Level 1 exam — Microsoft Power BI

Exam — fresh questions

12 questions to validate level 1 with Zineb, a management controller in Algiers: connecting data, cleaning in Power Query, building the first visuals and composing a readable page.
Answer everything, then click Check: your score and explanations will appear.

1.1 · Recall

1. What is the right reflex when importing a source into Power BI?

Clicking "Load" directly to go fast Going through "Transform" (Power Query) to control Modifying the source file by hand before each import Systematically choosing DirectQuery

You open Power Query to control the data before loading it; Import by default, DirectQuery reserved for large volume or real time.

1.1 · Application

2. Zineb receives a new CSV sales export in the same format every month. Which feature automatically combines the twelve files into a single table?

Manually copy-pasting each file into Power Query DirectQuery mode applied to the last file received A web query connected to the monthly export page The Folder connector, which combines the files of the same folder

The Folder connector reads all the homogeneous files in a folder and reunites them into a single table, updated with each new export.

1.1 · Arbitration

3. Zineb's team hesitates between Import and DirectQuery for a sales report of a few thousand rows. What do we recommend?

Import mode, faster and the recommended default at this volume DirectQuery, because it always avoids copying the data Neither: without a Pro license, import is blocked It doesn't matter: both modes give the same performance

Import copies and compresses the data for maximum performance; DirectQuery is only justified for very large volumes or real time.

1.2 · Recall

4. What happens on each refresh in Power Query?

Corrections made by hand in the cells are kept Nothing at all: Power Query is only for the first import The applied steps are replayed on the source The data is permanently frozen in the file

Each transformation is a recorded step, replayed on refresh: that's why you fix the query, never the data by hand.

1.2 · Application

5. Zineb has a table with the months in columns (Jan, Feb, Mar). Which transformation makes this data analyzable by month?

Removing the month columns to keep only the totals Unpivoting the columns to get two Attribute/Value columns Properly renaming the Jan, Feb and Mar columns Sorting the table alphabetically by product

Unpivoting turns the crossed columns into two Attribute/Value columns: the long format, analyzable by month in visuals and DAX.

1.2 · Arbitration

6. After a column is renamed in the source file, a Power Query step shows an error. What does Zineb do?

She retypes the correct values by hand in the table She deletes the query and reimports the raw file She ignores the error: it will disappear on the next refresh She fixes the step in error to point to the new name

A step often references the old column name: you fix the query by repointing it to the new name, rather than touching the data.

1.3 · Application

7. Zineb wants to compare the sales amount by city. Which visual does she choose?

A line chart, to show the evolution over time A KPI card, to highlight a single key figure A bar chart, with City on the X axis and Amount on the Y axis A matrix, to cross two dimensions together

To compare categories (the cities), the bar chart is the obvious choice: City on the X axis, Amount (aggregated) on the Y axis.

1.3 · Application

8. What happens when Zineb clicks a bar of the bar chart on a report page?

The other visuals of the page filter on this selection Only the clicked bar changes color, with no other effect The clicked visual is inadvertently deleted from the page Nothing: each visual of a page stays totally independent

This is cross-filtering: a click on an element of a visual filters all the other visuals of the page — Power BI's native interactivity.

1.3 · Arbitration

9. A numeric field of Zineb displays "Count of" instead of the sum. What is the most likely cause?

She must restart Power BI Desktop to fix this The column is typed as text in Power Query, so it can't be summed The visual is too small to display the whole total Power BI only allows sums with a Pro license

A column typed as text cannot be added: Power BI can only count occurrences. You fix the type upstream, in Power Query.

1.4 · Application

10. How does Zineb properly align her center visuals?

By moving them with the mouse until it looks straight By changing the font size of their titles By removing the visuals that are not aligned With Format → Align then Distribute horizontally

Align/Distribute calculates the edges and spacings: you align from the menu, never by eye, as in PowerPoint.

1.4 · Application

11. What standard grid organizes a readable report page?

KPI at the top, trends in the center, detail at the bottom Everything in the center, stacked somewhat at random As many visuals as possible on a single page A single giant visual taking up the whole page

The Z-reading: the key figure first, then the trends, then the detail — a grid that works everywhere.

1.4 · Arbitration

12. Zineb's report must also be viewed on a phone. What does she do?

She reduces the size of each visual by hand She creates a second report entirely separate for mobile She configures a mobile layout dedicated to this page She gives up: a report is only readable on a computer

Each page can have a dedicated mobile layout (View → Mobile layout): you reorganize the existing visuals in a column there.

What's next?

Score ≥ 80%: continue to Level 2 — relationships, star schema and DAX with Zineb.
Score between 50% and 80%: review the failed section(s) (1.1 connection, 1.2 Power Query, 1.3 visuals, 1.4 page layout), reread the course, then retake the test.
Score < 50%: redo all of level 1 by applying each 48h challenge (connect a source, clean an export, compose a page of 4 visuals, lay out) before trying again.
And after? Keep Zineb's page and her cleaning recipe: level 2 connects them to a real relational model.