Power BI Fundamentals

1. What Are the Key Components of Power BI?

Power BI consists of several key components that help in data visualization, reporting, and
sharing.

Key Components:

Power BI Desktop – A Windows-based application used for data modeling,

transformations, and visualization creation.
Power BI Service (Cloud-based SaaS) – A web-based platform for sharing and
collaborating on reports and dashboards.
Power BI Mobile – Mobile application for accessing reports on smartphones and
tablets.
Power Query – Data transformation tool used to clean and prepare data.
Power Pivot – Data modeling engine that helps in creating relationships and
calculations.
Power View – Visualization layer where users create charts, graphs, and reports.
Power BI Gateway – Bridges on-premises data sources with Power BI Service for real-
time data refresh.
 Power BI Report Server – On-premises reporting solution that allows businesses to
keep data within their infrastructure.

Result: These components together enable end-to-end data analysis and business
intelligence solutions.

2. How Does Power BI Differ from Tableau and Excel?

Power BI, Tableau, and Excel are popular tools used for data analysis, but they differ in
features, use cases, and capabilities.

Comparison Table

Feature Power BI Tableau Excel

Familiar, formula-
Ease of Use User-friendly, drag-and-drop Steep learning curve
based

Data Handles large datasets Great for big data Struggles with large
Handling efficiently visualization datasets

Strong Microsoft integration Connects well with Limited

Integration
(Azure, SQL, Excel) various databases connectivity

Advanced visual Basic charts & pivot

Visualization Interactive dashboards
capabilities tables

Expensive for Included in

Cost Affordable with free version
enterprises Microsoft 365

Result:

• Power BI is best for Microsoft users needing an affordable, end-to-end BI solution.

• Tableau is more powerful for high-end visualizations and larger datasets.

• Excel is good for traditional spreadsheet-based analysis.

3. What Are the Different Views Available in Power BI Desktop?

Power BI Desktop provides different views for building, analyzing, and transforming data.
 Power BI Views:

Report View

• Default view where you create visualizations and dashboards.

• Allows adding charts, tables, and slicers.

Data View

• Displays imported and transformed data in tabular format.

• Helps in data cleaning and validation.

Model View

• Shows relationships between tables using a diagram.

• Helps in defining primary keys and foreign keys.

Example: If you have Sales and Customer tables, Model View helps link them using
CustomerID.

Result: These views together allow users to clean data, create relationships, and
build reports efficiently.

4. What Is the Difference Between Power BI Desktop and Power

BI Service?
Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service are two essential parts of Power BI, but they serve
different purposes.

Key Differences

Feature Power BI Desktop Power BI Service

Used for report creation and data Used for sharing and
Function
modeling collaboration

Storage Stores files locally (.pbix) Cloud-based storage

Data Uses Power Query for data Limited transformation

Transformation preparation options
Feature Power BI Desktop Power BI Service

Data Refresh Manual or scheduled Auto-refresh available

User Access Single-user environment Multi-user collaboration

Result:

• Use Power BI Desktop for developing reports and models.

• Use Power BI Service for publishing and sharing reports with teams.

Data Connectivity and Transformation

5. What Are the Different Data Sources Power BI Supports?
Power BI supports a wide range of data sources, allowing users to connect, transform, and
visualize data from various platforms.

Common Data Sources in Power BI:

Databases – SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MongoDB, Snowflake, etc.

Cloud Services – Azure SQL Database, Google BigQuery, AWS Redshift, Databricks,
etc.
Files – Excel, CSV, XML, JSON, PDF, Parquet.
Online Services – SharePoint, Google Analytics, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics,
Facebook, etc.
APIs and Web Data – REST APIs, OData Feeds.
Big Data – Hadoop, Spark, Azure Data Lake.

Example: If you need to analyze customer data from an SQL Server database, Power BI
allows direct database connections, query execution, and data transformation.

Result: Power BI provides extensive connectivity options, making it a versatile BI tool

for any industry.
6. How Does Power Query Work in Power BI?
Power Query is a built-in tool in Power BI used for data extraction, transformation, and
loading (ETL).

How Power Query Works?

1️ .Connect to Data Sources – Import data from databases, files, APIs, or cloud services.
2️ .Apply Transformations – Clean, filter, merge, split, pivot, and format data.
3 .Create Data Models – Establish relationships between datasets.
4️ .Load Data into Power BI – After transformation, data is loaded into Power BI for
reporting.

Example: If a dataset contains missing values, Power Query allows you to replace
nulls with default values before loading into Power BI.

Result: Power Query makes data preparation simple, repeatable, and automated,
saving manual effort in cleaning and transforming data.

7. What Are Common Data Transformation Steps in Power BI?

In Power Query, data transformation is an essential step before visualization.

Common Data Transformations:

Removing Duplicates – Ensures data integrity.

Replacing Nulls – Fills missing values with meaningful data.
Filtering Data – Eliminates unnecessary rows.
Splitting Columns – Separates combined data (e.g., splitting "Full Name" into "First
Name" and "Last Name").
Merging Queries – Combines data from multiple sources.
Pivoting & Unpivoting Data – Reshapes data for better analysis.
Adding Calculated Columns – Creates new data fields using formulas.

Example: If a dataset has date columns in MM/DD/YYYY format but requires YYYY-MM-
DD, Power Query can change the format automatically.

Result: These transformation steps ensure clean, structured, and analysis-ready

data for Power BI reports.
8. How Do You Handle Incremental Data Refresh in Power BI?
Incremental Refresh allows Power BI to update only new or modified data instead of
reloading the entire dataset.

Steps to Implement Incremental Refresh:

1️ .Enable Incremental Refresh – Configure settings in Power BI Desktop.

2️ .Define Date Ranges – Set rules for loading historical data and refreshing new data.
3 .Use Parameters – Create RangeStart and RangeEnd parameters to filter data
dynamically.
4️ .Publish to Power BI Service – Ensure incremental refresh applies in the cloud.
5 .Schedule Refresh – Automate data updates at defined intervals.

Example: If you have sales data from 2015 to 2025, you can configure Power BI to store
data from the last 5 years and refresh only the last 1 month.

Result: Incremental refresh improves performance, reduces load time, and

optimizes storage usage in Power BI.

Data Modelling
9. What is a Star Schema, and Why is It Important in Power BI?
A Star Schema is a data modeling approach used in Power BI and data warehousing where
a central fact table is linked to multiple dimension tables.

Components of Star Schema:

Fact Table – Contains numerical data (e.g., sales, revenue, profit).

Dimension Tables – Store descriptive attributes (e.g., customers, products, time).

Why is Star Schema Important?

Optimized Performance – Reduces query complexity, making reports faster.

Easy to Understand – Simple structure improves data interpretation.
Efficient Data Aggregation – Enhances summarization and analytics.
 Example: A Sales Dashboard can have a fact table (Sales) storing Order Amount and
linked to dimensions like Customers, Products, and Time.

Result: Star schema is the preferred design in Power BI because it improves report
speed, performance, and data organization.

10. Explain the Role of Relationships in Power BI Data Models.

In Power BI, relationships define how tables connect using common fields. This helps in
combining and analyzing data across multiple tables.

Types of Relationships in Power BI:

One-to-Many (1:M) – The most common relationship (e.g., one customer has multiple
orders).
Many-to-Many (M:M) – Used when both tables contain non-unique values.
One-to-One (1:1) – Each record in one table has only one corresponding record in
another.

Importance of Relationships:

Enables seamless data connections across multiple tables.

Allows aggregations, lookups, and filtering across tables.
Supports DAX calculations that depend on data relationships.

Example: A Sales table can be related to Customers (via CustomerID) and Products
(via ProductID) to get meaningful insights.

Result: Relationships eliminate data duplication, enabling efficient modeling and

reporting in Power BI.

11. What Is the Difference Between Calculated Columns and

Measures in DAX?
Both calculated columns and measures are DAX expressions used in Power BI, but they
serve different purposes.
Feature Calculated Column Measure

Storage Stored in the table (precomputed) Computed on demand

Evaluation Row-by-row calculation Aggregation-level calculation

Performance Takes up memory Optimized for performance

Used when each row needs a computed Used for dynamic

Use Case
value calculations

Example:
Calculated Column: Total Price = Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Unit Price] (Row-wise).
Measure: Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Total Price]) (Aggregates on demand).

Result: Measures are preferred over calculated columns because they are faster and
memory-efficient.

12. How Do You Implement Row-Level Security (RLS) in Power

BI?
Row-Level Security (RLS) controls data access based on user roles, ensuring each user
sees only relevant data.

Steps to Implement RLS in Power BI:

1️ .Define Security Roles – Create roles in Power BI Desktop.

2️ .Apply DAX Filters – Use FILTER or LOOKUPVALUE to restrict data.
3 .Assign Users – Assign roles to specific users in Power BI Service.
4️ .Test Security Rules – Validate access using "View as Role" in Power BI Desktop.

Example: If a Sales Manager should only see data for their region:

[Region] = USERPRINCIPALNAME()

This ensures users only view data related to their assigned region.

Result: RLS enhances security, maintains data privacy, and prevents unauthorized
access in Power BI.
DAX
13. What is DAX, and How Does It Work in Power BI?
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is a formula language in Power BI, used to perform
calculations and aggregations on data models. It is similar to Excel formulas but optimized
for data modeling, relationships, and performance.

Key Features of DAX:

Calculated Columns – Row-wise calculations stored in tables.

Measures – Dynamic aggregations computed on demand.
Filtering & Context Manipulation – Controls how data is aggregated.
Powerful Functions – Includes time intelligence, statistical, and logical functions.

Example:

Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Amount])

This measure dynamically calculates the total sales amount in reports.

Result: DAX enables customized calculations and enhances data analysis in Power
BI.

14. Explain the Difference Between SUM(), SUMX(), and

CALCULATE().
Function Purpose Use Case

SUM() Aggregates a column’s total SUM(Sales[Amount])

Iterates over a table,

SUMX() performing row-wise SUMX(Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Price])
calculations

Modifies the filter context of a CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]),

CALCULATE()
measure Sales[Region] = "West")

Example:
Total Revenue = SUMX(Sales, Sales[Quantity] * Sales[Unit Price])

This computes total revenue dynamically by multiplying each row’s quantity with the
unit price.

Result:
SUM() works on a column, SUMX() iterates row-wise, and CALCULATE() modifies
filtering behavior.

15. How Do You Create a Dynamic Measure in Power BI?

A dynamic measure changes based on slicers, filters, or user input.

Steps to Create a Dynamic Measure:

1️ .Create a table with different metric names (e.g., "Sales", "Profit", "Orders").
2️ .Use a slicer to let users select a metric.
3 .Write a DAX SWITCH() function to return the selected metric.

Example: Dynamic Sales Measure

Selected Measure =

SWITCH(

SELECTEDVALUE(MeasureTable[Metric]),

"Sales", SUM(Sales[Amount]),

"Profit", SUM(Sales[Profit]),

"Orders", COUNT(Sales[OrderID])

Now, selecting “Sales” will show total sales, while selecting “Profit” will display profit.

Result: This enables interactive dashboards where users can choose different KPIs
dynamically.

16. What is the Difference Between ALL(), ALLEXCEPT(), and

REMOVEFILTERS()?
Function Purpose Example

Ignores all filters applied ALL(Sales) removes all filters from Sales
ALL()
to a table or column table

Removes all filters

ALLEXCEPT(Sales, Sales[Region]) keeps
ALLEXCEPT() except specified
Region filter
columns

Removes filters like

REMOVEFILTERS(Sales[Category]) removes
REMOVEFILTERS() ALL(), but applies
Category filter only
selectively

Example: Using ALL() in DAX Measure

Total Sales (Ignoring Filters) = CALCULATE(SUM(Sales[Amount]), ALL(Sales))

This returns total sales for all data, ignoring filters applied in reports.

Result:
ALL() removes all filters.
ALLEXCEPT() removes all filters except specific columns.
REMOVEFILTERS() selectively removes filters from a column or table.

Visualization and Reporting

17. How Do You Create an Interactive Dashboard in Power BI?

An interactive dashboard in Power BI allows users to explore data dynamically using
filters, slicers, and visual interactions.

Steps to Create an Interactive Dashboard:

1️ .Import Data – Connect to a data source using Power Query and clean the data.
2️ .Create Relationships – Ensure correct relationships between tables in Model View.
3 .Build Visuals – Use bar charts, pie charts, KPIs, cards, and tables for insights.
4️ .Add Interactivity – Use slicers, filters, and cross-highlighting for dynamic exploration.
5 .Enable Drill-through and Drill-down – Allow users to go deeper into data.
6 .Use Bookmarks and Buttons – Save states for storytelling and easy navigation.
7️ .Optimize Performance – Reduce unnecessary visuals, enable query reduction in
slicers, and use aggregations for faster loading.
8️ .Publish and Share – Upload the report to Power BI Service and share it with
stakeholders.

Example:

• Sales Dashboard with slicers for Year, Region, and Product Category.

• Drill-through for deep analysis of specific regions.

• Bookmarks for toggling between different views.

Result: Users can click, filter, and drill-down into the data for deeper insights.

18. What Are Custom Visuals in Power BI, and How Do You Use
Them?
Custom visuals are additional Power BI visuals beyond the built-in options, used for
advanced reporting needs.

Types of Custom Visuals:

1️ .Certified Custom Visuals – Microsoft-approved, available in the Power BI store.

2️ .Third-party Custom Visuals – Created by developers for unique business needs.
3 .Custom Built Visuals – Developed using Power BI Developer Tools (TypeScript &
D3.js).

How to Use Custom Visuals?

1️ .Go to Visualizations Pane → Click "Get more visuals".

2️ .Search for the required visual (e.g., Sunburst Chart, Word Cloud).
3 .Click Add and use it in the report.

Example:

• Sankey Chart for visualizing flow between categories.

• Gantt Chart for project timelines.

• Radar Chart for performance comparison.

 Result: Custom visuals enhance data storytelling and make reports more engaging
and insightful.

19. How Do You Create Drill-through and Drill-down Reports?

Drill-down: Allows users to explore data hierarchically (e.g., Year → Month → Day).
Drill-through: Allows users to click a data point and open a detailed report on that
category.

🛠 Steps to Create Drill-down:

1️ .Create a hierarchy in Model View (e.g., Year > Quarter > Month > Day).
2️ .Add the hierarchy to a bar chart or line chart.
3 .Enable the drill-down button (downward arrow in the chart).
4️ .Click on data points to navigate deeper into details.

Example:

• A Sales Trend Chart where clicking on "2️02️4️" breaks down into quarters → months.

🛠 Steps to Create Drill-through:

1️ .Create a detailed report page (e.g., Regional Sales Detail).

2️ .Add a Drill-through filter (drag a field like Region to Drill-through pane).
3 .In the main report, right-click a visual → Drill-through → Select the detailed report.

Example:

• Right-clicking on a North America sales bar can navigate to a detailed "Regional

Sales Analysis" page.

Result: Users can interactively explore data at different levels, improving insights and
usability.

20. What Is the Use of Bookmarks in Power BI?

Bookmarks save the current state of a report, including:
Applied filters and slicers
 Selected visuals and page layouts
Drill-through and expanded visuals

🛠 How to Use Bookmarks?

1️ .Navigate to the View tab → Click Bookmarks Pane.

2️ .Set the report view as desired (apply filters, slicers, etc.).
3 .Click “Add” in the Bookmark pane and rename it.
4️ .Use Buttons to navigate between bookmarks.

Example:

• A Sales Report with two bookmarks:

o Bookmark 1: Revenue by Region

o Bookmark 2: Product Performance

Result: Bookmarks create interactive storytelling and enhance user experience in

dashboards.

Performance Optimization

21. How Do You Optimize Power BI Reports for Performance?

Optimizing Power BI reports ensures faster loading, better responsiveness, and efficient
data processing.

Best Practices for Performance Optimization:

1️ .Reduce Data Model Size

• Remove unnecessary columns and rows.

• Use integer-based keys instead of text for relationships.

• Avoid using GUIDs (Globally Unique Identifiers) in joins.

2️ .Optimize DAX Measures

 • Use SUMX() and COUNTX() carefully, as they iterate row by row.

• Avoid unnecessary CALCULATE() statements.

• Use variables (VAR) to store intermediate calculations.

3 .Use Proper Data Types

• Convert DateTime to Date if time is not required.

• Convert text columns to categorical when applicable.

4️ .Enable Query Reduction

• In slicer settings, enable “Apply changes” to reduce unnecessary recalculations.

• Use Aggregations to summarize data and reduce query complexity.

5 .Reduce Visual Overload

• Limit the number of visuals on a page (target 8-10 visuals).

• Use pre-filtered pages instead of loading all data in a single view.

6 .Use Star Schema Instead of Flat Tables

• Optimize the data model by using Fact & Dimension tables instead of a single large
table.

Result: Applying these techniques improves report responsiveness, reduces query

execution time, and enhances user experience.

22. What Is the Use of Aggregations in Power BI?

Aggregations precompute summarized data to reduce query time when working with
large datasets.

Types of Aggregations:

1️ .Implicit Aggregation:

• Power BI automatically sums, counts, or averages data in visuals.

2️ .Explicit Aggregation:

• Using DAX functions like SUM(), COUNT(), AVERAGE(), etc.

 3 .Pre-Aggregated Tables:

• Creating summary tables in Power BI or SQL before importing data.

How Aggregations Improve Performance?

✔ Queries fetch pre-aggregated data instead of scanning millions of rows.

✔ Reduces memory usage and speeds up visuals.
✔ Aggregated tables work well with DirectQuery mode, improving real-time reporting.

Example:

• Instead of querying 500M sales transactions, use an aggregated table with

SUM(SalesAmount) grouped by Region and Month.

Result: Aggregations reduce query execution time and improve dashboard

performance.

23. How Do You Handle Large Datasets in Power BI?

Power BI struggles with large datasets, but efficient modeling ensures smooth
performance.

Best Practices for Handling Large Datasets:

1️ .Use DirectQuery Mode Instead of Import

• DirectQuery fetches data on demand, reducing memory load.

• Works well when the dataset is over 10GB.

2️ .Implement Aggregations

• Store summary tables (e.g., Monthly Sales) instead of raw transactional data.

3 .Partition Data for Incremental Refresh

• Load only new data instead of reloading the entire dataset.

• Configure Incremental Refresh (e.g., load last 2 years of data).

4️ .Use Star Schema Instead of Snowflake

• Flatten complex joins to reduce relationships and query complexity.

5 .Optimize DAX Queries

• Avoid nested CALCULATE() functions and use SUMX() carefully.

Example:

• Instead of loading 50M sales records, aggregate data to "Sales by Region &
Month" for efficient analysis.

Result: Power BI handles billions of rows efficiently, ensuring faster dashboards and
reports.

24. How Do You Reduce Report Load Time in Power BI?

Slow Power BI reports can frustrate users. Optimize reports using these techniques:

Techniques to Improve Load Time:

1️ .Reduce Data Volume

• Remove unnecessary columns & rows before loading data.

• Use date filters to limit data (e.g., load only last 2️ years of sales).

2️ .Optimize Queries in Power Query

• Use native database queries (SQL statements) instead of Power Query

transformations.

• Disable auto-detect relationships in Power BI.

3 .Reduce Visual Complexity

• Reduce the number of visuals on a page (8-10 visuals max).

• Avoid heavy visuals like maps and tables with too many rows.

4️ .Use Measures Instead of Calculated Columns

• Measures are calculated on-demand while calculated columns increase data

model size.

5 .Enable Performance Analyzer

• Use Performance Analyzer to check slow queries and optimize them.

Example:

• A report showing global sales loads slowly → Apply a Region filter to show only one
continent at a time.

Result: Reports load faster, use fewer resources, and improve user experience.