Learning Path for PL-300: Tips To Pass Exam in 14 Days

Shivam Gupta | KloudSaga
11 min readJan 5, 2023

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learning path power bi certification

This learning path is designed to help you prepare for the PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst. We would help you to understand the complete structure of exam along with some recommendations and resources. This path will help you to complete your Power BI Data Analyst Associate Certification.

What is the PL-300 Certification Exam?

The PL-300 exam measures your ability to identify business requirements, clean and transform data, build data models, deliver actionable insights, enable others to perform self-service analytics, and deploy solutions for consumption using Power BI.

The skills are divided into four functional components-

  1. Prepare the data (25–30%): Get data from different sources; clean, transform, and load the data.
  2. Model the data (25–30%): Design and create a data model; perform a model calculation with DAX; optimize model performance.
  3. Visualize and Analyze the data (25–30%): Create reports and dashboards; enhance reports for usability and storytelling; Identify patterns and trends.
  4. Deploy and maintain assets (15–20%): Manage files and datasets; manage workspaces.

Data analysts make an average of $71,566 and swinging as high as $110,000 per year.

How to Prepare for Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst PL-300 Certification Exam?

First of All Download the Microsoft study guide for PL-300 exam and go through with the topics and functional groups.

  1. Know Structure of the PL-300 Exam
  2. Start the Learning Process
  3. Try Your Hands on Practically with Power BI Tool
  4. Leverage the Microsoft Free Resources
  5. Must Solve Practice Tests !!!
  6. Get support from Study Groups and join Microsoft Community
  7. Take Time for Rest and Revision

Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Exam Summary:

Exam Name: PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst
Exam Code: PL-300
Cost: $165 USD*
Duration: 120 Minutes
Number of Questions: 45–60
Passing Score Required: 700/1000
Schedule Exam: Pearson VUE
Practice Tests: [NEW] PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Exam 2024

For 20% OFF Use CouponCode: SUMMER2024

Prerequisites:

  • Basic knowledge of Power BI data analysis and visualization projects.
  • Basic to Intermediate knowledge of most Azure Services
  • Knowledge of Previous Power BI experience is helpful but not necessary

Preparation Journey:

We will learn all objectives of the exam are covered in depth in 14 days journey so you’ll be ready for any question on the exam. You can certainly go faster or slower depending on your schedule!

DAY 1

We will start from basic in DAY 1. We will learn about the life and journey of a data analyst, the skills, tasks, and processes they go through in order to tell a story with data so trusted business decisions can be made. You will also learn how the suite of Power BI tools and services are used by a data analyst to tell a compelling story through reports and dashboards, and the need for true BI in the enterprise in Day 1.

  1. Prepare the data (15–20%)
    (a) Get started with Microsoft data analytics
    Discover data analysis
    In this module, you will explore the different roles in data and learn the different tasks of a data analyst.
    Introduction
    Overview of data analysis
    Roles in data
    Tasks of a data analyst
    Check your knowledge
    Summary
    Get started building with Power BI
    In this module, you will explore what Power BI, including its building blocks and how they work together.
    Introduction
    Use Power BI
    Building blocks of Power BI
    Tour and use the Power BI service
    Check your knowledge
    Summary

DAY 2

We will start learn about data preparation for analysis in Day 2. You will explore Power Query as you learn to extract data from different data sources and choose a storage mode and connectivity type. You will learn to profile, clean, and load data into Power BI in preparation for modeling your data.

(b) Prepare data for analysis
Get data in Power BI:
You will learn how to retrieve data from a wide variety of data sources, including Microsoft Excel, relational databases, and NoSQL data stores. You will also learn how to improve performance while retrieving data.
Introduction
Get data from files
Get data from relational data sources
Get data from a NoSQL database
Get data from online services
Select a storage mode
Get data from Azure Analysis Services
Fix performance issues
Resolve data import errors
Exercise — Prepare data in Power BI Desktop
Check your knowledge
Summary
Clean, transform, and load data in Power BI:
Power Query has an incredible amount of features that are dedicated to helping you clean and prepare your data for analysis. You will learn how to simplify a complicated model, change data types, rename objects, and pivot data. You will also learn how to profile columns so that you know which columns have the valuable data that you’re seeking for deeper analytics.
Introduction
Shape the initial data
Simplify the data structure
Evaluate and change column data types
Combine multiple tables into a single table
Profile data in Power BI
Use Advanced Editor to modify M code
Exercise — Load data in Power BI Desktop
Check your knowledge
Summary

DAY 3

In day 3 we will start learn how to design a data model that is intuitive, high-performing, and simple to maintain. You will learn about using DAX language to create measures. Those measures will help you create a wide variety of analytic solutions.

2. Model the data (30–35%)
(a) Model data in Power BI
Design a data model in Power BI:
The process of creating a complicated data model in Power BI is straightforward. If your data is coming in from more than one transactional system, before you know it, you can have dozens of tables that you have to work with. Building a great data model is about simplifying the disarray. A star schema is one way to simplify a data model, and you’ll learn about the terminology and implementation of them in this module.
Introduction
Work with tables
Create a date table
Work with dimensions
Define data granularity
Work with relationships and cardinality
Resolve modeling challenges
Exercise — Model data in Power BI Desktop, Part 1
Check your knowledge
Summary
Introduction to creating measures using DAX in Power BI:
Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) is a programming language that is used throughout Microsoft Power BI for creating calculated columns, measures, and custom tables. It is a collection of functions, operators, and constants that can be used in a formula, or expression, to calculate and return one or more values. You can use DAX to solve a number of calculations and data analysis problems, which can help you create new information from data that is already in your model.
Introduction to DAX
Understand context
Use the Calculate function
Use relationships effectively
Create semi-additive measures
Exercise — Introduction to DAX in Power BI Desktop
Work with time intelligence
Exercise — Time intelligence and measures in DAX
Check your knowledge
Summary

DAY 4

Now we will start learn optimize a model for performance in Power BI and will learn when to use which visual to solve which problem. You will also learn report design and report formatting. Additionally, you will learn how to use report navigation to tell a compelling, data-driven story in Power BI. Dashboards will help your users target report visuals to meet their specific needs. Paginated reports help you create pixel-perfect report artifacts like sales invoices, purchase orders, medical records, transaction statements, and much more.

Optimize a model for performance in Power BI:
Performance optimization, also known as performance tuning, involves making changes to the current state of the data model so that it runs more efficiently. Essentially, when your data model is optimized, it performs better.
Introduction to performance optimization
Review performance of measures, relationships, and visuals
Use variables to improve performance and troubleshooting
Reduce cardinality
Optimize DirectQuery models with table level storage
Create and manage aggregations
Check your knowledge
Summary

3. Visualize and Analyze the data (30–35%)
(a)Visualize data in Power BI
Work with Power BI visuals:
You will learn how to choose from the exceptional visuals that Power BI makes available to you. Formatting visuals will direct the user’s attention to exactly where you want it, while helping to make the visual easier to read and interpret. You will also learn about how to use key performance indicators (KPIs).

Introduction to work with Power BI visuals
Add visualization items to reports
Choose an effective visualization
Format and configure visualizations
Import a custom visual
Add an R or Python visual
Work with key performance indicators
Exercise — Design a report in Power BI desktop
Check your knowledge
Summary

DAY 5

In Day 5 we will learn how to integrate Power BI reports with other applications. Power BI visuals can interact with each other, letting the user see exactly which data is appealing to them. You’ll also explore Power BI report themes to create a unified reporting experience across all reports in create a data-driven story with Power BI reports module and create dashboards in Power BI.

Create a data-driven story with Power BI reports:
Power BI helps you create vibrant, highly useful reports that form a cohesive, data-driven story. You’ll learn how to use buttons, bookmarks, and other navigation techniques.
Introduction to create a data-driven story with Power BI reports
Design a report layout
Add buttons, bookmarks, and selections
Design report navigation
Use basic interactions
Use advanced interactions and drill through
Configure conditional formatting
Apply slicing, filtering, and sorting
Publish and export reports
Comment on reports
Tune report performance
Optimize reports for mobile use
Exercise — Enhance Power BI reports with slicers, interaction, and formatting
Check your knowledge
Summary
Create dashboards in Power BI:
Microsoft Power BI dashboards are different than Power BI reports. Dashboards allow report consumers to create a single artifact of directed data that is personalized just for them. Dashboards can be comprised of pinned visuals that are taken from different reports. Where a Power BI report uses data from a single dataset, a Power BI dashboard can contain visuals from different datasets.
Introduction to dashboards
Configure data alerts
Explore data by asking questions
Add a dashboard theme
Pin a live report page to a dashboard
Configure a real-time dashboard
Configure data classification
Set mobile view
Exercise — Create a Power BI dashboard
Check your knowledge
Summary
Create paginated reports:
Paginated reports allow report developers to create Power BI artifacts that have tightly controlled rendering requirements. Paginated reports are ideal for creating sales invoices, receipts, purchase orders, and tabular data. This module will teach you how to create reports, add parameters, and work with tables and charts in paginated reports.
Introduction to paginated reports
Get data
Create a paginated report
Work with charts on the report
Publish the report
Check your knowledge
Summary

DAY 6
Now we have almost completed 85% syllabus of PL-300. We will also start practice the questions of PL-300 from Practice Tests.
We will start learn more features to enhance their reports for analytical insights in their data with features like Q&A and exporting. We will also closely examine your data and Power BI reports and then extract value with deeper analysis. Additionally, you will learn how to sort data and how to present the report in a cohesive manner. You will learn how to get a statistical summary for your data and export data from Power BI. You will also apply and perform advanced analytics on the report for deeper and more meaningful data insights.

4. Deploy and maintain assets (10–15%)
(a)Data analysis in Power BI
Perform analytics in Power BI:
You will learn how to use Power BI to perform data analytical functions, how to identify outliers in your data, how to group data together, and how to bin data for analysis. You will also learn how to perform time series analysis. Finally, you will work with advanced analytic features of Power BI, such as Quick Insights, AI Insights, and the Analyze feature.
Introduction to analytics
Explore statistical summary
Identify outliers with Power BI visuals
Group and bin data for analysis
Apply clustering techniques
Conduct time series analysis
Use the Analyze feature
Use advanced analytics custom visuals
Review Quick insights
Apply AI Insights
Check your knowledge
Summary
Work with AI visuals in Power BI:
This module describes the AI capabilities of Power BI.
Introduction to working with AI visuals
Use the Q&A visual
Find important factors with the Key influencers visual
Use the Decomposition Tree visual to break down a measure
Exercise — Analyze data with AI visuals
Check your knowledge
Summary

DAY 7

In day 7 we will last module of PL-300 exam and we will learn how to create workspaces in the Power BI service. We will deploy your Power BI artifacts here and share them to your users. We will also learn how to connect Power BI reports to on-premise data sources. Ours users will appreciate seeing the latest data in your reports, so we will configure automatic refresh for your Power BI datasets. Row-level security allows you to create one report, but have users be restricted to see only the data that applies to them. This targets data to users, without having to create multiple reports.

Manage workspaces and datasets in Power BI
Once you have created your Power BI data sets and reports, it’s time to deploy them so the users can take advantage of all of your hard work.
Create and manage workspaces in Power BI:
Introduction
Distribute a report or dashboard
Monitor usage and performance
Recommend a development life cycle strategy
Troubleshoot data by viewing its lineage
Configure data protection
Check your knowledge
Summary

DAY 8 — DAY 13

We will only need to complete the practice tests from day 8 and try to achieve 90% score in practice tests to get more confidence and pass your exam in first attempt. You can utilize KloudSaga best practice tests and pl 300 questions to pass your exam in first attempt. For active coupons check https://kloudsaga.com
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[NEW] PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Exam 2024

Udemy Practice Test Link-

https://www.udemy.com/course/microsoft-power-bi-data-analyst/?referralCode=88122D3AF3B9F074D58B

If you have any doubts, feel free to post your queries in Q/A section on our Udemy course. We will provide best solutions.

We hope you are now confident and ready for the real exam.

DAY-14

Take Rest, Revise the study material and Practice Tests solutions. Revision helps you soak up the concepts that you have been studying. However, do not ignore your health. Eat, and rest properly if you want to study competently. You can’t grasp any information if your brain is tired as you feel worn out due to a shortage of sleep or rest.

Have a good sleep the night before the exam and be confident!

Exam Day Tip

Wake up early — revise notes but not new information. Get active — mild exercise will help calm your nerves and energies your brain. Eat a healthy breakfast.

Stay Calm! Take a deep breath, read the questions, formulate an answer before looking at the options, pick one, and move on.

For more Details Visit: https://kloudsaga.com/pl-300-microsoft-power-bi-data-analyst-certification/

Share your Success and post your badge on LinkedIn

After you pass the PL-300, be sure to share your success with the world by posting your badge proudly on LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to share your success on LinkedIn and other social channels and tag us @Kloudsaga so we can celebrate with you!

We’d love to hear your successful journey. All the Best!

Our Udemy Visit- https://www.udemy.com/user/kloudsagatutorials/

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Shivam Gupta | KloudSaga

10x Microsoft Azure Certified | Microsoft Certified Trainer | Azure DevOps Expert | Azure Architect | Azure Security Expert | AWS Solution Architect| Kubernetes