIOD,
SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR

 Filter functions: CALCULATE, FILTER, ALL, ALLEXCEPT, VALUES

 Table functions: SUMMARIZE, ROW, UNION

 Mathematical functions: DIVIDE, MOD, SQRT

 Text functions: CONCATENATE, LEFT, RIGHT, MID

Example: In a sales analysis project, I used CALCULATE to calculate sales for specific product
categories, DATESINPERIOD to calculate sales for the last quarter, and DIVIDE to calculate profit
margins." (Be specific and give examples relevant to the type of work you've done.)

3. What is the difference between SUM and SUMX?

(See the detailed explanation in the previous set of questions. It's a clear and concise comparison.)

4. What is the use case of the SUMMARIZE function?

The SUMMARIZE function in DAX creates a summary table from an existing table. It groups data by
specified columns and calculates aggregations for other columns. It's useful for:

 Creating calculated tables: To pre-aggregate data for performance reasons or to create a

new table with summarized information.

 Summarizing data within measures: To perform calculations on summarized data.

Example: ProductSalesSummary = SUMMARIZE(Sales, Products[Category], TotalSales =

SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])) This creates a new table called ProductSalesSummary that groups sales
by product category and calculates the total sales for each category.

5. What are ALL and ALLEXCEPT functions?

  ALL(table[column]): Removes all filters from the specified column. It returns all rows in the
table, regardless of any filters applied to that column.

 ALLEXCEPT(table, column1, column2, ...): Removes all filters from the table except for the
specified columns. It keeps the filters applied to the listed columns.

Example: SalesPercentage = DIVIDE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]),

CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]), ALL(Sales[ProductCategory]))) This measure calculates the
percentage of sales for each product category relative to the total sales across all categories.

6. What is the need for a Data Master Table?

A Data Master Table (or a Date dimension table) is a table that contains a continuous range of dates.
It's essential for time-based analysis in Power BI. It allows you to:

 Perform time intelligence calculations: Like YTD, MTD, QTD, and comparisons to previous
periods.

 Handle missing dates: Ensures that your reports show data even if there are no transactions
for certain dates.

 Filter and slice data by date: Easily filter data by year, month, quarter, or other time periods.

7. Can you explain the use case of SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR?

The SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR function returns a date table containing the dates that correspond to the
same period last year, given a set of dates. It's used for comparing performance between the current
period and the same period last year.

Example: SalesLastYear = CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]),

SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR(Dates[Date])) This measure calculates the sales for the same period last year.

8. What is Row Context in DAX?

Row context refers to the current row being evaluated in a DAX calculation. It's important to
understand row context when using functions like SUMX, AVERAGEX, FILTER, and iterators. These
functions operate row by row.

Example: In the expression SUMX(Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Price]), the row context is the
current row of the Sales table. The expression Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Price] is evaluated for each
row, and then SUMX sums the results.

9. What do you mean by MTD, QTD, & YTD?

These are time intelligence calculations:

 MTD (Month-to-Date): The sum of a measure from the beginning of the current month up to
the current date.

 QTD (Quarter-to-Date): The sum of a measure from the beginning of the current quarter up
to the current date.

 YTD (Year-to-Date): The sum of a measure from the beginning of the current year up to the
current date.

10. Difference between Sum vs SumX?

(See the detailed explanation in the previous set of questions. It's a good, concise comparison.)

Which Power BI License have you used in your project?

"I've used both Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium Capacity, depending on the project's needs.
Power BI Pro is suitable for individual users or smaller teams, offering core report development and
sharing capabilities. Power BI Premium Capacity is designed for larger organizations, providing
enhanced features like larger dataset sizes, improved performance, and advanced deployment
options like deployment pipelines and XMLA endpoints. For example, when working with very large
datasets, requiring features like RLS for a large user base, or needing dedicated resources, Premium
Capacity was essential. For smaller projects or personal development, Pro was sufficient." (Be
truthful and explain the reason for using a specific type.)

2. What is the difference between My Workspace and a Workspace?

 My Workspace: A personal workspace for each Power BI Pro user. It's used for developing
and testing reports before sharing them. You can publish reports, datasets, and dashboards
to your My Workspace.

 Workspace (or App Workspace): A collaborative space for teams to work together on Power
BI content. It allows for sharing reports, dashboards, and datasets with other users within
the organization. Workspaces offer different roles and permissions for team members. These
are also used to publish Power BI Apps.

3. What are the roles available in a Workspace?

There are different roles in a workspace that define what users can do:

 Admin: Has full control over the workspace, including adding/removing users, assigning
roles, and managing settings.

 Member: Can create, edit, and publish content in the workspace.

 Contributor: Can create and edit content, but cannot publish or manage workspace settings.

 Viewer: Can only view the content in the workspace.

4. What is RLS?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous set of questions. It's a clear and concise
explanation.)

5. What is a Gateway? How many types?

A Power BI Gateway is a software application that acts as a bridge between the Power BI service
(cloud) and on-premises data sources. It allows Power BI to connect to data sources that are behind a
firewall or otherwise not directly accessible from the cloud.

Types of Gateways:

 On-premises data gateway (personal mode): For individual use. Only one user can use this
gateway to connect to data.

 On-premises data gateway (standard mode): For multiple users. This gateway can be
installed on a server or virtual machine and used by multiple users to connect to on-premises
data.
  Virtual network (VNet) data gateway: For connecting to data sources within an Azure Virtual
Network.

6. Difference between Report and Dashboard?

(See the detailed answer to this question in the previous set of questions. It's a clear and concise
comparison.)

7. How can you refresh data in Power BI?

Data can be refreshed in Power BI through:

 Manual Refresh: You can manually refresh a dataset in the Power BI service.

 Scheduled Refresh: You can set up a refresh schedule so that Power BI automatically
refreshes the dataset at specified intervals.

 Incremental Refresh: For large datasets, you can use incremental refresh to refresh only the
data that has changed since the last refresh.

8. Explain the concept of Scheduled Refresh and Incremental Refresh?

 Scheduled Refresh: Power BI automatically refreshes the dataset at scheduled times (e.g.,
daily, weekly). This ensures that your reports are showing the latest data.

 Incremental Refresh: Power BI refreshes only the data that has changed since the last
refresh. This is much more efficient than refreshing the entire dataset, especially for large
datasets. You configure incremental refresh based on a date/time column in your data
source.

9. What is a Dataflow?

A dataflow is a self-service, cloud-based ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) service for Power BI. It allows
you to create reusable data transformation logic that can be used across multiple reports and
datasets. Dataflows are created and managed in the Power BI service. Think of them as a way to
centralize and standardize your data preparation steps.

10. How do you share Power BI reports with external users?

You can share Power BI reports with external users through:

 Sharing with guest users: You can invite external users to access reports and dashboards in
your Power BI tenant as guest users.

 Publishing to the web (embed): You can embed Power BI reports in a public website or
portal. (Use this with caution as the report becomes publicly accessible).

 Power BI Embedded: For embedding Power BI content within applications. This is a more
developer-focused approach.

11. How do you schedule automatic data refresh in the Power BI Service?

1. Go to the dataset settings in the Power BI service.

2. Select the "Scheduled refresh" tab.

3. Configure the refresh frequency (daily, weekly, etc.).

 4. Set the time(s) of day for the refresh.

5. Configure other refresh parameters (e.g., email notifications).

12. Types of roles in Power BI Service?

While workspaces have roles (Admin, Member, Contributor, Viewer), the Power BI service itself has
different administrative roles, often related to tenant administration, capacity management, and
security. These roles are broader than workspace roles.

13. How do you set up incremental refresh in Power BI Service?

1. In Power BI Desktop, configure incremental refresh for your dataset using a date/time
column. You define the range of data to initially load and the range for incremental refreshes.

2. Publish the report to the Power BI service.

3. In the dataset settings in the Power BI service, configure the refresh schedule.

Power BI will automatically handle the incremental refresh based on the settings you defined in
Desktop. You don't need to do anything special in the service to enable incremental refresh, it's
configured in the PBIX file.

Sources and related content

Power BI report vs. Power BI dashboard?

 Report: A multi-page document containing visualizations, tables, and other elements that tell
a story with data. It's interactive, allowing users to explore the data through filters, slicers,
drill-downs, and drill-throughs. Reports are designed for in-depth analysis and exploration.
Example: A sales report might have multiple pages showing regional sales performance,
product-specific sales trends, and customer demographics, with interactive elements for
detailed examination.

 Dashboard: A single-page canvas that displays a curated set of visualizations (tiles) from one
or more reports. It provides a high-level overview of key metrics and insights. Dashboards
are designed for at-a-glance monitoring and are less interactive than reports. Example: A
sales dashboard might show key metrics like total sales, sales growth, and customer churn,
pulled from various reports to provide a snapshot of overall sales performance.

2. How do you handle data source connection issues in Power BI?

"When facing data source connection issues, I follow a systematic approach:

1. Verify Credentials: Double-check the username, password, and any other authentication
details.

2. Check Network Connectivity: Ensure that the network connection is stable and that the data
source is accessible.

3. Test Connection: Use the "Test Connection" feature in Power BI Desktop to verify
connectivity to the data source.

4. Check Data Source Status: Verify if the data source itself is operational. For databases, check
if the database server is running. For online services, check their status pages.
 5. Review Firewall/Proxy Settings: Ensure that firewalls or proxy servers are not blocking the
connection.

6. Check Driver/Connector: Make sure the appropriate driver or connector is installed for the
data source.

7. Examine Error Messages: Pay close attention to any error messages displayed by Power BI.
They often provide clues about the cause of the connection issue.

8. Retry or Refresh: Sometimes, a temporary network issue can be resolved by retrying the
connection or refreshing the query.

9. Consult Documentation/Support: If the issue persists, consult the documentation for the
specific data source or contact Power BI support.

Example: I once had trouble connecting to an Azure SQL Database. The error message indicated an
authentication problem. I discovered that the password had expired. After updating the password,
the connection was restored."

3. What is DAX, and how is it used in Power BI?

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a formula language used in Power BI for creating calculated
columns, measures, and tables. It's used to:

 Create calculated columns: Add new columns to your tables based on calculations. Example:
TotalPrice = [Quantity] * [UnitPrice]

 Create measures: Define calculations that are performed dynamically based on the context
(filters, slicers, etc.). Example: TotalSales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])

 Create calculated tables: Generate new tables based on DAX expressions. This can be useful
for summarizing or reshaping data.

DAX is essential for performing complex calculations, creating custom metrics, and adding
interactivity to Power BI reports.

4. Explain the concept of data modeling in Power BI.

Data modeling is the process of creating a structured representation of data that reflects the
relationships between different data elements. In Power BI, it involves:

 Star Schema: A common data warehouse design with a central fact table surrounded by
dimension tables.

 Relationships: Defining how tables are connected (one-to-one, one-to-many, etc.).

 Calculated Columns and Measures: Creating new data or metrics using DAX.

 Data Types: Ensuring correct data types for each column.

Effective data modeling is crucial for building accurate, performant, and user-friendly Power BI
reports.

5. How do you optimize Power BI report performance?

"Optimizing Power BI report performance is a multi-faceted process. Key strategies include:

  Data Modeling: Use a star schema, minimize relationships, and optimize data types.

 DAX Optimization: Write efficient DAX measures, avoid unnecessary iterations, and use
variables.

 Power Query Optimization: Optimize M code, combine steps, and ensure query folding.

 Visual Optimization: Use only necessary visuals, optimize visual settings, and reduce the
number of visuals on a page.

 Data Refresh: Use incremental refresh for large datasets and schedule refreshes during off-
peak hours.

 Hardware: Ensure adequate server resources (CPU, RAM) for the Power BI service.

Example: I had a report that was slow due to a complex DAX measure. By rewriting the measure
using variables and optimizing the logic, I significantly improved the report's performance."

6. What are calculated columns and measures in Power BI?

(See the detailed explanation in the earlier response. It provides a clear comparison.)

7. Describe a scenario where you used Power Query to transform data.

"In a project involving sales data from multiple sources, I encountered inconsistencies in date
formats. Some sources used MM/DD/YYYY, while others used DD/MM/YYYY. I used Power Query to
standardize the date format to YYYY-MM-DD. I also had to handle missing values in the "Region"
column. I used Power Query to replace these missing values with "Unknown" to ensure data
consistency. Additionally, I combined data from separate CSV files (each representing a different sales
region) into a single sales data table using the 'Append Queries' function in Power Query."

8. How do you implement row-level security in Power BI?

(See the detailed explanation in the earlier response. It provides a clear and concise explanation with
an example.)

9. What are Power BI datasets, and how do they differ from data sources?

 Data Source: The original location where the data resides (e.g., a SQL Server database, an
Excel file, an online service).

 Dataset: A collection of data that has been imported or connected to in Power BI. It's the
data that Power BI uses to create reports and dashboards. A dataset can be based on one or
more data sources and can be transformed and modeled within Power BI. It's a snapshot of
the data (in import mode) or a live connection to the data (in DirectQuery mode).

10. How do you use Power BI's Q&A feature?

"Power BI's Q&A feature allows users to ask natural language questions about the data in a report.
Power BI interprets the question and automatically generates the appropriate visualization.

Example: A user might type "What were the sales in the West region last year?" Power BI would
analyze the data model, identify the relevant data (sales data, region dimension, date dimension),
and create a visual (e.g., a bar chart or line chart) showing the sales for the West region over the past
year. Users can refine their questions, ask follow-up questions, and even convert the Q&A result into
a standard Power BI visual that can be further customized.
How do you handle data refresh issues in Power BI?

"When encountering data refresh issues, I systematically investigate:

1. Check Refresh History: The refresh history in the Power BI service provides details about
refresh attempts, including any errors that occurred. This is the first place to look for clues.

2. Gateway Status (if applicable): If the data source is on-premises, verify that the gateway is
online and functioning correctly. Check gateway logs for errors.

3. Data Source Credentials: Ensure that the credentials used to connect to the data source are
still valid. Passwords can expire.

4. Data Source Availability: Verify that the data source is available and accessible. A database
server might be down, or an online service might be experiencing an outage.

5. Query Issues: Review the queries used to connect to the data source. Long-running or
complex queries can time out during refresh. Optimize the queries if necessary.

6. Data Changes: Check if there have been any changes to the data source schema or data that
might be causing issues with the refresh process.

7. Resource Limits: For very large datasets, check if you are running up against resource limits
(memory, processing time) in the Power BI service. Consider upgrading to a Premium
Capacity if needed.

8. Incremental Refresh Configuration: If using incremental refresh, verify that it is configured

correctly.

9. Contact Support: If all else fails, contact Power BI support for assistance.

Example: I once encountered a refresh failure due to an expired password for the database
connection. Checking the refresh history revealed the authentication error. Updating the password
resolved the issue."

12. You have a Power BI report that is running slowly. What steps would you take to diagnose and
improve its performance?

"A slow-running report requires a systematic diagnostic approach:

1. Identify Bottlenecks: Use the Performance Analyzer in Power BI Desktop to identify the
visuals, DAX measures, or Power Query steps that are consuming the most time.

2. Data Modeling Review:

o Star Schema: Ensure the data model follows a star schema with a central fact table
and dimension tables.

o Relationships: Minimize the number of relationships and ensure they are correctly
defined. Avoid many-to-many relationships if possible (use bridging tables if
needed).

o Data Types: Verify that data types are appropriate (e.g., avoid text data types for
numerical calculations).

3. DAX Optimization:
 o Measure Optimization: Write efficient DAX measures. Avoid iterating unnecessarily
(use SUMX, AVERAGEX with caution). Use variables to store intermediate results.
Break down complex measures into smaller, simpler ones.

o Calculated Columns: Use calculated columns sparingly. They consume memory.

Prefer measures whenever possible.

4. Power Query Optimization:

o Query Folding: Ensure that query folding is occurring to push transformations back
to the data source.

o M Code: Optimize M code for efficiency.

o Unnecessary Steps: Remove any unnecessary transformation steps in Power Query.

5. Visual Optimization:

o Reduce Visuals: Use only necessary visuals on a page.

o Optimize Visual Settings: Adjust visual settings to improve performance.

o Custom Visuals: Use built-in visuals where possible. Custom visuals can sometimes
impact performance.

6. Data Refresh:

o Incremental Refresh: Implement incremental refresh for large datasets.

o Scheduled Refresh: Schedule refreshes during off-peak hours.

7. Hardware: Ensure adequate server resources (CPU, RAM) for the Power BI service.

Example: I used the Performance Analyzer and found that a particular DAX measure was taking a
long time to evaluate. After rewriting the measure using variables and optimizing the calculation
logic, the report's performance improved significantly."

13. How to combine data from various sources in a single report?

"Power Query is the tool for combining data from various sources. The process involves:

1. Connecting to Data Sources: Use Power Query to connect to each data source (e.g.,
databases, files, web services).

2. Transforming Data: Clean and transform the data from each source as needed using Power
Query transformations. This includes handling inconsistencies in data formats, data types,
and naming conventions.

3. Combining Data: Use Power Query to combine the data from different sources. This can be
done using:

o Merging Queries: Combines data horizontally (like a SQL JOIN) based on a common
column.

o Appending Queries: Combines data vertically (like a SQL UNION) by stacking tables
with the same columns.
 4. Loading Data: Load the transformed and combined data into the Power BI data model.

Example: I combined sales data from a SQL Server database with customer data from an Excel file
using Power Query. I merged the two tables based on the customer ID column."

14. Difference between SUM and SUMX?

(See the detailed explanation in the earlier response. It provides a clear comparison with examples.)

15. Difference between calculated columns and measures?

(See the detailed explanation in the earlier response. It provides a clear comparison with examples.)

16. Difference between HAVING and WHERE Clause?

Both HAVING and WHERE clauses are used to filter data, but they operate at different stages of the
query:

 WHERE Clause: Filters rows before any aggregations are performed. It operates on individual
rows. Example: SELECT * FROM Sales WHERE Region = 'West' (Filters the Sales table to
include only rows where the Region is 'West' before any aggregations are performed).

 HAVING Clause: Filters groups after aggregations are performed. It operates on the results of
GROUP BY clauses. Example: SELECT Region, SUM(SalesAmount) AS TotalSales FROM Sales
GROUP BY Region HAVING SUM(SalesAmount) > 1000000 (Groups sales by Region and then
filters these groups to include only those where TotalSales are greater than 1,000,000).

In SQL, the WHERE clause is used to filter individual rows before aggregation, while the HAVING
clause is used to filter groups after aggregation. The HAVING clause is always used in conjunction
with GROUP BY.

What are the different types of filters available in Power BI?

Power BI offers several types of filters to refine the data displayed in reports and visuals:

 Report-level filters: Apply to all visuals on the entire report. They are useful for filtering data
that should be consistent across all pages. Example: Filtering the entire report to show data
only for the current fiscal year.

 Page-level filters: Apply to all visuals on a specific page of the report. They are useful for
filtering data that is relevant to a particular page. Example: Filtering a page showing regional
sales data to focus on a specific region.

 Visual-level filters: Apply to a single visual. They are useful for filtering data that is specific to
a particular chart or table. Example: Filtering a bar chart showing product sales to display
only the top 10 performing products.

 Slicers: Interactive filters that allow users to easily filter the data in a report. They are visual
elements (like buttons, dropdowns, or lists) that users can interact with to select which data
to display. Example: A slicer that allows users to choose which product categories to view in a
report.

 Drill-through filters: Pass filter context from one report page to another when using drill-
through functionality. They ensure that the target page displays data relevant to the selected
data point on the source page.
2. How do you create a Power BI custom visual?

Creating a custom visual involves using the Power BI visuals SDK. The general process is:

1. Set up the Development Environment: Install Node.js, npm, and the Power BI visuals tools.

2. Create a New Visual Project: Use the pbiviz command-line tool to create a new visual
project. This will generate a basic visual structure with the necessary files.

3. Develop the Visual: Use TypeScript (or JavaScript) and D3.js (or other visualization libraries)
to define the visual's appearance and behavior. This involves writing code to handle data
binding, rendering, and user interactions.

4. Test and Debug: Use the pbiviz start command to start a local development server and test
your visual in a Power BI report.

5. Package the Visual: Use the pbiviz package command to create a .pbiviz file, which is the
package file for your custom visual.

6. Import the Visual: Import the .pbiviz file into Power BI Desktop or the Power BI service.

Developing custom visuals requires web development skills and familiarity with visualization
libraries.

3. Explain the role of the Power BI Service.

The Power BI Service is the cloud-based platform for publishing, sharing, and collaborating on Power
BI reports and dashboards. Its key roles include:

 Publishing: Allows you to publish reports and datasets developed in Power BI Desktop to the
cloud.

 Sharing: Enables sharing reports and dashboards with other users within your organization
or with external users.

 Collaboration: Provides workspaces for teams to work together on Power BI content.

 Data Refresh: Allows you to schedule automatic data refreshes to keep reports up-to-date.

 Security: Provides security features to control access to reports and data.

 Mobile Access: Enables viewing reports and dashboards on mobile devices.

 Administration: Provides administrative tools for managing users, workspaces, and other
settings.

4. What are bookmarks in Power BI, and how do you use them?

Bookmarks in Power BI allow you to save different views of a report page. This is useful for creating
different perspectives on the same data or for guiding users through a data story.

How to use them:

1. Create Bookmarks: In Power BI Desktop, create different views of a report page by applying
filters, slicers, or changing visual states. Then, add bookmarks to save each of these views.

2. Navigate Bookmarks: You can use buttons, slicers, or other controls to allow users to
navigate between the saved bookmarks.
Example: You could create bookmarks to show sales data by product, region, and customer segment
on the same report page. Users could then easily switch between these views using buttons.

5. How do you create a calculated table in Power BI?

You create a calculated table using DAX expressions. This is useful for generating new tables based on
existing data or for summarizing data.

1. Go to Data View: In Power BI Desktop, go to the Data view.

2. New Table: Click on "New Table" in the Modeling tab.

3. DAX Expression: Enter a DAX expression that defines the new table. This expression can use
existing tables and DAX functions to create the new table.

Example: HighPerformingProducts = FILTER(Products, Products[Sales] > 100000) This DAX expression

creates a new table called HighPerformingProducts that contains only the products with sales greater
than 100,000.

6. What is the importance of relationships in Power BI data modeling?

Relationships are crucial for connecting tables in your data model. They allow you to combine data
from different tables and perform calculations across related tables. Without relationships, you
would be limited to analyzing data within individual tables, and the power of Power BI's data
modeling and DAX capabilities would be severely restricted. Relationships enable you to create a
unified view of your data and perform meaningful analysis.

7. How do you handle large datasets in Power BI?

Handling large datasets effectively is essential for performance. Strategies include:

 Data Filtering: Import only necessary data using Power Query.

 Aggregation: Pre-aggregate data at a higher level.

 Incremental Refresh: Refresh only new or changed data.

 Data Partitioning (Premium Feature): Divide large tables into smaller partitions.

 Optimize Data Model: Use a star schema, minimize relationships, and optimize data types.

 Premium Capacity: Utilize Power BI Premium for larger datasets and better performance.

8. Describe how to use Power BI with Azure services.

Power BI integrates with various Azure services:

 Azure SQL Database/Data Warehouse: Connect directly to Azure databases for data import
or DirectQuery.

 Azure Analysis Services: Use Azure Analysis Services as a data source for Power BI.

 Azure Data Lake Storage: Connect to data stored in Azure Data Lake Storage.

 Azure Machine Learning: Integrate machine learning models built in Azure with Power BI for
predictions and insights.

 Power BI Embedded: Embed Power BI reports and dashboards in Azure applications.

You can connect to these Azure services using Power Query connectors or by publishing datasets and
reports to the Power BI service, which can then connect to Azure data sources.

9. What are the advantages of using Power BI over Excel for reporting?

Power BI offers several advantages over Excel for reporting:

 Interactive Dashboards: Power BI allows you to create interactive dashboards with

visualizations from multiple reports.

 Data Connectivity: Power BI connects to a wider range of data sources than Excel.

 Data Modeling: Power BI provides powerful data modeling capabilities, including

relationships and DAX calculations.

 Sharing and Collaboration: Power BI makes it easy to share reports and dashboards with
others and collaborate on data analysis.

 Scalability: Power BI is designed to handle larger datasets and more complex reporting
needs than Excel.

 Data Refresh: Power BI allows you to schedule automatic data refreshes.

10. How do you publish and share Power BI reports?

1. Develop Report in Desktop: Create your report in Power BI Desktop.

2. Publish to Service: Click the "Publish" button in Power BI Desktop to publish your report to
the Power BI Service. You'll select a workspace (or My Workspace).

3. Share Report/Dashboard: In the Power BI Service, you can share the report or pin
visualizations to create a dashboard.

4. Sharing Options: You can share with individuals, groups, or embed reports in other
applications. You control permissions (view, edit, etc.) for shared content. You can also create
and publish Power BI Apps, which are bundles of reports and dashboards.

Example: After developing a sales report, you can publish it to a workspace shared with the sales
team. You can then create a dashboard with key sales metrics and share it with the sales manager.

How do you manage Power BI report subscriptions and alerts?

Power BI report subscriptions allow users to receive email notifications with a snapshot of a report at
scheduled intervals. Alerts notify users when data in a report crosses a certain threshold.

 Subscriptions:

1. Open the report in the Power BI service.

2. Select "Subscribe to report."

3. Configure the subscription:

 Recipient(s): Who receives the email.

 Frequency: How often the email is sent (daily, weekly).

 Time: The time of day the email is sent.

  Report Page: Which page(s) to include.

 Format: The format of the attached report (PDF, PowerPoint).

4. Save the subscription.

 Alerts:

1. Open the report in the Power BI service.

2. Select a visual with a numerical value you want to monitor.

3. Click the bell icon to set an alert.

4. Configure the alert:

 Condition: The threshold that triggers the alert (e.g., "is greater than," "is
less than").

 Value: The threshold value.

 Frequency: How often to check the condition (e.g., "every 24 hours," "when
data changes").

5. Save the alert.

12. How will you join 2 tables in Power Query?

You join two tables in Power Query using the "Merge Queries" operation. This is similar to a SQL
JOIN.

1. Open Power Query Editor: In Power BI Desktop, go to the "Data" view and click "Transform
data."

2. Merge Queries: In the Power Query Editor, go to the "Home" tab and click "Merge Queries."

3. Select Tables: Choose the two tables you want to join.

4. Select Matching Columns: Select the columns in each table that you want to use to match
the rows. These are the join keys.

5. Choose Join Type: Select the type of join:

o Inner Join: Returns only matching rows from both tables.

o Left Outer Join: Returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the
right table (NULLs if no match).

o Right Outer Join: Returns all rows from the right table and matching rows from the
left table (NULLs if no match).

o Full Outer Join: Returns all rows from both tables (NULLs where there are no
matches).

6. Expand Columns (if needed): After the merge, you can expand the columns from the second
table that you want to include in the joined table.

Example: You have a "Sales" table and a "Products" table. You want to join them based on the
"ProductID" column. You would use "Merge Queries" to join the tables, select "ProductID" as the
matching column in both tables, and choose the appropriate join type (e.g., Inner Join if you only
want sales records for products that exist in the "Products" table).

13. You are working with a large dataset that causes Power BI to crash when loading. What
techniques would you use to handle and analyze the data efficiently?

A crashing Power BI report due to a large dataset requires a multi-pronged approach:

1. Data Filtering in Power Query: Import only the data you need. Use Power Query to filter
rows and columns before loading the data into the model. This is the most effective way to
reduce the data size. Example: If you only need sales data for the last two years, filter the
data source in Power Query to retrieve only those records.

2. Data Aggregation in Power Query: If you don't need detailed transaction-level data,
aggregate the data in Power Query before loading it. Example: If you're analyzing sales by
region and product category, aggregate the sales data to this level in Power Query,
summarizing sales amounts, quantities, etc.

3. Incremental Refresh: For large datasets that are updated regularly, use incremental refresh
to refresh only the new or changed data. This significantly reduces refresh times and the
amount of data that needs to be loaded.

4. Data Partitioning (Premium Capacity): If you have Power BI Premium Capacity, you can use
data partitioning to divide large tables into smaller, more manageable partitions.

5. Optimize Data Model:

o Star Schema: Ensure you are using a star schema.

o Relationships: Minimize the number of relationships.

o Data Types: Use appropriate data types (e.g., numerical types for calculations).

o Calculated Columns: Use calculated columns sparingly. Prefer measures where

possible.

6. DAX Optimization:

o Efficient Measures: Write efficient DAX measures, avoiding unnecessary iterations.

o Variables: Use variables to store intermediate results in DAX calculations.

o Measure Branching: Break down complex measures into smaller, simpler ones.

7. Visual Optimization:

o Reduce Visuals: Use only the necessary visuals on a page.

o Optimize Visual Settings: Adjust visual settings to improve performance.

8. Hardware Considerations: Ensure you have sufficient RAM and processing power on your
machine and for the Power BI service.

Example: I was working with a large sales transaction dataset. By filtering the data in Power Query to
only include the relevant time period and aggregating the data to the product category level, I
reduced the data size significantly and was able to load the data into Power BI without crashing.
Implementing incremental refresh also improved the refresh performance.
How do you create and manage Power BI workspaces?

Power BI workspaces are containers for reports, datasets, and dashboards. They facilitate
collaboration and content organization.

 Creating a Workspace:

1. In the Power BI service, navigate to "Workspaces."

2. Click "Create workspace."

3. Give the workspace a name and optionally a description.

4. Choose the workspace type (classic or new experience). New experience workspaces
are recommended.

5. Save the workspace.

 Managing a Workspace:

1. Go to the workspace in the Power BI service.

2. You can manage members (add, remove, assign roles), settings (storage, contact
information), and content (reports, datasets, dashboards).

3. You can also upgrade a classic workspace to a new experience workspace.

4. You can delete a workspace when it's no longer needed.

2. Explain the difference between Direct Query and Import Mode in Power BI.

 Import Mode: Power BI imports the data from the data source into its own in-memory
storage. This allows for very fast report performance because the data is readily available.
However, the data is not live; you need to refresh the dataset to get the latest updates. Good
for performance and most scenarios.

 Direct Query: Power BI does not import the data. Instead, it sends queries directly to the
data source when you interact with the report. This ensures you always see the latest data,
but report performance depends on the speed and responsiveness of the data source. Good
for live data or very large datasets that cannot be imported.

3. What is a Power BI dataflow, and how is it used?

A Power BI dataflow is a self-service, cloud-based ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) service within the
Power BI service. It allows you to create reusable data transformation logic that can be used across
multiple reports and datasets.

How it's used:

1. Data Preparation: You use Power Query (the same technology as in Power BI Desktop) to
create dataflows, connecting to various data sources and performing transformations.

2. Data Storage: Dataflows store the transformed data in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.

3. Reusability: The transformed data can then be used as a source for multiple Power BI reports
and datasets. This promotes consistency and reduces redundant data preparation.
 4. Centralized Logic: Dataflows centralize data transformation logic, making it easier to manage
and update.

4. How do you troubleshoot common Power BI errors?

Troubleshooting Power BI errors involves a systematic approach:

1. Check Error Messages: Carefully read the error message. It often provides valuable clues
about the problem.

2. Review Logs: Power BI maintains logs that can provide more detailed information about
errors.

3. Search Online: Search online forums and documentation for similar errors. The Power BI
community is a valuable resource.

4. Simplify the Report: If the error occurs in a complex report, try simplifying it to isolate the
source of the problem.

5. Test Data Connections: Verify that the connections to data sources are working correctly.

6. Check Data Refresh History: If the error is related to data refresh, review the refresh history
for details.

7. Check Gateway Status (if applicable): For on-premises data sources, verify the gateway
status.

8. Isolate the Issue: Try to isolate the specific visual, measure, or query causing the error.

9. Contact Support: If you are unable to resolve the issue, contact Power BI support.

5. What are the best practices for designing Power BI dashboards?

Effective dashboards should be:

 Clear and Concise: Focus on key metrics and insights. Avoid clutter.

 Visually Appealing: Use appropriate visuals and consistent formatting.

 Actionable: Provide insights that lead to action.

 User-Friendly: Easy to navigate and understand.

 Mobile-Friendly: Designed to be viewed on mobile devices.

 Data-Driven: Based on accurate and reliable data.

 Regularly Updated: Keep the data fresh and relevant.

6. How do you integrate Power BI with other Microsoft services?

Power BI integrates with several Microsoft services:

 Excel: You can import Excel data into Power BI and also export Power BI data to Excel.

 SharePoint: You can embed Power BI reports and dashboards in SharePoint pages.

 Teams: You can add Power BI tabs to Teams channels for easy access to reports and
dashboards.
  Azure Services: Power BI integrates with various Azure services like Azure SQL Database,
Azure Data Lake Storage, and Azure Machine Learning.

 Dynamics 365: You can connect Power BI to Dynamics 365 for data analysis and reporting.

7. Describe a scenario where you used Power BI to provide business insights.

"In a project for a retail company, I used Power BI to analyze their sales data. By connecting to their
sales database and using DAX measures, I created interactive dashboards that showed sales trends
by region, product category, and customer segment. The dashboards revealed that certain product
categories were underperforming in specific regions. This insight allowed the company to focus their
marketing efforts on those areas, resulting in a 15% increase in sales for those product categories
within three months." (Be specific about the business problem, your actions, and the results.)

8. How do you set up data alerts in Power BI?

1. Open the report in the Power BI service.

2. Select a visual with a numerical value you want to monitor.

3. Click the bell icon to set an alert.

4. Configure the alert:

o Condition: The threshold that triggers the alert (e.g., "is greater than," "is less than").

o Value: The threshold value.

o Frequency: How often to check the condition (e.g., "every 24 hours," "when data
changes").

5. Save the alert.

9. What are the key components of a Power BI report?

Key components include:

 Visualizations: Charts, graphs, maps, tables, and other visual representations of data.

 Data: The underlying data used in the report.

 Filters and Slicers: Controls for filtering and interacting with the data.

 Pages: Individual pages of the report.

 DAX Measures: Calculations and metrics defined using DAX.

 Report-level, Page-level, and Visual-level filters: Filters applied at different scopes.

10. How do you secure sensitive data in Power BI reports?

Securing sensitive data involves several layers:

 Row-Level Security (RLS): Restrict access to specific rows of data based on user roles.
Example: Sales representatives only see data for their assigned region.

 Data Source Security: Secure the underlying data sources (databases, files, etc.) using
appropriate authentication and authorization mechanisms.
  Workspace Permissions: Control access to workspaces and their contents using roles
(Admin, Member, Contributor, Viewer).

 Data Encryption: Encrypt data at rest and in transit.

 Sharing Restrictions: Limit how reports and dashboards are shared. Avoid sharing sensitive
data broadly.

 Auditing: Monitor access to reports and datasets to detect any unauthorized activity

You encounter a data integrity issue where some records are duplicated in the dataset. How would
you resolve this in Power BI?

"Duplicate records can be handled effectively in Power BI using Power Query:

1. Identify the Duplicates: Use the "Group By" transformation in Power Query to group the
data by the columns that should be unique. Then, add a count column to see which groups
have more than one record. This helps you pinpoint the duplicated records.

2. Remove Duplicates: Power Query has a built-in "Remove Duplicates" transformation. Select
the column(s) that should be unique and apply this transformation. Power Query will remove
any rows where the values in the selected columns are the same as the values in a previous
row.

3. Investigate the Source: It's crucial to investigate why the duplicates are occurring. Is it a
problem with the data source itself? If so, fix the issue at the source to prevent future
duplicates.

4. Conditional Removal: If you only want to remove duplicates under certain conditions, you
can use a conditional column in Power Query to identify the duplicates based on specific
criteria and then filter them out.

Example: Imagine you have a customer table with duplicate email addresses. You would use "Group
By" on the "Email" column and then add a count column to see which emails are duplicated. Then,
you would use "Remove Duplicates" on the "Email" column to remove the duplicate customer
records. You would also investigate why the email addresses were duplicated in the first place."

12. Difference between Import Mode and Direct Query Mode?

(See the detailed explanation of this in the earlier responses. It provides a clear comparison of the
two data connectivity modes.)

13. How do end-users access the report?

End-users typically access Power BI reports through the Power BI service (the cloud-based platform).
Here are the common ways:

1. Direct Link: The report owner or someone with sharing permissions can share a direct link to
the report with the end-user.

2. Power BI App: Reports can be bundled into Power BI Apps, which are then shared with
users. Apps provide a convenient way to distribute collections of reports and dashboards.

3. Embedded Reports: Power BI reports can be embedded in other applications (like

SharePoint, Teams, or custom web applications) for seamless integration.
 4. Power BI Mobile App: Users can access reports through the Power BI mobile app on their
phones or tablets.

14. What is RANK & DENSE_RANK in SQL?

Both RANK and DENSE_RANK are window functions in SQL used to assign ranks to rows within a
partition (group) based on a specified order. They differ in how they handle ties (rows with the same
value in the ordering column):

 RANK(): Assigns a rank to each row based on the order. If there are ties, the tied rows receive
the same rank, and the next rank is skipped. This creates gaps in the ranking sequence.

 DENSE_RANK(): Assigns a rank to each row based on the order. If there are ties, the tied
rows receive the same rank, but the next rank is not skipped. This results in consecutive
ranks, even with ties.

Example: Let's say you have a table of students with their scores:

Student Score

Alice 90

Bob 85

Carol 85

David 80

Eve 75

Export to Sheets

Using RANK():

Student Score Rank

Alice 90 1

Bob 85 2

Carol 85 2

David 80 4

Eve 75 5

Export to Sheets

Notice that David gets rank 4 because rank 3 is skipped due to the tie between Bob and Carol.

Using DENSE_RANK():

Student Score Dense_Rank

Alice 90 1

Bob 85 2
Carol 85 2

David 80 3

Eve 75 4

Export to Sheets

Notice that David gets rank 3 because DENSE_RANK does not skip ranks.

Briefly tell me about yourself, the projects you have worked on, the technology you have used, and
your day-to-day responsibilities in your current project.

"I'm a data analyst with [Number] years of experience specializing in data warehousing, business
intelligence, and data visualization. I'm passionate about transforming raw data into actionable
insights that drive informed decision-making. I've worked on projects involving [briefly mention 1-2
projects, e.g., sales performance dashboards, marketing analytics reports, financial reporting
systems]. My technology stack includes SQL (for data extraction, transformation, and analysis), Power
BI (for data modeling, visualization, and dashboard creation), and [mention other relevant
technologies, e.g., Python, R, cloud platforms]. In my current role, my day-to-day responsibilities
involve:

 Data Extraction and Transformation: Using SQL and Power Query to extract data from
various sources (databases, APIs, files), clean and transform the data, and load it into a data
warehouse or Power BI dataset.

 Data Modeling: Designing and implementing data models (star schema, snowflake schema)
for analytical reporting.

 Report and Dashboard Development: Creating interactive reports and dashboards in Power
BI to visualize data and provide business insights.

 Data Analysis: Performing data analysis to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies.

 Collaboration: Working closely with business stakeholders to understand their reporting

needs and translate them into effective data solutions." (Tailor this to your specific
experience and the job you're applying for.)

2. Suppose there is a large query with multiple joins and logic written within it, which used to
execute in 10 to 15 minutes but has recently started taking more than 30 minutes. What would be
your approach to diagnose and resolve this issue? What would you look into within the query to
identify what might have changed?

"A sudden increase in query execution time suggests a change somewhere in the system. My
diagnostic approach would be:

1. Check Recent Changes: Inquire about any recent changes to the database (schema changes,
data volume increases, new indexes, server upgrades, etc.).

2. Monitor Database Performance: Use database monitoring tools to check for performance
bottlenecks (high CPU usage, I/O waits, lock contention).

3. Examine Query Execution Plan: Analyze the query execution plan to identify the most time-
consuming operations (table scans, joins, sorts). Look for changes in the plan compared to
previous executions.
 4. Profile the Query: Use database profiling tools to get detailed performance statistics for each
part of the query.

5. Review Indexes: Check if appropriate indexes exist on the columns used in joins and WHERE
clauses. A missing or inefficient index can drastically slow down query execution. Consider
adding or optimizing indexes.

6. Query Rewriting: Examine the query logic for inefficiencies. Are there any redundant
calculations, unnecessary joins, or inefficient subqueries? Rewrite the query to optimize its
performance.

7. Data Volume: Has the data volume significantly increased? Larger tables will naturally take
longer to query. If data volume is the issue, consider partitioning the table or using data
archiving strategies.

8. Server Resources: Check if the database server has sufficient resources (CPU, memory, disk
I/O). Resource constraints can lead to slow query execution.

9. Parameter Sniffing (SQL Server): If the query uses parameters, check for parameter sniffing
issues. SQL Server might be caching an inefficient execution plan based on the initial
parameter value.

Within the query, I'd look for:

 Full Table Scans: These are usually a sign of missing or inefficient indexes.

 Nested Loop Joins: These can be slow for large tables. Hash joins or merge joins are often
more efficient.

 Sort Operations: Sorting large result sets can be time-consuming.

 Inefficient Subqueries: Subqueries can sometimes be rewritten as joins or window functions

for better performance.

 Data Type Conversions: Implicit data type conversions can impact performance.

Example: I noticed a query that was suddenly running much slower. By examining the execution plan,
I discovered a full table scan on a large table. After adding an index to the relevant column, the query
execution time returned to normal."

3. Can you explain the types of indexes available in SQL and how they work? How many types of
indexes are supported by SQL?

SQL supports several types of indexes:

 Clustered Index: Defines the physical order of the data in the table. There can be only one
clustered index per table. Data is physically sorted based on the clustered index key. It's like
the index of a book, where the data is actually stored in the order of the index.

 Non-clustered Index: A separate structure from the data itself. It contains the index key and
a pointer to the actual data row. A table can have multiple non-clustered indexes. It's like a
separate index card file that points to the location of information in a book.

 Unique Index: Ensures that all values in the indexed column(s) are unique. Both clustered
and non-clustered indexes can be unique.
  Composite Index: An index on multiple columns. It's useful for queries that filter or sort by
multiple columns.

How they work: Indexes speed up data retrieval by allowing the database to quickly locate specific
rows without having to scan the entire table. When a query filters or sorts by an indexed column, the
database uses the index to find the relevant rows much faster than scanning the whole table.

4. What are DDL, DML, and DQL commands in SQL?

 DDL (Data Definition Language): Commands used to define the structure of the database
(tables, indexes, views, etc.). Examples: CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, DROP TABLE, CREATE
INDEX, DROP INDEX.

 DML (Data Manipulation Language): Commands used to manipulate the data in the
database (insert, update, delete). Examples: INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE.

 DQL (Data Query Language): Commands used to retrieve data from the database. The
primary DQL command is SELECT.

5. Suppose there is an organization with an employee table containing employee ID, employee
name, department, and salary. How would you find the 5th highest salary in that table?

SQL

SELECT DISTINCT Salary

FROM Employee

ORDER BY Salary DESC

OFFSET 4 ROWS

FETCH FIRST 1 ROW ONLY;

This query first selects distinct salaries, orders them in descending order, skips the first 4 rows
(representing the top 4 salaries), and then fetches the first row of the remaining result set, which is
the 5th highest salary.

6. Difference between Rank and Dense Rank functions?

(See the detailed explanation in the earlier response. It provides a clear comparison with examples.)

7. How do you calculate the number of years an employee has spent in the current organization
using DAX in Power BI?

Code snippet

YearsInOrganization =

VAR HireDate = Employee[HireDate]

VAR Today = TODAY()

RETURN

DATEDIFF(HireDate, Today, YEAR)

This DAX measure calculates the difference in years between the employee's hire date and today's
date.

8. Suppose you have two fact tables, Fact A and Fact B, and three dimension tables, Dimension A,
Dimension B, and Dimension C. Fact A is connected to all three dimension tables, and Fact B is also
connected to the same three dimension tables. How can you establish a relationship between Fact
A and Fact B?

You would create a bridging table (also called a junction table or linking table) to establish a
relationship between Fact A and Fact B. Since both fact tables share the same dimensions, the
bridging table would consist of the keys from the three dimension tables.

1. Create Bridging Table: Create a new table in your data model. This table will contain the
primary keys from Dimension A, Dimension B, and Dimension C.

2. Populate Bridging Table: Populate the bridging table with the combinations of dimension
keys that are relevant for your analysis. This might involve querying the fact tables or other
data sources to determine the appropriate key combinations.

3. Create Relationships: Create relationships between Fact A and the bridging table (based on
the dimension keys), and also create relationships between Fact B and the bridging table
(based on the dimension keys). These will all be one-to-many relationships.

This bridging table effectively models the relationship between the two fact tables through their
shared dimensions. You can then use this structure to perform calculations and analysis involving
both Fact A and Fact B.

9. Difference between Calculated Column and Measure?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It's a good, concise comparison with examples.)

10. Difference between Table and Matrix in Power BI?

 Table: A visual that displays data in a tabular format, with rows and columns. It's good for
showing detailed data and allows for sorting and filtering.

 Matrix: A more advanced type of table that can display data in a two-dimensional grid, with
rows and columns, and also supports hierarchies and drill-down functionality. It's useful for
summarizing

If I have 2 tables in data modeling in Power BI, and the relationship between them is many-to-
many, how can I avoid that?

Many-to-many relationships in Power BI typically require a bridging table (also called a junction table
or linking table) to resolve the ambiguity. Direct many-to-many relationships can lead to incorrect
calculations and unexpected behavior.

Here's how to avoid a direct many-to-many relationship:

1. Identify the Many-to-Many Relationship: Determine which two tables have the many-to-
many relationship. Example: Students and Courses (students can enroll in many courses, and
courses can have many students).
 2. Create a Bridging Table: Create a new table in your data model. This table will contain the
primary keys from both of the original tables. Example: A table called "Enrollments" with
columns "StudentID" and "CourseID."

3. Populate the Bridging Table: Populate the bridging table with the combinations of keys that
represent the actual relationships. Example: Rows in the "Enrollments" table would
represent specific student-course enrollments.

4. Create One-to-Many Relationships: Create one-to-many relationships between each of the

original tables and the bridging table. Example: One-to-many between Students and
Enrollments (one student can have multiple enrollments), and one-to-many between
Courses and Enrollments (one course can have multiple enrollments).

By introducing the bridging table, you've effectively broken down the many-to-many relationship into
two one-to-many relationships, which Power BI can handle correctly.

12. Explain the scenario and provide the best optimized solution to handle it. Let's say you have
100 Excel files, each meant for daily sales or order data.

This scenario calls for an automated and scalable solution. Here's an optimized approach:

1. Combine Files in Power Query: Use Power Query's "Folder" connection to connect to the
folder containing the 100 Excel files. Power Query will automatically combine all the files into
a single query. This is much more efficient than manually appending the files.

2. Transform Data (if needed): Use Power Query transformations to clean and prepare the data
(e.g., data type conversions, handling missing values). Ensure consistency across all files.

3. Load Data: Load the combined and transformed data into the Power BI data model.

4. Scheduled Refresh: Configure a scheduled refresh for the dataset. This will automatically
update the data in your report as new Excel files are added to the folder.

5. Consider a Database: For a long-term, robust solution, consider migrating the data from the
Excel files to a database (e.g., Azure SQL Database). This will provide better scalability,
performance, and data management capabilities as the data volume grows. You could use
Power Automate to automate the process of moving the data from the Excel files to the
database.

13. How many types of Active Relationships are there in Power BI?

There is only one type of active relationship in Power BI. A relationship can be either active or
inactive. Only one relationship can be active between two tables at a time. If you have multiple
relationships, you can choose which one is active. The active relationship is the one used by default
in DAX calculations and report visuals.

14. Can you please tell me why we would use the DATEADD function in Power BI?

The DATEADD function in DAX is used to shift a date by a specified number of intervals (days,
months, quarters, years). It's essential for time intelligence calculations and comparisons.

Example: You can use DATEADD to calculate sales for the same period last year: SalesLastYear =
CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]), DATEADD(Dates[Date], -1, YEAR))

15. Can you tell me the SUM and SUMX difference in Power BI?
(See the detailed explanation in the previous responses. It's a good, concise comparison with
examples.)

16. Have you used custom visual charts?

"Yes, I've used custom visuals from the Power BI marketplace when they provided specialized
visualizations that weren't available in the built-in charts. For example, I've used [mention a specific
custom visual name, e.g., a network chart or a Gantt chart] to visualize [explain the type of data and
its purpose, e.g., relationships between entities or project timelines]. While custom visuals can be
very helpful, it's important to evaluate their performance and ensure they are well-maintained."

17. What is the difference between Direct Query and Live Connection?

 Direct Query: Power BI sends queries directly to the data source when you interact with the
report. The data is not imported. This is good for live data and very large datasets.

 Live Connection: Similar to Direct Query, but it's specifically used for connecting to Analysis
Services models (either Azure Analysis Services or SQL Server Analysis Services). It leverages
the pre-aggregated data and calculations defined in the Analysis Services model, providing
optimized performance for analytical reporting.

18. Are you aware of Microsoft Fabric?

"Yes, I'm aware of Microsoft Fabric. It's a comprehensive suite of analytics tools and services offered
by Microsoft. It brings together data integration, data engineering, data warehousing, data science,
real-time analytics, and business intelligence into a single, unified platform. I understand that it
simplifies the development process and provides a unified environment for data professionals."

19. Major challenges you have faced in current Power BI Projects?

"Some challenges I've faced include:

 Complex Data Transformations: Dealing with messy or inconsistent data required complex
transformations in Power Query, often involving M code. Example: Standardizing date
formats from various sources or handling nested JSON structures.

 Performance Optimization: Optimizing reports with large datasets or complex DAX measures
required careful data modeling, DAX tuning, and performance analysis. Example: Identifying
and rewriting inefficient DAX measures or implementing incremental refresh.

 Changing Requirements: Adapting to evolving business requirements during the project

lifecycle required flexibility and communication with stakeholders. Example: Incorporating
new metrics or visualizations mid-project.

 Data Security: Implementing row-level security (RLS) to protect sensitive data required
careful planning and testing. Example: Ensuring that sales representatives only see data for
their assigned regions.

I approach these challenges by using a combination of technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and
collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders. I also leverage online resources and the Power BI
community to find solutions." (Always provide specific examples of challenges and how you
overcame them.)

20. How have you used the Power BI Service and for what purposes?
"I've used the Power BI Service extensively for:

 Publishing Reports and Dashboards: Deploying reports and dashboards developed in Power
BI Desktop to the cloud for sharing with users.

 Sharing and Collaboration: Sharing reports and dashboards with colleagues, stakeholders,
and external users. Managing access permissions and roles.

 Scheduling Data Refreshes: Configuring scheduled refreshes to keep datasets up-to-date.

Implementing incremental refresh for large datasets.

 Creating and Managing Workspaces: Organizing reports, datasets, and dashboards into
workspaces for team collaboration.

 Creating and Publishing Apps: Bundling reports and dashboards into apps for distribution to
wider audiences.

 Setting Up Data Alerts: Configuring data alerts to notify users when key metrics cross certain
thresholds.

 Administering Power BI: (If applicable) Managing users, licenses, capacities, and other
administrative tasks.

 Mobile Access: Viewing reports and dashboards on mobile devices using the Power BI
mobile app.

Example: I used the Power BI service to publish a sales performance dashboard to a workspace
shared with the sales team. I then configured a scheduled refresh to update the data daily. I also set
up data alerts to notify the sales manager if sales in any region dropped below a certain level."

How have you deployed reports from one environment to another?

"I've used a few methods for deploying Power BI reports between environments (e.g., development,
testing, production):

 Power BI Deployment Pipelines (Premium Capacity): For organizations with Premium

Capacity, deployment pipelines provide a streamlined way to manage report deployments.
You can create pipelines with different stages (development, test, production) and easily
promote content between stages. This is the preferred method for larger organizations.

 .pbix File Deployment: For simpler deployments, I've published the .pbix file directly to the
target workspace in the Power BI service. This is suitable for smaller projects or when using
Power BI Pro. However, this method doesn't preserve dataset IDs, so you might need to
reconfigure data sources.

 Power BI REST API: For more automated or customized deployments, I've used the Power BI
REST API. This allows you to programmatically publish reports, update datasets, and manage
workspaces. This is useful for CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)
scenarios.

 Content Pack Deployment: For sharing reports and dashboards with a large number of users,
content packs can be created and deployed.
Example: I used deployment pipelines to move reports from our development environment to our
testing and production environments. This allowed us to thoroughly test the reports before releasing
them to end-users."

22. Can you please tell me about workspace management?

(See the detailed answer in a previous response. It covers workspace creation, management, roles,
and types.)

23. What are the different versions of Power BI?

"There isn't a versioning system in the traditional software sense for Power BI Desktop. Updates are
released frequently (monthly), and the application usually updates itself automatically. However,
there are different editions or offerings of Power BI:

 Power BI Desktop: The free desktop application for developing reports.

 Power BI Pro: A per-user license that provides core features for report development, sharing,
and collaboration.

 Power BI Premium Capacity: A capacity-based license that provides dedicated resources and
advanced features like larger datasets, incremental refresh, deployment pipelines, and XMLA
endpoints.

 Power BI Embedded: For embedding Power BI content in applications.

 Power BI Report Server: For on-premises reporting.

It's important to stay up-to-date with the latest Power BI Desktop releases to benefit from new
features and improvements."

24. Have you ever faced a failure due to data type errors? Can you share any experiences related to
this?

"Yes, data type errors are a common challenge. Example: I once imported data from a CSV file where
a column representing order dates was sometimes interpreted as text because of inconsistent
formatting in the source file. This caused errors in my DAX calculations. I resolved this by using Power
Query to explicitly convert the column to the correct date/time data type. Another example was
when a column that should have contained numerical IDs was sometimes containing spaces, turning
the column data type to text. This made the relationship between the tables fail. I used the trim
function in power query to remove the spaces from both the columns, to fix the relationship."

25. Have you used Power Automate and Power Apps?

"Yes, I have experience with both Power Automate and Power Apps. I've used Power Automate to
automate tasks related to Power BI, such as:

 Data Refresh Notifications: Setting up flows to notify me when data refreshes fail or
succeed.

 Data Export: Automating the export of data from Power BI datasets to other systems.

 Report Distribution: Automating the distribution of Power BI reports to stakeholders.

I've used Power Apps to create custom applications that integrate with Power BI reports. For
example, I've built apps that allow users to input data that then updates a Power BI dataset, or apps
that provide a custom interface for interacting with a Power BI report."

26. When gathering requirements from the client, what is your go-to approach?

"My approach to requirements gathering involves:

1. Understanding the Business Problem: Start by understanding the underlying business

problem the client is trying to solve. "What are the key business questions they need to
answer?"

2. Stakeholder Interviews: Conduct interviews with key stakeholders to gather their specific
reporting needs and expectations. "What metrics are important to them?" "What kind of
insights are they looking for?"

3. Use Case Scenarios: Develop use case scenarios to illustrate how users will interact with the
reports and dashboards. "Can you walk me through a typical workflow?"

4. Data Source Analysis: Analyze the available data sources to understand what data is
available and how it can be used to meet the requirements.

5. Prototyping: Create mockups or prototypes of the reports and dashboards to get early
feedback from the client.

6. Iterative Approach: Use an iterative approach, regularly checking in with the client to ensure
that the reports and dashboards are meeting their needs.

7. Documentation: Document the requirements, data sources, and report specifications.

27. Have you worked with dataflows?

(See the detailed answer in a previous response. It explains dataflows and their use cases.)

28. What kind of changes are you making when a report comes back to your end from the client?

"Changes after client review typically fall into these categories:

 Visual Adjustments: Changes to chart types, colors, formatting, or layout to improve clarity
or meet client preferences.

 Data Refinements: Adjustments to calculations, measures, or data transformations based on

client feedback.

 Filtering and Slicing: Adding or modifying filters and slicers to provide more control over the
data displayed.

 Interactivity Enhancements: Adding drill-down, drill-through, or other interactive elements.

 Performance Optimizations: Addressing any performance issues identified by the client.

 Requirements Updates: Incorporating any new requirements or changes in scope.

Example: After a client review, I might change a bar chart to a column chart because the client finds it
easier to read. Or I might add a slicer to allow users to filter the data by a specific category that they
requested."
29. What types of transformations have you applied in your reports or data models?

(See the detailed answer in a previous response. It lists many common Power Query
transformations.)

30. Can you name some important KPIs for the insurance and sales domains?

Here are some KPIs relevant to the insurance and sales domains:

Insurance:

 Claim Ratio: (Total Claims Paid / Total Premiums Earned) - Measures the profitability of
insurance policies.

 Loss Ratio: (Total Claims Paid / Total Premiums Earned) - Similar to claim ratio but focuses on
losses incurred.

 Customer Churn Rate: (Number of Customers Lost / Total Number of Customers) - Measures
customer retention.

 Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): Predicts the total revenue a customer will generate over
their relationship with the insurer.

 Average Claim Processing Time: Measures the efficiency of the claims process.

 Policy Renewal Rate: (Number of Policies Renewed / Total Number of Policies) - Measures
the success of retaining existing customers.

Sales:

 Revenue: The total amount of sales generated.

 Sales Growth Rate: Measures the percentage change in sales over a period.

 Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): The cost of acquiring a new customer.

 Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): Predicts the total revenue a customer will generate.

 Conversion Rate: (Number of Conversions / Number of Leads) - Measures the effectiveness

of sales efforts.

 Average Deal Size: The average value of sales transactions.

 Sales Cycle Length: The time it takes to close a deal.

 Market Share: The percentage of total sales in a market that a company controls.

Tell me about yourself.

(This is your personal introduction. Tailor it to the specific job you're applying for, highlighting
relevant skills and experience. Here's a template:)

"I'm a data analyst with [Number] years of experience in [Specific areas like data warehousing,
business intelligence, or data visualization]. I'm passionate about turning raw data into actionable
insights. In my previous roles, I've been responsible for [Mention key responsibilities, e.g., data
extraction, report development, dashboard creation]. I'm proficient in tools like Power BI, SQL, and
[Mention other relevant tools]. I'm a strong communicator and collaborator, and I enjoy working with
business stakeholders to understand their needs and deliver effective data solutions. I'm eager to
learn and grow in a challenging environment like [Company Name]."

2. Difference between Calculated Columns and Measures?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It's a good, concise comparison with examples.)

3. How to handle missing values?

Power Query is the primary tool for handling missing values:

1. Identify Missing Values: Use Power Query to identify columns with missing values (nulls).

2. Choose a Strategy: Decide how to handle them:

o Replacement: Replace nulls with a specific value (0, blank, mean, median, etc.).
Example: Replace missing sales amounts with 0.

o Removal: Remove rows containing missing values (use with caution, as you might
lose valuable data). Example: Remove customer records with missing email
addresses (if email is essential).

o Imputation: Use statistical methods to estimate missing values (more advanced).

3. Implement in Power Query: Use Power Query transformations like "Replace Values," "Fill
Down/Up," or create conditional columns to implement your chosen strategy.

4. Difference between SUM and SUMX?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It's a good, concise comparison with examples.)

5. What is DAX, and give an example? Which DAX functions did you use while doing your project?

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a formula language used in Power BI for creating calculated
columns, measures, and tables.

Example: TotalSales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]) is a DAX measure that calculates the sum of the
SalesAmount column in the Sales table.

"In my projects, I've used DAX functions like CALCULATE (for context transition and filtering), SUMX
(for row-by-row calculations), DATESBETWEEN (for time intelligence), FILTER (for table filtering),
AVERAGEX (for row-by-row averaging), and many others depending on the specific project needs. For
example, I used CALCULATE to calculate sales for a specific product category and DATESBETWEEN to
get sales within a certain date range." (Be specific and give examples related to the work you've
done.)

6. How do you disable a graph that is changing dynamically?

If you mean how to prevent a visual from responding to filters or slicers, you have a few options:

 ALL() Function in DAX: If the visual is based on a measure, you can use the ALL() function in
your DAX measure to ignore filter context. Example: TotalSales =
CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]), ALL(Sales)) This calculates total sales regardless of
any filters applied to the report.
  Visual-Level Filters: You can apply a visual-level filter that is always true (e.g., a filter on a
column that always has a value). This will effectively "lock" the visual and prevent it from
being affected by other filters.

 Bookmarks: You can use bookmarks to create different views of the report page. One view
could have the dynamic visual, and another could have a static version (e.g., a snapshot of
the data). Users can then switch between these views.

7. Explain RLS (Row Level Security) and how do you implement it?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It's a clear explanation with a good example.)

8. Types of filters in Power BI?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It provides a comprehensive list of filter types.)

9. Difference between Drill Down and Drill Through?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It's a clear and concise explanation with
examples.)

10. Explain the process of publishing the report?

1. Develop in Power BI Desktop: Create your report in Power BI Desktop, connecting to data
sources, transforming data, creating visuals, and defining DAX measures.

2. Save the .pbix File: Save your report as a .pbix file.

3. Publish to Power BI Service: In Power BI Desktop, click the "Publish" button. Select the
workspace where you want to publish the report.

4. Choose a Workspace: Select the appropriate workspace (or My Workspace for personal use).

5. Report and Dataset: Power BI Desktop uploads the .pbix file to the Power BI service, creating
a report and a dataset.

6. Configure Refresh (if needed): In the Power BI service, configure data refresh settings for the
dataset to keep the data up-to-date. This might involve setting up a gateway for on-premises
data sources.

7. Share the Report: Share the report with users or create a dashboard from the report and
share the dashboard.

Example: I developed a sales report in Power BI Desktop, connected to our company's sales
database, and created visualizations showing sales by region, product, and customer. I then
published the report to a workspace shared with the sales team. Finally, I configured a scheduled
refresh so the report data is updated every morning.

How to create relationships in Power BI? Types of Cardinality?

You create relationships in Power BI in the Model view of Power BI Desktop.

1. Open Model View: Click the "Model" icon in the left pane of Power BI Desktop.

2. Drag and Drop: Click on a column in one table and drag it to the corresponding column in
the other table. Power BI will attempt to automatically detect the relationship type
(cardinality).
 3. Edit Relationship: You can also create or edit relationships by right-clicking on a table and
selecting "Manage Relationships."

Types of Cardinality:

 One-to-Many (1:M): A row in table A can be related to multiple rows in table B, but a row in
table B is related to only one row in table A. Example: One customer can have multiple
orders. (Most common type)

 Many-to-One (M:1): The inverse of one-to-many. Multiple rows in table A can be related to
one row in table B. Example: Multiple orders belong to one customer. (Same as 1:M, just
from the other table's perspective)

 One-to-One (1:1): A row in table A is related to only one row in table B, and vice versa.
Example: A person can have only one passport, and a passport belongs to only one person.
(Less common)

 Many-to-Many (M:N): A row in table A can be related to multiple rows in table B, and a row
in table B can be related to multiple rows in table 1 A. Example: Students can enroll in
multiple courses, and courses can have multiple students. (Requires a bridging table)

1. dokumen.pub

dokumen.pub

12. How to schedule refresh in Power BI?

You schedule refresh in the Power BI service (the cloud platform), not in Power BI Desktop.

1. Publish the Report: First, publish your report from Power BI Desktop to a workspace in the
Power BI service.

2. Dataset Settings: In the Power BI service, go to the workspace containing your report and
find the dataset associated with the report. Click the ellipsis (...) next to the dataset name
and select "Settings."

3. Scheduled Refresh: In the dataset settings, go to the "Scheduled refresh" tab.

4. Configure Refresh:

o Turn on the "Keep your data up to date" toggle.

o Set the refresh frequency (daily, weekly, etc.).

o Choose the time(s) of day for the refresh.

o Configure other refresh parameters (e.g., email notifications for refresh failures).

5. Gateway (if needed): If your data source is on-premises, you'll need to configure a data
gateway to allow the Power BI service to connect to your data.
13. Which type of account have you used while doing a project? Explain the features.

"I've used both Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium Capacity, depending on the project's needs.

 Power BI Pro: This is a per-user license. It provides the core features for developing, sharing,
and collaborating on Power BI reports and dashboards. It's suitable for individual users and
smaller teams. Features include:

o Developing reports in Power BI Desktop.

o Sharing reports and dashboards with other Pro users.

o Creating personal workspaces.

o Scheduled refresh (limited frequency).

o Dataflows (limited capabilities).

 Power BI Premium Capacity: This is a capacity-based license that provides dedicated

resources and advanced features. It's designed for larger organizations and offers improved
scalability and performance. Features include:

o All the features of Power BI Pro.

o Larger dataset sizes.

o Improved performance.

o Incremental refresh.

o Deployment pipelines.

o XMLA endpoint access.

o Paginated reports.

o Dataflows (enhanced capabilities).

Example: For projects involving large datasets or requiring features like incremental refresh or
deployment pipelines, I used Power BI Premium Capacity. For smaller projects or personal
development, Power BI Pro was sufficient."

14. How to perform Join operations?

You perform join operations in Power Query (the data transformation tool within Power BI). You use
the "Merge Queries" operation.

1. Open Power Query Editor: In Power BI Desktop, go to the "Data" view and click "Transform
data."

2. Merge Queries: In the Power Query Editor, go to the "Home" tab and click "Merge Queries."

3. Select Tables: Choose the two tables you want to join.

4. Select Matching Columns: Select the columns in each table that you want to use to match
the rows (the join keys).

5. Choose Join Type: Select the type of join:

 o Inner Join: Returns only matching rows from both tables.

o Left Outer Join: Returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the
right table (NULLs if no match).

o Right Outer Join: Returns all rows from the right table and matching rows from the
left table (NULLs if no match).

o Full Outer Join: Returns all rows from both tables (NULLs where there are no
matches).

6. Expand Columns (if needed): After the merge, you can expand the columns from the second
table that you want to include in the joined table.

15. What are the good practices in Power BI?

Good practices in Power BI cover various aspects:

 Data Modeling: Use a star schema, minimize relationships, optimize data types, and avoid
many-to-many relationships (use bridging tables).

 DAX: Write efficient DAX measures, avoid unnecessary iterations, use variables, and break
down complex measures.

 Power Query: Optimize M code, combine steps, and ensure query folding.

 Visualizations: Use appropriate visuals, keep dashboards clean and concise, and avoid
clutter.

 Performance: Optimize data models, DAX, Power Query, and visuals to improve report
performance.

 Data Refresh: Use incremental refresh for large datasets and schedule refreshes during off-
peak hours.

 Security: Implement row-level security (RLS) to protect sensitive data.

 Testing: Thoroughly test reports and dashboards before deploying them to production.

 Documentation: Document data sources, data transformations, DAX measures, and report
specifications.

16. Explain your latest Power BI project.

(Describe a recent project, focusing on the business problem, your approach, the technologies used,
and the results. Be specific and quantify the impact whenever possible.)

"In my most recent project, I developed a sales performance dashboard for a retail client. They were
struggling to get a consolidated view of their sales data, which was spread across multiple systems. I
used Power Query to connect to their CRM, ERP, and e-commerce platforms, clean and transform the
data, and load it into a star schema data model. I created DAX measures for key metrics like total
sales, sales growth, and average order value. The interactive dashboards I developed allowed the
client to easily track sales performance across different regions, product categories, and customer
segments. The dashboard helped them identify underperforming areas and make data-driven
decisions to improve sales and profitability. For example, they were able to identify a region where
sales were declining and implement targeted marketing campaigns to address the issue." (Be specific
about your contributions and the positive outcomes.)

17. Difference between Slicer and Filter?

(See the detailed explanation in earlier responses. It provides a clear comparison with examples.)

Self Introduction

(This is your personal introduction. Tailor it to the specific job and company, highlighting relevant
skills and experience. Here's a template:)

"I'm a data analyst with [Number] years of experience in [Specific areas, e.g., business intelligence,
data warehousing, report development]. I'm passionate about transforming data into actionable
insights. In my previous roles, I've been responsible for [Mention key responsibilities, e.g., data
extraction, report creation, dashboard design, collaborating with stakeholders]. I'm proficient in
Power BI, SQL, and [Mention other relevant tools, e.g., Python, R, cloud platforms]. I'm a strong
communicator and team player, and I thrive in collaborative environments. I'm eager to contribute
my skills and experience to [Company Name] and help them achieve their data-driven goals."

2. Which data sources have you used in your projects?

"I've worked with a variety of data sources, including:

 Databases: SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Snowflake

 Files: Excel files, CSV files, JSON files, text files

 Online Services: Google Analytics, Salesforce, Dynamics 365, SharePoint

 Web: Data from web pages or APIs

 Other: I've also explored connecting to other data sources like OData feeds and various cloud
platforms."

(Be specific about the data sources you've used and how you connected to them. For example: "In a
recent project, I connected to a SQL Server database using the SQL Server connector in Power BI
Desktop and also to Excel files using the Excel connector.")

3. What is DAX? Explain it in detail.

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a formula language used in Power BI, Analysis Services, and Power
Pivot in Excel. It's used to create calculated columns, measures, and tables. DAX expressions are used
to perform calculations and analyze data.

Key aspects of DAX:

 Calculated Columns: DAX expressions that are evaluated for each row in a table and added
as a new column. They are stored as part of the data model. Use them when the calculation
is needed for filtering or slicing. Example: TotalPrice = [Quantity] * [UnitPrice]

 Measures: DAX expressions that are calculated dynamically based on the context (filters,
slicers, etc.). They are not stored in the data model. Use them for aggregations, ratios, or
other calculations that change based on user interaction. Example: TotalSales =
SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])
  Functions: DAX provides a rich library of functions for various purposes (aggregation,
filtering, date/time, logical, mathematical, text, table manipulation, etc.).

 Context: DAX calculations are evaluated in a specific context. There are two types of context:

o Row Context: The current row being evaluated. Used in calculated columns and
iterators (like SUMX).

o Filter Context: The filters that are currently applied to the data. Used in measures.

4. What is the difference between a Dimension and a Measure in Power BI?

 Dimension: A categorical value that provides context for analysis. Dimensions are used to
group, filter, and categorize data. Examples: Product Category, Region, Date, Customer
Name.

 Measure: A quantitative value that is calculated or aggregated. Measures are used to

perform calculations and analysis. Examples: Sales Amount, Profit, Quantity, Average Order
Value.

Dimensions are typically used on the axes of charts and in slicers, while measures are used for the
values displayed in the charts.

5. What types of DAX functions have you used in your projects?

"I've used a wide variety of DAX functions, depending on the specific needs of the project. Some
common examples include:

 Aggregation: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, COUNTROWS, DISTINCTCOUNT

 Logical: IF, AND, OR, SWITCH, TRUE, FALSE

 Date/Time: YEAR, MONTH, DAY, DATE, DATESBETWEEN, SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR

 Filtering: CALCULATE, FILTER, ALL, ALLEXCEPT, VALUES

 Iterator: SUMX, AVERAGEX, MAXX, MINX

 Text: CONCATENATE, LEFT, RIGHT, MID

Example: I used CALCULATE along with FILTER function to calculate sales for a specific product
category and DATESBETWEEN to calculate sales within a specific date range. I used SUMX to calculate
the total revenue by iterating over a sales table and multiplying quantity by price for each row." (Be
specific and give examples related to your projects.)

6. What is the difference between the MAX and MAXX aggregate functions?

 MAX(column): Returns the maximum value in a column. It works directly on the column.

 MAXX(table, expression): Iterates through each row of a table, evaluates the expression for
each row, and then returns the maximum of the results. It operates row by row.

Example: If you want to find the maximum sales amount across all products, you'd use
MAX(Sales[SalesAmount]). If you want to find the highest individual sale amount (quantity * price)
across all sales transactions, you'd use MAXX(Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Price]).

7. How does the SUM function differ from the SUMX function in Power BI?
(See detailed explanation in earlier responses. It provides a clear comparison with examples.)

8. If there are four categories (A, B, C, D) and a sales column in a table, how can you find the sales
for category A?

You can use the CALCULATE function with a filter:

Code snippet

SalesForCategoryA = CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[SalesAmount]), Sales[Category] = "A")

This DAX measure calculates the sum of the SalesAmount column, but only for rows where the
Category is "A".

9. In a Matrix visual, if you insert a column for Category A and its sales, and add a third column for
Country, with a total of 4 countries, how will the output appear in the matrix?

The matrix will show the sales for category A broken down by country. It would look something like
this:

Category Country Sales for Category A

A Country 1 [Sales Amount]

A Country 2 [Sales Amount]

A Country 3 [Sales Amount]

A Country 4 [Sales Amount]

Export to Sheets

The matrix will show the intersection of Category A and each of the four countries, displaying the
corresponding sales amount for each combination.

10. Write a SQL query to retrieve the following details: Region, Category, Total Sales Amount,
Average Sales Amount, Month with the Highest Sales. Use the sales, products, and customers
tables. Group the results by region and category, and ensure the query calculates the required
metrics correctly.

SQL

WITH SalesSummary AS (

SELECT

c.Region,

p.Category,

SUM(s.SalesAmount) AS TotalSalesAmount,

AVG(s.SalesAmount) AS AverageSalesAmount,

FORMAT(DATEFROMPARTS(YEAR(s.OrderDate), MONTH(s.OrderDate), 1), 'yyyy-MM') as

SalesMonth

FROM
 sales s

JOIN

products p ON s.ProductID = p.ProductID

JOIN

customers c ON s.CustomerID = c.CustomerID

GROUP BY

c.Region,

p.Category,

FORMAT(DATEFROMPARTS(YEAR(s.OrderDate), MONTH(s.OrderDate), 1), 'yyyy-MM')

),

RankedSales AS (

SELECT

Region,

Category,

TotalSalesAmount,

AverageSalesAmount,

SalesMonth,

ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY Region, Category ORDER BY TotalSalesAmount DESC) as rn

FROM SalesSummary

SELECT

Region,

Category,

TotalSalesAmount,

AverageSalesAmount,

SalesMonth AS MonthWithHighestSales

FROM RankedSales

WHERE rn = 1;

This query uses Common Table Expressions (CTEs) to make the logic clearer:
1. SalesSummary CTE: Calculates the total sales amount, average sales amount, and Sales
Month for each region and category. It groups the data by region, category and Sales Month.

2. RankedSales CTE: Uses the ROW_NUMBER() window function to assign a rank to each
month within a region and category based on the TotalSalesAmount in descending order. The
highest sales month gets rank 1.

3. Final SELECT Statement: Selects the desired columns from the RankedSales