Skip to content

PL-300 · Domain 3: Visualize and analyze the data · 27% of the exam

Task 3.1: Create reports

Choosing and formatting visuals, Copilot narratives and report pages, themes, conditional formatting, slicing and filtering, page settings, paginated reports and visual calculations.

Study it

  • Choosing and formatting visuals, themes and conditional formatting

    Lesson coming

  • Slicers, filters and page settings

    Lesson coming

  • Copilot narratives and report pages

    Partly covered by: What Is an LLM

  • Paginated reports and visual calculations

    Partly covered by: Window Functions

Sample questions

Try each one before opening the answer. Every option is explained, with the Microsoft documentation page that proves it.

Question 1 · choose 1

A report author has edit access to a report in a workspace on an F64 capacity, and Copilot is enabled for the tenant. Copilot answers questions about the report but can't create a new report page. Last month the model owner added a calculation group to the semantic model. What's the most likely cause?

  1. AAn F64 capacity is below the size that Copilot report creation needs
  2. BThe model now has implicit measures disabled
  3. CCreating pages requires the Admin role in the model's workspace
  4. DCopilot can only create pages for models in DirectQuery mode
Show the answer and why
  • AAn F64 capacity is below the size that Copilot report creation needs

    Incorrect

    F64 is a paid capacity well above what Copilot needs, so capacity isn't the limit.

  • BThe model now has implicit measures disabled

    Correct

    Adding a calculation group turns on discourage implicit measures, and Copilot can't create report pages for such models.

  • CCreating pages requires the Admin role in the model's workspace

    Incorrect

    Edit access to the report or workspace is enough to create pages with Copilot.

  • DCopilot can only create pages for models in DirectQuery mode

    Incorrect

    Copilot creates pages for import models; storage mode isn't the limit here.

Copilot can create and edit report pages for authors with edit access on a qualifying paid capacity. Documented limitations include models with implicit measures disabled, models that use real-time streaming and live connections to Analysis Services. Creating a calculation group turns on the discourage implicit measures property.

Question 2 · choose 1

Finance wants one visual that starts from gross revenue and shows how each cost category and tax reduces it, step by step, to net income, with increases and decreases clearly distinguished. Which visual fits?

  1. AA funnel chart of the stages from revenue to net income
  2. BA stacked column chart with one column per category
  3. CA waterfall chart
  4. DA treemap sized by each cost category
Show the answer and why
  • AA funnel chart of the stages from revenue to net income

    Incorrect

    A funnel has no running total, so it can't show each cost reducing revenue step by step.

  • BA stacked column chart with one column per category

    Incorrect

    Each column stands alone, so the running total from revenue to net income isn't shown.

  • CA waterfall chart

    Correct

    It shows a running total as values are added or subtracted, which suits contributions to net income.

  • DA treemap sized by each cost category

    Incorrect

    A treemap sizes rectangles by value; it can't show amounts being subtracted in sequence.

Waterfall charts show a running total as values are added or subtracted, which helps explain how positive and negative changes affect an initial value.

Question 3 · choose 2

The brand team supplies a JSON theme with the company's colors and fonts. A 12-page report must use it everywhere, but several visuals were formatted by hand with other colors, and those must follow the theme too. Which two actions should you take? (Choose TWO.)

  1. ARecolor the hand-formatted visuals one by one
  2. BSet each page's canvas background to the brand color
  3. CImport the JSON file as the report theme from the theme options on the ribbon
  4. DApply the JSON theme separately to each page of the report
  5. EUse Reset to default on the visuals that were formatted by hand
Show the answer and why
  • ARecolor the hand-formatted visuals one by one

    Incorrect

    This only patches those visuals, and new or reset visuals still won't follow the brand theme.

  • BSet each page's canvas background to the brand color

    Incorrect

    A page background changes only the canvas, not visuals' data colors or fonts.

  • CImport the JSON file as the report theme from the theme options on the ribbon

    Correct

    The custom theme then applies to the whole report, existing and new visuals alike.

  • DApply the JSON theme separately to each page of the report

    Incorrect

    A theme applies to the whole report, not to individual pages.

  • EUse Reset to default on the visuals that were formatted by hand

    Correct

    Visual-level formatting isn't overridden by a theme until the visual is reset to default.

A custom report theme, often a JSON file with data colors, text classes and visual styles, changes colors and styles for the entire report. Visuals formatted individually keep those changes until you reset them to default, after which they use the custom theme. You can import a theme JSON file and export the current one for reuse.

Question 4 · choose 1

A Status table has a Color column with hex codes such as #2E7D32 for each status, maintained by the business. In a table visual, each row's background should take the color of its status. Which conditional formatting format style should you use?

  1. ARules, with one color rule for each status value
  2. BField value, based on the Color column
  3. CGradient, from the lowest to the highest status
  4. DData bars on the status column of the table
Show the answer and why
  • ARules, with one color rule for each status value

    Incorrect

    Rules work on numeric ranges and would need to be edited whenever the business changes a color.

  • BField value, based on the Color column

    Correct

    Field value applies color names or hex codes stored in a field directly.

  • CGradient, from the lowest to the highest status

    Incorrect

    A gradient maps numeric values onto a color scale; status names aren't numbers.

  • DData bars on the status column of the table

    Incorrect

    Data bars don't take a background color from a field for each row.

Background or font color conditional formatting offers three format styles: a gradient (color scale), rules, and field values. With Field value, Power BI applies color names or 3-, 6- or 8-digit hex codes from a field or measure directly. Conditional formatting applies to values in tables and matrices.

Question 5 · choose 1

A report must show only the Europe region on all of its 10 pages. Readers should be able to see that this filter is applied, but they must not be able to change or remove it. How should you configure the filter?

  1. AAdd Region to Filters on this page on each of the pages and hide it
  2. BAdd Region to Filters on all pages, set it to Europe and lock it
  3. CAdd a Region slicer to the first page and sync it to every page
  4. DAdd Region to each visual's filters and set it to Europe
Show the answer and why
  • AAdd Region to Filters on this page on each of the pages and hide it

    Incorrect

    Hidden filters are invisible to readers, and ten page filters are harder to keep in sync.

  • BAdd Region to Filters on all pages, set it to Europe and lock it

    Correct

    A report-level filter applies to every page, and a locked filter stays visible but can't be edited.

  • CAdd a Region slicer to the first page and sync it to every page

    Incorrect

    Readers can change a slicer's selection.

  • DAdd Region to each visual's filters and set it to Europe

    Incorrect

    Readers can still change visual-level filters unless they're locked, and they're spread over every visual.

Filters can be added at the visual, page or report level; a filter under Filters on all pages applies to every visual on every page. In the Filters pane, report designers can lock a filter so readers can see but not change it, or hide a filter so readers don't see it.

Question 6 · choose 1

Accounts receivable must produce customer statements that list every open invoice line, often several hundred, across as many printed pages as needed, with page headers and footers, and save them as PDF. Which report type fits?

  1. AA paginated report published to the Power BI service
  2. BA Power BI report with a table visual sized to fit one page
  3. CA Power BI dashboard with a pinned table tile
  4. DA Power BI report exported to PowerPoint
Show the answer and why
  • AA paginated report published to the Power BI service

    Correct

    Paginated reports expand data regions across pages and are optimized for printing and PDF.

  • BA Power BI report with a table visual sized to fit one page

    Incorrect

    A table visual adds scroll bars, so lines out of view don't print.

  • CA Power BI dashboard with a pinned table tile

    Incorrect

    Dashboards are one-page summaries of tiles, not multi-page documents.

  • DA Power BI report exported to PowerPoint

    Incorrect

    The export captures each page as it's shown, so rows hidden behind scroll bars are missing.

Paginated reports are designed for printing and PDF generation: data regions such as tables expand across pages in a controlled way, and layouts can include margins, headers and footers. A table in a Power BI report can't grow to show all rows; it scrolls instead, so out-of-view rows aren't printed.

Question 7 · choose 1

You add a field under Filters on this page in the Filters pane. Which visuals does it filter?

  1. AEvery visual on every page
  2. BOnly the selected visual
  3. CEvery visual on the current page
  4. DOnly visuals that already use the field
Show the answer and why
  • AEvery visual on every page

    Incorrect

    That's a report-level filter, under Filters on all pages.

  • BOnly the selected visual

    Incorrect

    That's a visual-level filter, under Filters on this visual.

  • CEvery visual on the current page

    Correct

    A page-level filter applies to all visuals on that page.

  • DOnly visuals that already use the field

    Incorrect

    Filters apply whether or not the visual shows the field.

The Filters pane has visual-level filters (Filters on this visual), page-level filters (Filters on this page) and report-level filters (Filters on all pages). A filter can use fields that aren't displayed in the visuals.

Question 8 · choose 1

Which tool do you use to author paginated reports that you publish to the Power BI service?

  1. APower Query Editor
  2. BDAX query view
  3. CThe Power BI mobile app
  4. DPower BI Report Builder
Show the answer and why
  • APower Query Editor

    Incorrect

    Power Query shapes data; it doesn't design paginated layouts.

  • BDAX query view

    Incorrect

    It isn't a tool for designing printable report layouts.

  • CThe Power BI mobile app

    Incorrect

    The mobile app is for viewing content.

  • DPower BI Report Builder

    Correct

    It's the standalone authoring tool for paginated reports in the Power BI service.

Power BI Report Builder is the standalone tool for authoring paginated reports for the Power BI service. You can preview a report in Report Builder and then publish it to the service.

Question 9 · choose 1

Sales leadership wants to see how many opportunities remain at each stage of the pipeline, from Lead to Qualified to Proposal to Won. Which visual is designed for this?

  1. AA scatter chart
  2. BA funnel chart
  3. CA waterfall chart
  4. DA filled map
Show the answer and why
  • AA scatter chart

    Incorrect

    A scatter chart has no notion of ordered stages.

  • BA funnel chart

    Correct

    Funnel charts visualize sequential stages, such as a sales pipeline.

  • CA waterfall chart

    Incorrect

    A waterfall chart doesn't show how many items remain at each stage.

  • DA filled map

    Incorrect

    Filled maps show values by geographic area.

Funnel charts visualize processes with sequential stages, where items flow from one stage to the next, which is why they're common for sales pipelines and conversion tracking.

Question 10 · choose 1

Your report uses a custom theme, but one card should have a different title font. Where do you change it?

  1. AIn that card's Format pane
  2. BIn the theme JSON file, under the card style
  3. CIn Model view's Properties pane
  4. DIn Power Query Editor
Show the answer and why
  • AIn that card's Format pane

    Correct

    The Format pane formats individual visuals, overriding the theme for that visual.

  • BIn the theme JSON file, under the card style

    Incorrect

    Changing the theme affects every card, not just one.

  • CIn Model view's Properties pane

    Incorrect

    Model properties describe tables and columns, not visual formatting.

  • DIn Power Query Editor

    Incorrect

    Power Query shapes data, not visuals.

Themes set colors and styles for the whole report, while the Format pane formats an individual visual, for example with a different title font for just that visual.

Practice domain 3 →Practice all domains →