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Top 20 Power BI Interview Questions and Answers for 2025 iCert Global

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In 2011, the rise of Business Intelligence tools caught Microsoft off guard. In order to compete, Microsoft developed Power BI. Power BI was a tool that enhanced Microsoft Excel by incorporating intelligent features that were able to analyse data and generate interactive reports.

Some of the most frequently asked Power BI interview questions for both entry-level and experienced professionals are as follows:

1. What is Power BI?

2. How does Power BI differ from Tableau?

3. What is the difference between Power Query and Power Pivot?

4. What is Power BI Desktop?

5. What is Power Pivot utilized for?

6. What is Power Query, and how does it work?

7. What is DAX (Data Analysis Expressions)?

8. What are Filters in Power BI, and how do they function?

9. What are Custom Visuals in Power BI?

10. What is Get Data in Power BI, and why is it significant?

Top Power BI Interview Questions for Beginners

If you're a beginner in Power BI and getting ready for an interview, it's essential to know the fundamental concepts and functionalities of the tool. Here are some typical questions with easy answers to assist you in getting started.

1. What is Power BI?

Power BI is software developed by Microsoft that assists in transforming various kinds of data into valuable and interactive insights. Data may be extracted from Excel documents, online storage, or firm databases. Power BI enables individuals to connect with various data sources and share discoveries easily.

2. Why do we use Power BI?    

Power BI simplifies the process of anyone, including those with no technical expertise, connecting, editing, and visualizing data from various sources. Power BI assists companies in better understanding their data, which makes it easy to make intelligent decisions.

3. Differences Between Power BI and Tableau

The following are some of the main differences between Power BI and Tableau:

1. Developer – Power BI is developed by Microsoft, whereas Tableau is developed by Salesforce.

2. Ease of Use – Power BI is simpler for new users, particularly those who are Excel-friendly, whereas Tableau needs technical expertise.

4. Difference Between Power Query and Power Pivot

Power Query and Power Pivot are both components in Power BI but have different uses.

1. Purpose

  • Power Query is utilized for data importation, cleaning, and data transformation prior to analysis.

2. Functionality

  • Power Query assists in data extraction, combining, and reshaping prior to loading it into Power BI.

3. Language Used

  • Power Query utilizes a language named M (M Language) to transform data.

4. Where It Works

  • Power Query is present in Power BI, Excel, and other Microsoft applications.

5. Key Feature

  • Power Query is centered on data preparation (shaping and cleaning).

4. What is Power BI Desktop?

Power BI Desktop is a free Microsoft-built application which enables users to easily connect to, transform, and visualize data.

Key Features of Power BI Desktop:

1. Data Connection – Supports data connection to many data sources such as Excel, databases, and cloud services.

2. Data Transformation – Prepares data with Power Query prior to analyzing it.

5. What is Power BI Desktop?

Power BI Desktop is a free application developed by Microsoft. It allows users to connect to various forms of data, transform it as required, and produce visual reports. You can use Power BI Desktop to create charts and graphs and share them as reports with your colleagues or customers in your organization.

6. What is Power Pivot?

Power Pivot is a new feature introduced in Microsoft Excel in 2010. It assists in enhancing the capacity of Excel to analyze data by enabling the creation of complex calculations and associations between various tables of data.

7. What is Power Query?

Power Query is an application in Microsoft Excel used to bring in data from various sources. You can clean, transform, and organize the data as per your requirement. You can refresh a query whenever you need to update the data automatically after setting up the query.

8. What are the Elements of Microsoft's Self-Service BI Solution?

Self-Service Business Intelligence (SSBI) has two core components: Excel BI Toolkit and Power BI.

9. What is Self-Service BI?

SSBI is an abbreviation for Self-Service Business Intelligence. It enables business users, even non-technical ones, to utilize tools such as Power BI to build reports and make forecasts. This enables businesses to make informed decisions without the need for coding expertise.

10. What is DAX?

DAX is an abbreviation for Data Analysis Expressions. It is a collection of formulas, functions, and rules that assist in calculating new values from existing data.

11. What Are Filters in Power BI?

Filters are requirements used to show only certain data within a report. Power BI has various kinds of filters, including:

  • Manual filters
  • Auto filters

12. What Are Custom Visuals in Power BI?

Custom visuals are graphs or charts made in Power BI using special development tools. Custom visuals are unlike native visuals since they are created using coding languages like JavaScript and JQuery.

13. What is Get Data in Power BI?

Get Data is a button in Power BI that allows users to import data from different sources into their reports.

14. What Are Some Advantages of Power BI?

  • Helps create interactive data visualizations
  • Allows users to convert data into reports and share them
  • Connects with Excel queries and dashboards for fast analysis

15. What Are Some Limitations of Power BI?

  • File size restriction: Can't import files that exceed 1 GB
  • Very few data sources allow real-time connections

16. Data Modeling Variations Between Power BI Desktop and Power Pivot for Excel  ?

  • Power Pivot for Excel supports only one-way (single-directional) relationships, calculated columns, and a single import mode.
  • Power BI Desktop supports bi-directional relationships, security options, calculated tables, and more than one method for importing data.

17. Various Connectivity Modes in Power BI  ?

Power BI has three primary means of connecting to data:

1. SQL Server Import – The standard and most commonly used method, providing complete Power BI functionality. The data is brought in and housed within Power BI.

2. Direct Query – This mode connects to some databases directly and does not store the actual data within Power BI, just the metadata.

3. Live Connection – It does not cache any data in Power BI. Rather, it connects to a live Analysis Services model. Only SQL Server Analysis Services, Azure Analysis Services, and Power BI Datasets can be used with this.

18. Types of Refresh Options in Power BI   ?

There are four types of data refresh in Power BI.

1. Package Refresh – Refreshes your Power BI Desktop or Excel file with Power BI Service and cloud storage such as OneDrive or SharePoint Online.

2. Model/Data Refresh – Refreshes the dataset in Power BI with the most recent data from the original data source.

3. Tile Refresh – Refreshes the visuals on dashboards every 15 minutes when data is changing.

4. Visual Container Refresh – Refreshes particular report visuals whenever the data is refreshed.

19. What Data Sources Can Power BI Connect To  ?

Power BI can connect to numerous data sources, categorized into three types:

  1. Files – Power BI is able to import data from:
  • Excel files (.xlsx, .xlxm)
  • Power BI Desktop files (.pbix)
  • Comma-Separated Values (.csv)

2. Content Packs – A group of related documents or files saved together, which are usually shared by users.

3. Connectors – Assist in connecting databases and datasets with cloud apps, services, and data sources.

20. What is Power BI Dashboard?

A dashboard is a single page in Power BI that merges multiple visual reports.

Important features:

• Permits drilling through pages, using bookmarks, and having varying tiles.

• Facilitates mobile-friendly layouts to allow for ease of view on mobiles and tablets.

• Integrated links (URLs) may be added to provide easy navigation.

How to obtain Power BI certification? 

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Conclusion

Power BI is an excellent utility that enables organizations to analyze and comprehend data in a straightforward manner. It permits users to link various data sources, generate reports, and pass on insights to others. Such features as row-level security, cloud storage of data, and various report views make it a valuable tool for both novice and experienced users. Continue to explore Power BI Certification and enhance your skills to prepare for new chances!

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