1. What Are the Data Sources That Power BI Can Connect To?

Power BI supports a wide range of data sources, which can be categorized into three main types:

Files:

  • Excel files (.xlsx, .xlsm)
  • Power BI Desktop files (.pbix)
  • CSV files (.csv)

Content Packs:

  • From service providers like Google Analytics, Salesforce, Marketo
  • Created and shared within your organization

Connectors:

  • Connect to databases, cloud services, and other data platforms

2. What Is a Power BI Dashboard?

A Power BI dashboard is a single-page, consolidated view of your data, built using multiple visualizations.

Key Features:

  • Drill-through, bookmarks, selection pane
  • Create custom tiles and add URLs
  • Mobile layout for responsiveness

3. How to Define Relationships in Power BI Desktop?

Two methods:

  • Manual: Set primary and foreign keys manually
  • Automatic: Power BI detects and creates relationships automatically

4. Can You Have Multiple Active Relationships Between Two Tables?

No, only one active relationship is allowed between two tables. You can create multiple inactive relationships, represented with dotted lines, while active ones are shown as solid lines.

5. Can a Table Exist in the Model Without Being Connected?

Yes, disconnected tables can be included. These are often used for:

  • Holding slicer or parameter values
  • Creating what-if scenarios

6. What Is the CALCULATE Function in DAX?

CALCULATE() modifies the context in which a data expression is evaluated by applying filters.

Syntax:

DAX
CALCULATE(<expression>, <filter1>, <filter2>, ...)

Example:

DAX
CALCULATE(
    SUM(Sales[Sale Amount]),
    'Product'[Car] = "Honda"
)

7. Where Is Data Stored in Power BI?

Power BI stores and manages data in:

  • Azure SQL Database
  • Azure Blob Storage

8. What Is Row-Level Security (RLS)?

RLS restricts data access for specific users:

Steps:

  • Create roles using “Manage Roles”
  • Add table filters
  • Save the role settings

9. What Are Power BI Desktop Views?

Power BI offers three key views:

  • Report View: Create and format visualizations
  • Data View: Manage data formats, filtering, calculated columns
  • Model View: Define relationships between tables

10. What Are the Primary Versions of Power BI?

  • Power BI Desktop
  • Power BI Service (Cloud-based)
  • Mobile Power BI Apps (iOS & Android)

11. What Is a Content Pack?

A content pack is a collection of pre-built reports and dashboards tailored for a specific service—ideal for getting started quickly.

12. What Are the Major Building Blocks of Microsoft Power BI?

Power BI is built on the following components:

Dashboards

  • Created in Power BI Service
  • Contain tiles sourced from reports, Q&A, etc.

Reports

  • Multi-page collections of visualizations based on semantic models

Tiles

  • Individual visual snapshots pinned to dashboards

Semantic Models

  • Collections of data (imported or connected)
  • Power BI supports multiple semantic model sources

Dataflows

  • Centralize and clean data from various sources
  • Promote reusability and consistency in reporting

Apps

  • Bundles of dashboards and reports
  • Shared with users; view-only access for consumers

13. What Are the Key Components of Power BI?

  • Power Pivot: Data modeling and calculations
  • Power View: Interactive data visualizations
  • Power Query: Data transformation and mashup
  • Power Map: 3D geographic data visualization
  • Power Q&A: Natural language querying