Get the Ultimate Guide to Ace Microsoft Power BI Certification Exam!

Introduction

Power BI has made interacting with data, a lot easier for organizations. Since we live in a data-driven world, analysts who can collect, analyze, and transform this data into meaningful information are in huge demand. Statistically speaking, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “data analyst jobs will see a 20% growth from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than average.” With 35,445 companies using Microsoft Power BI and the range of data we’re creating every day (2.5 quintillion bytes of data), the demand for data professionals is increasing exponentially.

Data professionals job whether a Data Analyst or Data Scientist has been considered quite a stable job with a handsome salary. According to Glassdoor, the salaries of an entry-level data analyst is $34,5000 annually, while as an experienced senior data analyst who can demand $107,000 per year! 

Apart from the monetary benefits, getting certification from a well-known platform like Microsoft not only enables you to display your expertise over Power BI but it also helps you stand out and move up the ladder in your IT career.

That’s why the DA-100 exam is relevant today. In this blog, we’ll discuss the Microsoft  Power BI Certification path and you’ll get answers to:

• What is Microsoft Power BI Certification?
• Insight into Microsoft Power BI Certification course details?
• How to ace Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI Certification?
• An overview into the Microsoft Power BI Certification path
• Is Microsoft Power BI Certification worth it?
• How much does Microsoft Power BI Certification cost? 

What is Microsoft Power BI Certification: An Overview

Power BI certification from Microsoft enables you to display your knowledge & expertise in managing, deploying devices and client applications in an enterprise environment. 

To obtain your Power BI Certification from Microsoft, you need to clear Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI certification. This exam tests your ability to successfully complete the following technical tasks such as prepare the data; model the data; visualize the data; analyze the data and deploy and maintain deliverables.

• Certification Name: Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI
• Microsoft Power BI Certification Cost: $165
• Prerequisites: Candidates must have a fundamental understanding of data repositories and data processing both on-premises and in the cloud.
• Exam Duration: 150-210 minutes
• Total Questions:  40-60 Multiple-choice Questions (with case studies)
• Passing score: 70% 
• Expiration Date: None 
• Exam Retake Policy: A candidate cannot give this exam more than five times in a period of 12 months. The candidate is eligible to retake the exam 12 months from the date of their first attempt.

Microsoft Power BI Certification Course Details: 

Get data from different data sourcesPrepare Data (20-25%)

• Identify and connect to a data source 
• Change data source settings 
• Select a shared dataset or create a local dataset 
• Select a storage mode 
• Choose an appropriate query type 
• Identify query performance issues 
• Use Microsoft Dataverseuse parameters 
• Use or create a PBIDS file 
• Use or create a data flow 
• Connect to a dataset using the XMLA endpoint

Profile the data 

• Identify data anomalies 
• Examine data structures 
• Interrogate column properties 
• Interrogate data statistic

Clean, transform and load the data 

• Resolve inconsistencies, unexpected or null values, and data quality issues 
• Apply user-friendly value replacements 
• Identify and create appropriate keys for joins 
• Evaluate and transform column data types 
• Apply data shape transformations to table structures 
• Combine queries 
• Apply user-friendly naming conventions to columns and queries 
• Leverage Advanced Editor to modify Power Query M code 
• Configure data loading 
• Resolve data import errors

Model the Data (25-30%)

Design a data model 

• Define the tables 
• Configure table and column properties 
• Define quick measures 
• Flatten out a parent-child hierarchy 
• Define role-playing dimensions 
• Define a relationship's cardinality and cross-filter direction 
• Design the data model to meet performance requirements 
• Resolve many-to-many relationships 
• Create a common date table 
• Define the appropriate level of data granularity

Develop a data model

• Apply cross-filter direction and security filtering 
• Create calculated tables 
• Create hierarchies 
• Create calculated columns 
• Implement row-level security roles 
• Set up the Q&A feature 
• Create measures by using DAX 
• Use DAX to build complex measures 
• Use CALCULATE to manipulate filters 
• Implement Time Intelligence using DAX 
• Replace numeric columns with measures 
• Use basic statistical functions to enhance data
• Create semi-additive measures

Optimize model performance 

• Remove unnecessary rows and columns 
• Identify poorly performing measures, relationships, and visuals 
• Improve cardinality levels by changing data types 
• Improve cardinality levels through summarization 
• Create and manage aggregations

Visualize the Data (20-25%)

Create reports add visualization items to reports 

• Choose an appropriate visualization type 
• Format and configure visualizations 
• Import a custom visual 
• Configure conditional formatting 
• Apply slicing and filtering 
• Add an R or Python visual 
• Configure the report page 
• Design and configure for accessibility 
• Configure automatic page refresh 
• Create a paginated report 

Create dashboards

• Set mobile view 
• Manage tiles on a dashboard 
• Configure Data alerts 
• Use the Q&A feature 
• Add a dashboard theme 
• Pin a live report page to a dashboard

Enrich reports for usability

• Configure bookmarks 
• Create custom tooltips 
• Edit and configure interactions between visuals 
• Configure navigation for a report 
• Apply to sort 
• Configure Sync Slicers 
• Use the selection pane 
• Use drill through and cross filter 
• Drill down into data using interactive visuals 
• Export report data 
• Design reports for mobile devices

Analyze the Data (10-15%)

Enhance reports to expose insights 

• Apply conditional formatting 
• Apply slicers and filters 
• Perform top N analysis 
• Explore statistical summary 
• Use the Q&A visual 
• Add a Quick Insights result to a report 
• Create reference lines by using Analytics pane use the Play Axis feature of a visualization
• Personalize visuals

Perform advanced analysis 

Identify outliers

• Conduct Time Series analysis 
• Use groupings and beginnings 
• Use the Key Influencers to explore dimensional variances 
• Use the decomposition tree visual to break down a measure 
• Apply AI Insights

Deploy and Maintain Deliverables (10-15%)

Manage datasets 

• Configure a dataset scheduled refresh
• Configure row-level security group membership 
• Providing access to datasets
• Configure incremental refresh settings
• Promote or certify Power BI datasets 
• Identify downstream dataset dependencies
• Configure large dataset format

Create and manage workspaces 

• Create and configure a workspace 
• Recommend a development lifecycle strategy 
• Assign workspace roles
• Configure and update a workspace app 
• Publish, import, or update assets in a workspace 
• Apply sensitivity labels to workspace content
• Use deployment pipelines
• Configure subscriptions
• Promote or certify Power BI content

Since now you know Microsoft Power BI Certification cost, exam format, let’s share some sample questions of the Exam DA-100 and let us know if you cracked the answer or not:

1. You need to create a calculated column to display the month based on the reporting requirements. Which DAX expression should you use?

• A. FORMAT('Date'[date], "MMM YYYY")
• B. FORMAT('Date' [date], "M YY")
• C. FORMAT('Date'[date_id], "MMM") & "" & FORMAT('Date'[year], "#")
• D. FORMAT('Date' [date_id], "MMM YYYY")

Answer: D

2. What is the minimum number of datasets and storage modes required to support the reports?

• A. two imported datasets
• B. a single DirectQuery dataset
• C. two DirectQuery datasets
• D. a single imported dataset

Answer: A

3. Your company has training videos that are published to Microsoft Stream. You need to surface the videos directly in a Microsoft Power BI dashboard. Which type of tile should you add?

• A. video
• B. custom streaming data
• C. text box
• D. web content

Answer: B

4. You open a query in Power Query Editor. You need to identify the percentage of empty values in each column as quickly as possible. Which Data Preview option should you select?

• A. Show whitespace
• B. Column profile
• C. Column distribution
• D. Column quality

Answer: D

5. You have a large dataset that contains more than 1 million rows. The table has a DateTime column named Date. You need to reduce the size of the data model. What should you do?

• A. Round the hour of the Date column to startOfHour.
• B. Change the data type of the Date column to Text.
• C. Trim the Date column.
• D. Split the Date column into two columns, one that contains only the time and another that contains only the date.

Answer: D

What are the Benefits of Microsoft Power BI Certification for You?

Before starting any new course or job, we always wonder if it is worth our time or money or not. Similarly, if you’re an individual starting the Microsoft certification path, you might be wondering about its job outlook, career growth, and opportunity. Overall, you might be wondering if Microsoft Power BI certification worth it or not? So let’s help you out:

• 23% of Microsoft-certified professionals attained up to a 20% salary boost after certification.
• On average, a Data Analyst with Microsoft  Power BI skills can earn $91,731 per year, while with some experience you can demand $134,000!
• Power BI Certification from Microsoft allows you to be an integral asset to your organization as you have expertise in transforming data into rich visuals, thus extracting business intelligence for meaningful decision making.
• Since the global Business Intelligence market size will grow from $23.1 billion in 2020 to $33.3 billion by 2025, so there’s ample need for professionals who can extract meaningful data and improve decision making.
• With Microsoft Power BI certification, you’ve tons of options to start your career not just as a Data Analyst but Power BI Analyst, Power BI Business Analyst, Power BI Data Analyst, Power BI Developer, Power BI Software Engineer, Senior Business Intelligence Analyst, or even Senior Software Engineer roles.

Preparing for Exam DA-100: Microsoft Power BI Certification? We can guide you over the exam module and the best course fit. Ring Us Now

How to Prepare for Microsoft Power BI Certification Exam?

1. Focus on Microsoft Certified Azure AZ-500 Certification’s Key Components

Microsoft offers enough study material to learn about Microsoft Power BI Certification exam. Go to its website and give a thorough reading to the syllabus, note down it somewhere safe and prepare your strategy based on it. This will help you in understanding where to start and what to study. 

2. Review the Microsoft Power BI Certification Exam Content

Not just exam syllabus but also understand the key details like exam duration, question type, and cost among others. We suggest you go through them thoroughly as this will give you an idea about the course’s background and also help you prepare better.

3. Establish a Study Routine for Exam DA-100 

The following routine helps you cover all topics on time, revise them as well as take proper rest in-between. Giving your study time some structure is a must because if you don’t, it’ll be way too easy to procrastinate, get distracted or ignore what you need to do.

4. Choose a Study Mode

Self-study doesn’t give you enough resources or the convenience of clearing your doubts whenever you want. So, enroll in an e-learning platform, wherein industry experts impart knowledge and you get the best resources to study. Moreover, study materials from e-learning platforms can be used at any time, anywhere with the 24/7 guidance of someone identifying and filling the gaps in your knowledge and skills.

If not, then you can also go for self-study and follow the tutorial for Microsoft Power BI for beginners to have a better understanding of the tool and that can even enable you to test your knowledge with Power BI online mock tests! 

5. Don’t Forget to Work Practically with Power BI

It doesn't matter that you know every minute details and concept of Power BI when you can’t employ those details in real-life scenarios. But worry not, Microsoft has built, maintained, and continually enhanced a self-paced training called Dashboard in a Day (DIAD). This Dashboard in a Day training gives you a data set that you can use for your hands-on experience after you are done with your self-paced portion.

6. Give Time for Rest and Revision

Revision helps you remember concepts that you have been covering, or else you’ll forget everything. However, do not neglect your health and eat, and rest properly if you want to study efficiently. You can’t retain any information if your brain is tired as you feel exhausted due to lack of sleep or rest.

7. Take Proper Gap if Appearing for Multiple Certifications

Microsoft allows the candidate to retake the exam 5 times in 12 months from the date of their first attempt, so you can relax and give the exam one at a time. Avoid giving multiple exams at one go so that you can concentrate on one properly. Also, when you sit for recertification, you're not burdening yourself with back-to-back exams and can prepare well.

How to Schedule Microsoft Power BI Certification Online Exam In-person or Online?

You can take the Microsoft Power BI Certification online with Pearson VUE in person at an Authorized Test Center, or online in the comfort of your home or even office! Let us show you how you can apply for the exam:

1. Click at https://home.pearsonvue.com/Clients/Microsoft.aspx to schedule your exam

2. Sign in to Certification Dashboard using the personnel email account

3. On your Microsoft Certification profile make sure that all the required fields marked with an asterisk* are correctly filled. Save the Profile and continue

4. Check your eligibility by entering the email account you used to register for the event

5. Click Schedule exam

6. Select How do you want to take your exam (Local test center, home/office)

7. Select exam date and time and Proceed to Checkout with the payment.

Conclusion

In this blog, we talked about Microsoft Power BI certification path and also discussed in detail how you can ace the exam by sharing preparation tips. We hope when you follow this learning path as diligently as you can, you’ll surely clear the Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI and become a Data analyst with Microsoft Power BI Certification. As it will not only validate and demonstrate your technical expertise to your potential employees but will also ensure that you stay ahead of the curve with certified badges along with a lucrative salary. 

If you’ve any doubt or query you can always reach out to us, we at JanBask can assist you with our 24/7 teaching assistance, applied projects, and online videos by industry-expert trainers! 

Good Luck!

Do you have your own trick to ace the Microsoft Power BI certification exam? Or want to share your own experience of cracking the exam? Drop us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!

 

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