Mention the important features of Power BI.

Features of Power BI are many. The most notable ones are:

 It allows users to transform data into visuals and share those visuals with colleagues.
 It allows users to explore and analyze data from all sources (in an all-in-one view).
 It allows users to scale across organizations with built-in governance and security.
 Once an output is generated, users can display the same in multiple devices that are
compatible with the Power BI application.
 With Power BI natural language processing or Power BI Q&A, users can perform queries on
reports using simple English words.

What is the purpose of the ‘Get Data’ icon in Power BI?

When users click on the Get Data icon in Power BI, a drop-down menu appears and it shows all data
sources from which data can be ingested. Data can actually be directly ingested from any source
including files in Excel, CSV, XML, JSON, PDF, and SharePoint formats and databases such as SQL,
Access, SQL Server Analysis Services, Oracle, IBM, MySQL, and much more. Also, Power BI
datasets and Power BI data flows are compatible. Data can also be taken in from Azure and other
online sources.

How can we filter data in Power BI?

Data can be filtered using various filters that are available in Power BI, implicitly. There are basically
three types of filters, namely, Page-level filters, Drillthrough filters, and Report-level filters.
 Drillthrough filters: With Drillthrough filters in Power BI Desktop, users can create a page
in their reports that focuses on specific entities such as suppliers, customers, or manufacturers.
 Page-level filters: These are used to filter charts that are present in individual pages.
 Report-level filters: They are used to simultaneously filter charts that are present in all pages
of a report.

Where is data stored in Power BI?

When data is ingested into Power BI, it is basically stored in Fact and Dimension tables.
 Fact tables: The central table in a star schema of a data warehouse, a fact table stores
quantitative information for analysis and is not normalized in most cases.
 Dimension tables: It is just another table in the star schema that is used to store attributes and
dimensions that describe objects stored in a fact table.

What are Content Packs?

Content packs are packaged reports, dashboards, and datasets, which can be shared with other Power
BI users in the organization. When a content pack is connected on the Powerbi.com portal, report
items are merged into workspace lists.
The most notable features of content packs are as follows:
 Provide access to specific groups or entire organizations
 Can be customized with a title and a description to help users select the right pack
 Users who have access to the content pack can create new dashboards from the contents

What are the different views in Power BI Desktop?

There are three different views in Power BI, each of which serves a different purpose.
 Report View: Users can add visualizations and additional report pages and publish the same
on the portal from here.
 Data View: Data shaping can be performed through Query Editor tools.
 Relationship View: Users can manage relationships between datasets in this view.

What is Row-level Security?

Row-level security restricts the data that a user can view and has access to, based on filters. For
configuring row-level security, users can define rules and roles in Power BI Desktop and publish the
same to Power BI Service. Also, the username() function can be used alongside table relationships to
restrict the data to the current user.
However, for enabling row-level security, a Power BI Pro subscription account is required, and Excel
sheets can only be used when they are converted to the .pbix file format.

What is DAX? What are the benefits of using variables in DAX?

DAX or Data Analysis Expressions can be used to query and return data by a table expression. It is a
formula language that is used to perform basic calculations and data analysis on the data in Power
Pivot. Also, it is used to compute calculated columns, calculated fields, and measures. However, data
cannot be inserted or modified using DAX.
DAX Syntax:
Total Sales = SUM(Sales[SalesAmount])
Where ‘Total Sales’ is a ‘Measure’; ‘SUM’ is a ‘DAX Function’, and ‘Sales[SalesAmount]’ represents
the referenced table and the referenced column name.
Benefits of using variables in DAX:
 Variables can be reused in DAX queries, thus avoiding additional queries of the source
database.
 Variables make DAX expressions understandable.

What is Bidirectional Cross-filtering in Power BI?

Bidirectional cross-filtering in Power BI Desktop allows data modelers to determine how they want
filters to flow for data using relationships between tables. With bidirectional cross-filtering, the filter
context is propagated to a second related table on the other side of a table relationship. This can help
data modelers solve the many-to-many problem without writing complicated DAX formulas. Thus,
bidirectional cross-filtering simplifies the job for data modelers.

How are relationships defined in Power BI Desktop?

If there are no null values or duplicate rows, relationships between tables can be defined in two ways:
 Manually: Users can manually define relationships between tables using primary and foreign
keys.
 With the autodetect feature: When enabled, this inherent feature of Power BI detects
relationships between tables and creates them automatically.

What do you know about Power BI Query Editor?

By using Power BI Query Editor, users can load data from a wider number of data sources and apply
transformations on them, including adding new columns and measures.
Power BI Query Editor comprises four tabs:

Why should General Formatting be applied to data in Power BI?

By formatting data, users can help Power BI categorize and identify data, making it much easier to
work with.
 Enter a custom formula to create a new column, including calculations using values from the
other columns
 To create a new column, click on Add Custom Column
 In the new column name box, type the name of the column and add the formula to the custom
column formula box; for example, [ShipDate] – [OrderDate]
 Select a column from the available columns list and click on Insert or double-click to add it to
the custom column formula text box. Then, click on OK
 The new column is appended to the table, and the formula is visible in the Formula Bar

What are the most common data shaping techniques?

The most common data shaping techniques are:
 Removing Columns and Rows
 Adding Indexes
 Applying a Sort Order
What is the difference between Calculated Columns, Calculated Tables, and Measures?
Calculated Columns Calculated Tables Measures

 Added to tables by  Created using DAX  Use other DAX

applying DAX formula formula to define values functions to create
on the existing data  Created in both Report complex calculations
 DAX formula defines and Data views  Used for highlighting
values in new columns  Work well for running totals, comparing
rather than querying data intermediate calculations sales, sales forecasting,
sources and the data that users and other purposes
 Useful when data want to be stored in the  Created in both Report
sources do not contain model and Data views
data presented in the
desired format

Which In-memory Analytics Engine is used in Power Pivot?

The primary in-memory analytics engine behind Power Pivot is xVelocity. This engine handles large
amounts of data as it stores data in columnar databases. In in-memory analytics, all data is loaded to
RAM memory, and therefore processing speed is really fast.

What is Power BI Designer?

A powerful and flexible new tool under Power BI umbrella, Power BI Designer empowers users to
create intuitive reports and dashboards, easily and quickly, and also lets users change visual views of
their data at fingertips for better analytics and informed decision-making. This designer is a host of
drag-and-drop capabilities that help users place content exactly where they want it on the report
canvas in a well-structured layout.

Is it possible to refresh Power BI Reports after they are published to the cloud?
Yes, it is possible. Gateways can be used to do so.
 For SharePoint: Data Management Gateway
 For Powerbi.com: Power BI Personal Gateway

What gateways are available in Power BI and why use them?

A gateway basically acts as a bridge between on-premise data sources and Azure Cloud Services.
 Personal Gateway: Data can be imported and valid on Power BI Service only. Also, this
gateway can only be used by a single person.
 On-premises Gateway: This gateway is the advanced form of Personal gateway. It supports
Direct Query, and multiple users can use this for refreshing data.

How can geographic data be mapped into Power BI Reports?

Through map chart and filled map chart, Power BI makes it possible for users to visually map
geographic data, both globally and regionally.
 Power BI integrates with Bing Maps to find default coordinates for locations in a process
known as geocoding.
 This integration means that users do not need to provide longitude and latitude coordinates.

What is z-order in Power BI?

Z-order is a design strategy that is used for arranging visuals over shapes. Also, z-order can be defined
as an implementation method that can be applied when reports have multiple elements. Further, this
can also be used to refresh the display after the order of items in a report is changed.

What is the prerequisite for connecting to a database in Azure SQL Database?

There is only one prerequisite for this. Before connecting to a database in Azure SQL Database, users
should configure firewall settings to allow remote connections.