- Power BI is a Business intelligence tool or a Business analytics solution developed by Microsoft.
- It unifies data from multiple sources to create interactive reports and dashboards that provide actionable insights and drive business results.
- It provides us three ways to consume & build our reports – Power BI desktop, Power BI Service, Power BI Mobile.
- Power BI Desktop – It can be called a local setup for Power BI as it is installed locally on our machines. This is the application that we use to create our reports and dashboards. It includes datasets, visualizations, tiles, and reports.
- Power BI service – It is a web component of Power BI. It is cloud-based. It utilizes Software as a service. It is used for the collaboration of reports/dashboards, basically sharing them with end-users. It includes Datasets, visualizations, Tiles, reports, Dashboards, and Apps. Dashboards and Apps are additional features in Service and not available on desktop.
- Power BI Mobile – It is used to view reports and dashboards- the ones you have created or the ones shared with you. It allows you to securely access and view live Power Bi reports/dashboards on any device with the Power BI app installed for Windows, iOS, or Android. It also provides an option of natural language query to ask questions from your data.
In Power BI, we have two types of access/licenses:
- Power BI Pro – It is an individual user license. It allows users to share reports with others and lets users read and interact with reports/dashboards shared with them. Users with a license can collaborate with other Power BI Pro users. It also allows creating App Workspaces.
- Power BI Premium – It is a group license for App Workspaces. It is called a capacity-based offering. It provides flexibility to publish reports broadly across an enterprise or to a distribution list. The important thing is it does not require recipients to be licensed individually per user.
Let’s look at a few useful Power BI Interview questions. I have categorized them as beginner, intermediate and advanced depending on how you learn them by their usage. We hope you find them informative.
Power BI Interview Questions:
Beginner
1. What is visualization in Power BI?
Visualizations are used to represent our data in more than a tabular form. In Power BI, we have the design space where all the elements of a report, different visuals, slicers/filters, etc. These elements, when put into the design space, are called tiles. All the visuals that are available in Power BI are put under the Visualization Pane. It includes basic visuals such as bar, pie, line, column, and map with their varieties. Along with them, we do not have very common visuals like waterfalls, funnels, gauges, etc. We have a lot of custom visuals available as well. They can be imported into the report from App Marketplace. And then we can bring them into our design view.
If one knows R or Python, then we also have the option to create visuals using code.
2. What is the calculated column in Power BI?
Calculated columns are built to extend the data attributes. They are those columns that are created when the available columns in the data do not serve our purpose or we are not able to generate any useful insight from the same. That is when calculated columns come into the picture. And these are created using different DAX functions as per need. We can have a simple example of a date where we do not want to work with the complete date but individual day, month, or year. For this, in the data part of the Power BI desktop, we have the option of a ‘New Column.’ When we click that, we get a formula bar on top (like excel), where it asks us to type the new column name with its calculation. So, if we consider the data example, it will be something like this: yearcol = YEAR([Date column]) where YEAR is a DAX function. And ‘yearcol’ is your calculated column.
3. What is legend in Power BI?
Legends are part of Power BI visuals. They represent categories in a visual and are usually color-coded. In some visuals, we can add a category dimension as legend explicitly. One example can be in stacked bar/column charts, and the stacks represent different categories, and these categories are color-coded. These categories are represented in the legend. And every visual where the legend is applicable has a separate formatting section where we can specify its font and font size, or whether we need it to be visible or not, or even its position(top, bottom, left, right)
4. What is drill down in Power BI?
Drill down, as the name suggests, is going downwards. And in Power BI, it is going down a hierarchical category or dimension. Basically, when we have data attributes like a date where we have a default hierarchy of year->quarter->month->day, then when using the same field in a visual, in Power BI, it by default takes the hierarchy form of the field. This gives the option of a drill-down feature denoted by up and down arrows. Also, we can right-click on the element in visual and get the option of drill-down.
5. How to calculate average in Power BI?
Average can be calculated in two ways-
one is when we add a measure to a visual; by default, it summarizes any measure. When we click on the drop-down for the measure- we can change from Sum to Average. This gives us an average.
The second one is creating a calculated measure for average using the AVERAGE() DAX function.
6. How to update Power BI desktop?
Power BI is a very active community. And in terms of features Power BI team is open to feedback for its new features and new features to be added, if any. And Power BI keeps improving by adding new features in terms of visualizations, data connectors, etc., monthly. And when the updates are available in the new version, there are multiple ways to update the desktop to get the new features.
- First is if you have installed the Power BI desktop via Windows or Microsoft store, then it is updated automatically once a new version is available.
- Second, if you have installed the application from the web, then we will have to update it manually. In this case, if in options and settings of the application-> Under Updates-> provide notification when an update is available is selected-> then in the bottom right corner in Power BI desktop it tells that new version available(click to download) whenever a new version has come up. Then either you click on the option or go directly to the web to download and install the latest version.
Intermediate
1. What is KPI in Power BI?
KPI stands for Key Performance Indicators. These are specific measures or calculations which provide us with insights into our data and help us make decisions based on them. These are the parameters on which business decisions are made. Power BI has a visual called KPI, which helps to visualize these specific measures. This KPI visual shows the trend of the specific measure/calculation across time(year/month) and shows how it has changed. It helps in tracking the change%.
2. How to create filters in Power BI?
Filters are an integral part of Power BI reports. They are used to slice and dice the data as per the dimensions we want. Filters are created in a couple of ways.
- Using slicers – Slicer is a visual under Visualization Pane. This can be added to the design view to filter our reports. When a slicer is added to the design view, it requires a field to be added to it. For example- Slicer can be added for Country fields. Then the data can be filtered based on countries.
- Using Filter Pane – The Power BI team has added a filter pane to the reports, which is a single space where we can add different fields as filters. And these fields can be added depending on you want to filter only one visual(Visual level filter), or all the visuals in the report page(Page level filters), or applicable to all the pages of the report(report level filters)
3. How to sort data in Power BI?
Sorting is available in multiple formats. In data view, a common sorting option of alphabetical order is there. Apart from that, we have the option of Sort by column, where one can sort a column based on another column. The sorting option is available in visuals as well. Sort by ascending and descending option by the fields and measure present in the visual is also available.
4. What is the difference between MSBI and Power BI?
MSBI | Power BI |
MSBI is Microsoft Business Intelligence | Microsoft Power BI |
It is a consolidated product which helps in doing ETL processing | Power BI is mainly a Business Intelligence tool with very limited ETL processing capability |
It has three components – SSIS (Integration), SSAS(analytical reports), SSRS(server-based reporting) | Power BI has – Power BI desktop, Power BI Service and Power BI Mobile |
MSBI must be installed locally to be able to work | Power BI is cloud based. We can develop reports directly in Power BI service i.e. in cloud workspace. No need for a local deployment. |
It has complex interface and difficult to learn | It has a simple interface and is easy to learn as it is based on excel and Power Pivots. |
Can handle only structured and semi-structured data | Can handle structured, semi-structured and unstructured data as well |
Natural Language Query not available | Natural language query available |
Can handle large data sets | In case of large data sets, direct query needs to be used to build reports. |
5. How to share Power BI dashboards?
Power BI reports/dashboards can be shared in multiple ways. If you and your end-users have a Power BI Pro license, then-
- We are using the share option in reports and dashboards.- This option enables access to a report or dashboard to individual users.
- Using content packs – Publish your report/dashboard along with the data set as a content pack and then share it to either a group or individual or open it for the entire organization.
- Publish your dashboards and reports into App Workspace and share the App link to a group or individual or open it for the entire organization. When publishing as App- we can select the reports and datasets that we want to be included in the App.
- The report can be embedded into Web or SharePoint, for which we need the embed code. This embed code is added to the website code or the SharePoint code.
Another way to share the reports is by printing or exporting the report as PPT or PDF. By these options we can share the report, but they are not interactive.
6. How to publish dashboard in Power BI?
To publish a dashboard, first, we need to be signed in to Power BI using our professional account; it only takes the work/ org account. Once you are signed in, there is a publish option available. Clicking on it opens a small window- which asks you to select the workspace into which you want to publish your report. If any workspace is there to which you have been provided access, you can choose that depending on data security, or otherwise, by default, you have the option of My Workspace, which is the default space provided for you. So, you can publish your report there.
Advanced
1. What is content packs in Power BI?
Content packs are another way of sharing Power BI content with other users. And this Power BI content will include data set, reports, and dashboards. Through content packs, we can easily control the access to your reports when creating a particular content pack; you have the option to keep it available for the whole organization or to a specific group of people. And as for everything in Power BI, you need your account to sign in to access it. One important thing to note here is that this is a Power BI Pro feature which means that you need a Pro license to create, share and consume content packs. They are created in the Power BI service and can be consumed in the same environment. We cannot use content packs on the desktop. When you are creating a content pack, you have the option of what all to include in the pack meaning- it allows you to select the particular dashboard and all its related reports and datasets together in one content pack. One more thing to note here is that if we get access to a content pack, it is read-only access, so we will not be able to alter any original content. If we want to work on the same data set, it gives us the option to create a copy and build our own analysis around the same.
2. How to use Power BI in excel?
To use Power BI in Excel, there is an Analyse in Excel option for every report in the Power BI service. To use it, you will need to enable editing and enable content for the report for the first time.
So, what this option provides us is that it gives us the underlying data set of our Power BI report. It comes as a data connection in excel. And we get to play with the data in excel. It is up to us how we analyze the same data, either through pivot tables, charts, etc. By default, when the data is extracted in excel for any report- it gives a Pivot table by default.
3. How to change x-axis values in Power BI?
In Power BI, we can change the x axis dynamically. There are a few steps we need to follow to achieve the same.
- Creating a separate table with the required dimension names.
- Once the above table is created, we add a slicer to the report with the field that has all the dimension names.
- Next, we create a calculated measure that will give us the selected dimension from the slicer. We use the SELECTEDVALUE() function to get the value.
- Next, we create another calculated column, which based on the value from the above measure, will select the particular column from the data.
- When creating the visual- the column created from step 4, should be dragged for the x axis and the y axis remains the same.
- Now as you will select the different field names, the x-axis will change accordingly.
4. How to connect SQL Server to Power BI?
SQL Server database connection is available in Power BI. Steps to be followed are:
- In Power BI desktop go to get data option in Home. Under Get Data, we have SQL Server as option or when clicked on More- you can select SQL Server database from the list.
- When we click on connect- it asks us to provide a few basic details related to the connection. Server info, Database info, which is optional, Data connectivity mode(either a direct query or import mode)
- Once the above information is furnished, we can click on OK to connect.
- In case you need to write a specific query to load the data, you can do so under Advanced options.
- Without the above option if you click on OK, a window opens which asks us for the credentials for the login to the database. We have the option to provide the specific credentials or use Windows login. It depends on how you have been given access to the database. Current credentials refer to your windows credentials. Alternate refers to Specific to the database.
- Once access is verified, you get a window with all the databases on the server shown in the left and right pane showing preview of the data from any table selected on the left.
- Once you select the table to use, you can see three options at the bottom – load, edit and cancel. Load will directly load the data. Edit will open Power Query Editor and will allow you to do transformations in the data before loading.
- Once data is loaded, you can use it to create visuals as per your choice.
5. Which two cross filter directions are available in Power BI table relationships?
When a relationship is created between two different tables in Power BI, then with the relationship it asks us the cross-filter direction. There are two options available for cross filtering.
- Single – When cross filter direction is single, then the filtering between tables happens from left table to right table. It is the default setting. First table can be used to filter the data in the second table.
- Both – When cross filter direction is both, then the filtering between the tables will work in both ways. Either table can be used to filter the other table.
6. How to remove null values in Power BI?
In order to remove null Values from the data can be removed in the Power Query Editor window on the Power BI desktop. There are multiple ways to remove null values:
- Sort the data respective to the column in which we have nulls. If removing the null rows does not affect your data, then you can delete them right away.
- Another option is to use the Replace Values option in the Editor window. You can replace the null values with 0 or any other relevant value.
7. How to connect JIRA to Power BI?
We connect to JIRA using JIRA content packs and JIRA Rest API. There are few steps involved.
- In order to connect JIRA to Power BI, we need an API token which can be generated from the Atlassian link.
- Next, we download and install the Jira content pack. Then the api token is added to the Jira content pack.
- Once connection is set, it automatically creates a workspace with a dashboard and a set of reports to visually analyse the data.
8. What is OData feed in Power BI?
OData stands for open data protocol. It is usually used to pull data from websites, SharePoint. It helps in getting data from URLs. It basically helps to extract data from a URL without getting into the details of URL-specific parameters like request, response, HTTP methods, etc. It takes care of these things in the back end, leaving us to focus on pulling the data and performing transformations and creating useful analysis.
Conclusion
We hope the above power BI interview questions guide you and help you prepare for any Power BI interview. Along with these, I would be recommended to go through the Power BI basics and relate the questions. This will help to grasp the concept explained through the answers in a better way, and you will be more confident. All the very best!
You can also take up the Data Visualization With Power BI Free Online Course offered by Great Learning Academy and upskill today!
0 Source: https://www.mygreatlearning.com/blog/top-power-bi-interview-questions-and-answers/
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