Power BI Interview Questions For Freshers
Power BI Interview Questions For Freshers
Power BI is a business analytics tool developed by Microsoft that helps you turn multiple unrelated
data sources into valuable and interactive insights. These data may be in the form of an Excel
spreadsheet or cloud-based/on-premises hybrid data warehouses. You can easily connect to all your
data sources and share the insights with anyone.
Because Power BI provides an easy way for anyone, including non-technical people, to connect,
change, and visualize their raw business data from many different sources and turn it into valuable
data that makes it easy to make smart business decisions.
Power Pivot is an add-on provided by Microsoft for Excel since 2010. Power Pivot was designed to
extend the analytical capabilities and services of Microsoft Excel.
Power Query is a business intelligence tool designed by Microsoft for Excel. Power Query allows you
to import data from various data sources and will enable you to clean, transform and reshape your
data as per the requirements. Power Query allows you to write your query once and then run it with
a simple refresh.
Self-service business intelligence (SSBI) is divided into the Excel BI Toolkit and Power BI.
DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions. It's a collection of functions, operators, and constants used
in formulas to calculate and return values. In other words, it helps you create new info from data
you already have.
The term "Filter" is self-explanatory. Filters are mathematical and logical conditions applied to data
to filter out essential information in rows and columns. The following are the variety of filters
available in Power BI:
Manual filters
Auto filters
Include/Exclude filters
Drill-down filters
Drillthrough filters
Drillthrough filters
URL filters–transient
Pass-Through filters
Custom Visuals are like any other visualizations, generated using Power BI. The only difference is
that it developes the custom visuals using a custom SDK. The languages like JQuery and JavaScript
are used to create custom visuals in Power BI.
Get Data is a simple icon on Power BI used to import data from the source.
It allows users to transform data into visuals and share them with anyone
It establishes a connection for Excel queries and dashboards for fast analysis
It provides quick and accurate solutions
Power BI does not accept file sizes larger than 1 GB and doesn't mix imported data accessed from
real-time connections.
There are very few data sources that allow real-time connections to Power BI reports and
dashboards.
It only shares dashboards and reports with users logged in with the same email address.
16. What are some differences in data modeling between Power BI Desktop and Power Pivot for
Excel?
Power Pivot for Excel supports only single directional relationships (one to many), calculated
columns, and one import mode. Power BI Desktop supports bi-directional cross-filtering
connections, security, calculated tables, and multiple import options.
An SQL Server Import is the default and most common connectivity type used in Power BI. It allows
you to use the full capabilities of the Power BI Desktop.
Direct Query
The Direct Query connection type is only available when you connect to specific data sources. In this
connectivity type, Power BI will only store the metadata of the underlying data and not the actual
data.
Live Connection
With this connectivity type, it does not store data in the Power BI model. All interaction with a
report using a Live Connection will directly query the existing Analysis Services model. There are only
3 data sources that support the live connection method - SQL Server Analysis Services (Tabular
models and Multidimensional Cubes), Azure Analysis Services (Tabular Models), and Power BI
Datasets hosted in the Power BI Service.
18. What are the various types of refresh options provided in Power BI?
Four important types of refresh options provided in Microsoft Power BI are as follows:
Package refresh - This synchronizes your Power BI Desktop or Excel file between the Power BI
service and OneDrive, or SharePoint Online.
Model or data refresh - This refreshes the dataset within the Power BI service with data from the
original data source.
Tile refresh - This updates the cache for tile visuals every 15 minutes on the dashboard once data
changes.
Visual container refresh - This refreshes the visible container and updates the cached report visuals
within a report once the data changes.
19. Name the data sources can Power BI can connect to?
Several data sources can be connected to Power BI, which is grouped into three main types:
Files
It can import data from Excel (.xlsx, .xlxm), Power BI Desktop files (.pbix) and Comma-Separated
Values (.csv).
Content Packs
These are a collection of related documents or files stored as a group. There are two types of
content packs in Power BI:
Content packs from services providers like Google Analytics, Marketo, or Salesforce and Content
packs are created and shared by other users in your organization.
Connectors
Connectors help you connect your databases and datasets with apps, services, and data in the cloud.
A dashboard is a single-layer presentation sheet of multiple visualizations reports. The main features
of the Power BI dashboard are:
It allows you to drill through the page, bookmarks, and selection pane and also lets you create
various tiles and integrate URLs
A dashboard can also help you set report layout to mobile view.
Manually - Relationships between tables are manually defined using primary and foreign keys.
Automatic - When enabled, this automated feature of Power BI detects relationships between
tables and creates them automatically.
22. Can you have more than one functional relationship between two tables in a Power Pivot data
model?
No. There can be multiple inactive relationships, but only one active relationship between two tables
in a Power Pivot data model. Dotted lines represent inactive relationships, and continuous lines
represent active relationships.
23. Can you have a table in the model which does not have any relationship with other tables?
Yes. There are two main reasons why you can have disconnected tables:
The table is used to present the user with parameter values to be exposed and selected in slicers
The CALCULATE function evaluates the sum of the Sales table Sales Amount column in a modified
filter context. It is also the only function that allows users to modify the filter context of measures or
tables.
Moving ahead, you will step up to the following Power BI Interview Questions from the Intermediate
Level.
Most of the time, power BI gets assisted by the cloud to store the data. Power BI can use a desktop
service. Microsoft Azure is used as the primary cloud service to store the data.
Row-level security limits the data a user can view and has access to, and it relies on filters. Users can
define the rules and roles in Power BI Desktop and also publish them to Power BI Service to
configure row-level security.
Users can use general formatting to make it easier for Power BI to categorize and identify data,
making it considerably easier to work with.
28. What are the different views available in Power BI Desktop?
There are three different views in Power BI, each of which serves another purpose:
Report View - In this view, users can add visualizations and additional report pages and publish the
same on the portal.
Data View - In this view, data shaping can be performed using Query Editor tools.
Model View - In this view, users can manage relationships between complex datasets.
Power BI Desktop
Power BI service
Visualizations
Visualization is the process of generating charts and graphs for the representation of insights on
business data.
Datasets
A dataset is the collection of data used to create a visualization, such as a column of sales figures.
Dataset can get combined and filtered from a variety of sources via built-in data plugins.
Reports
The final stage is the report stage. Here, there is a group of visualizations on one or more pages. For
example, charts and maps are combined to make a final report.
Dashboards
A Power BI dashboard helps you to share a single visualization with colleagues and clients to view
your final dashboard.
Tiles
A tile is an individual visualization on your final dashboard or one of your charts in your final report.
Power Query
Power Pivot
Power View
Power Map
Power Q&A
A content pack is defined as a ready-made collection of visualizations and Power BI reports using
your chosen service. You'd use a content pack when you want to get up and running quickly instead
of creating a report from scratch.
Bidirectional cross-filtering lets data modelers to decide how they want their Power BI Desktop
filters to flow for data, using the relationships between tables. The filter context is transmitted to a
second related table that exists on the other side of any given table relationship. This procedure
helps data modelers solve the many-to-many issue without having to complicated DAX formulas. So,
to sum it up, bidirectional cross-filtering makes the job for data modelers easier.
Syntax
This is how the formula is written—that is, the elements that comprise it. The Syntax includes
functions such as SUM (used when you want to add figures). If the Syntax isn't correct, you'll get an
error message.
Functions
These are formulas that use specific values (also known as arguments) in a particular order to
perform a calculation, similar to the functions in Excel. The categories of functions are date/time,
time intelligence, information, logical, mathematical, statistical, text, parent/child, and others.
Context
There are two types: row context and filter context. Row context comes into play whenever a
formula has a function that applies filters to identify a single row in a table. When one or more filters
are applied in a calculation that determines a result or value, the filter context comes into play.
35. Why and how would you use a custom visual file?
You will use a custom visual file if the prepackaged files don't fit the needs of your business.
Developers create custom visual files, and you can import them and use them in the same way as
you would the prepackaged files.
36. What are some familiar sources for data in the Get Data menu in Power BI?
A few familiar data sources are Excel, Power BI datasets, web, text, SQL server, and analysis services.
37. What are the categories of data types?
All
File
Database
Power BI
Azure
Online Services
Other
Connect to data
Group rows
Pivot columns
Query formulas
Power BI Desktop helps you to group the data in your visuals into chunks. You can, however, define
your groups and bins. For grouping, use Ctrl + click to select multiple elements in the visual. Right-
click one of those elements and, from the menu that appears, choose Group. In the Groups window,
you can create new groups or modify existing ones.
On a Power BI final report page, a developer can resize a responsive slicer to various sizes and
shapes, and the data collected in the container will be rearranged to find a match. If a visual report
becomes too small to be useful, an icon representing the visual takes its place, saving space on the
report page.
Query folding is used when steps defined in the Query Editor are translated into SQL and executed
by the source database instead of your device. It helps with scalability and efficient processing.
43. What are the major differences between visual-level, page-level, and report-level filters in
Power BI?
Visual-level filters are used to filter data within a single visualization. Page-level filters are used to
work on an entire page in a report, and different pages can have various filters.
Report-level filters are used to filter all the visualizations and pages in the report.
Adding indexes
Users can set up for an automatic refresh over data based on daily or weekly requirements. Users
can schedule only one refresh maximum daily unless they have Power BI Pro. The Schedule Refresh
section uses the pull-down menu choices to select a frequency, time zone, and time of day.
Power Map can display geographical visualizations. Therefore, some location data is needed—for
example, city, state, country, or latitude and longitude.
Power Pivot uses the xVelocity engine. xVelocity can handle huge amounts of data, storing data in
columnar databases. All data gets loaded into RAM memory when you use in-memory analytics,
which boosts the processing speed.
OLP Engine
An OLAP Engine is used to extensively run the ADHOC queries at a faster pace by the end-users
Data Drilling
It describes data Drilling in SSAS as the process of exploring details of the data with multiple levels of
granularity.
Slicers
The data Slicing process in SSAS is defined as the process of storing the data in rows and columns.
Pivot Tables
Pivot Tables helps in switching between the different categories of data stored between rows and
columns
49. What are the three fundamental concepts of DAX?
Syntax: This is how the formula is written—the elements that comprise it. The syntax includes
functions such as SUM (used when you want to add figures). If the syntax isn't correct, you'll get an
error message.
Functions: These are formulas that use specific values (also known as arguments) in a certain order
to perform a calculation, similar to the functions in Excel. The categories of functions are date/time,
time intelligence, information, logical, mathematical, statistical, text, parent/child, and others.
Context: There are two types: row context and filter context. Row context comes into play whenever
a formula has a function that applies filters to identify a single row in a table. When one or more
filters are applied in a calculation that determines a result or value, the filter context comes into
play.
51. What are the different stages in the working of Power BI?
There are three different stages in working on Power BI, as explained below.
Data Integration
Data Processing
Data Presentation
Data Integration
The primary step in any business intelligence is to establish a successful connection with the data
source and integrate it to extract data for processing.
Data Processing
The next step in business intelligence is data processing. Most of the time, the raw data also includes
unexpected erroneous data, or sometimes a few data cells might be empty. The BI tool needs to
interpret the missing values and inaccurate data for processing in the data processing stage.
Data Presentation
The final stage in business intelligence is analyzing the data got from the source and presenting the
insights using visually appealing graphs and interactive dashboards.
52. Which professionals use Power BI the most?
Beginners and experts prefer Power BI in business intelligence. Power BI is used mainly by the
following professionals.
Business Analysts
Business Owners
Business Developers
Business Analysts
A business analyst is a professional who analyses the business data and represents the insights
found using visually appealing graphs and dashboards
Business Owners
Business owners, decision-makers, or organizations use Power BI to view the insights and
understand the prediction to make a business decision.
Business Developers
Business Developers are just software developers who get hired for business purposes to develop
custom applications and dashboards to help the business process be smooth.
Advanced editor is used to view queries that Power BI is running against the data sources importing
data. The query is rendered in M-code. Users wanting to view the query code select “Edit Queries”
from the Home tab, then click on “Advanced Editor” to perform work on the query. Any changes get
saved to Applied Steps in the Query Settings.
54. What gateways does Power BI have and why should you use them?
Gateways function as bridges between the in-house data sources and Azure Cloud Services.
Personal Gateway: Used only by one person, data can be imported, and is only valid on Power BI
Service.
On-Premises Gateway: This is an advanced form of the Personal Gateway, supporting Direct Query
and usable by multiple users to refresh data.
There are multiple applications of Power BI; some of them are as follows:
Business Analysis
Data Analysis
Database Administration
IT Professional
Data Science
56. How can you depict a story in Power BI?
Every individual chart or visualization report generated is collected and represented on a single
screen. Such an approach is called a Power BI Dashboard. A Dashboard in Power BI is used to depict
a story.
KPI is abbreviated as Key Performance Indicator. Any professional organization has teams and
employees follow the KPI protocols. The organizations set up KPIs for all the employees. These KPIs
act as their targets. These KPIs are compared to previous performance and analyze the progress.
Slicers are an integral part of a business report generated using Power BI. The functionality of a slicer
can be considered similar to that of a filter, but, unlike a filter, a Slicer can display a visual
representation of all values and users will be provided with the option to select from the available
values in the slicer’s drop-down menu.
It is a combined solution offered to upload the reports and dashboards to the PowerBI.com website
for reference. It consists of Power Pivot, Power Query, and Power Table.
Power BI offers a wide variety of data source connectivity options. Data Editor is one of the tools
used to manipulate rows and columns of the data and helps you reshape it according to the
requirements.
Both Tableau and Power BI are the current IT industry's data analytics and visualization giants. Yet,
there are a few significant differences between them. You will now explore the important
differences between Tableau and Power BI.
Power BI Tableau
Power BI uses DAX for calculating measures Tableau uses MDX for measures and
dimensions
Power BI is qualified only to handle a limited Tableau is capable of handling large volumes of
amount of data data
Power BI is suitable for both experts and Tableau is best suitable for experts
beginners
Power BI User Interface is comparatively Tableau User Interface is complicated
simpler
Power BI finds it difficult, as its capacity to Tableau is capable of supporting the cloud with
handle large volumes of data is limited. ease.
4. Difference between Power Query and Power Pivot
The differences between Power Query and Power Pivot are explained as follows:
Power Query is all about analyzing data. Power Pivot is all about getting and
Transforming data
Power Query is an ETL service tool Power Pivot is an in-memory data modeling
component