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Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst (PL-300)

Prepare data, model it, visualize it, and manage the result. PL-300 is the analyst-tier certification and the highest-volume analytics exam Microsoft runs.

For this repo it fills a real gap: DP-600 and DP-700 cover Fabric engineering, but nothing covered the analyst layer where most people actually enter data work.

Exam Details

  • Exam Code: PL-300
  • Level: Associate
  • Duration: 100 minutes
  • Questions: Typically 40-60, often including a case study
  • Passing Score: 700/1000
  • Cost: USD 165, varies by region
  • Prerequisites: None formal
  • Validity: 1 year, free online renewal

Full detail in the fact sheet.

Domains

Domain Weight Notes
Prepare the data 25-30% 01
Model the data 25-30% 02
Visualize and analyze the data 25-30% 03
Manage and secure Power BI 15-20% 04

The two topics that decide most passes

Star schema. The exam assumes it throughout. If you model as a single flat table or as a normalized snowflake, half the modeling and DAX questions become confusing, because the correct answers all presume fact tables surrounded by dimensions with single-direction relationships.

Filter context. Almost every DAX question is really a question about what filters apply when a measure evaluates, and how CALCULATE changes them. Candidates who memorize function syntax without understanding context struggle; candidates who understand context can reason out functions they have not memorized.

Everything else is learnable by doing.

Hands-on is not optional

Power BI Desktop is free. Download it, get a sample dataset (AdventureWorks, Contoso, or any CSV you care about), and build:

  • An import model with a proper date table, marked as a date table
  • A star schema from a flat file, splitting dimensions out by hand
  • Measures using CALCULATE with a filter modifier, then the same logic with variables
  • A time intelligence measure, then break it by removing the date table and see what happens
  • Row-level security with a dynamic role using USERPRINCIPALNAME, tested with View As
  • A report with drillthrough, a bookmark, and a report page tooltip
  • A deployment pipeline moving content between stages

Reading about DAX does not produce DAX ability. The exam knows the difference.

Study sequence

  1. Power Query and storage modes - get data in, understand query folding.
  2. Star schema and relationships - before any DAX.
  3. DAX: context, then CALCULATE, then time intelligence.
  4. Visuals and report interactivity.
  5. Service: workspaces, sharing, refresh, RLS in practice, deployment pipelines.

Schedule in the practice plan.

Study resources