What will I actually learn in this PL-300 prep course?

You'll learn how the PL-300 exam maps to real Power BI work, from preparing data and modeling it to building reports and managing assets. The course starts with exam structure and study strategy, then moves through the main Power BI workflows before finishing with a mock exam and guidance for the proctored exam. Along the way, you'll practice tasks such as transforming data in Power Query, creating DAX measures, and improving report usability.

Do I need Power BI experience before taking this course?

You don't need deep Power BI experience, but some basic familiarity will help because this course is centered on exam review rather than a full from-scratch course. It revisits core workflows such as connecting to data, modeling, reporting, and setting up your environment, so the material stays accessible. If you're completely new to Power BI, expect a fairly quick move into exam topics and guided practice.

Is this course beginner-friendly for PL-300 prep?

Yes, it's beginner-friendly if you're early in your Power BI journey and want a clear path through the certification topics. The course breaks the material into manageable sections, uses guided activities and quizzes to reinforce each area, and builds toward a mock exam instead of assuming prior test experience. It may feel less suitable if you want an advanced deep dive into one Power BI specialty rather than broad exam coverage.

How long does it take to complete this course?

Expect about 38 hours of work in total, which is roughly four weeks at 10 hours a week. That pace lets you move through the review modules, complete the guided Power BI activities, and take the mock exam without rushing. The course includes lessons, readings, practice exercises, quizzes, and exam-prep resources.

Are there hands-on exercises or projects in this course?

Yes, though the hands-on work is mostly guided practice rather than a single open-ended project. You'll work through exercises such as connecting to data sources, cleaning and transforming data, creating measures, formatting reports, and managing workspace or refresh settings. That format works well for exam prep because you apply each skill in context before testing yourself on the mock exam.

What skills and topics are covered in this course?

The course focuses on the main PL-300 skill areas: preparing data, modeling data, visualizing and analyzing data, and deploying and maintaining Power BI assets. You'll review tools and methods such as Power Query and DAX, then use them in reporting, performance, security, and sharing tasks. Overall, it gives you a broad exam-centered review of how Power BI is used across the full analyst workflow.

What can I actually do after finishing this course?

By the end, you should be able to work through the core PL-300 tasks with more confidence and know where you still need review before the real exam. For example, you should be able to take a dataset, prepare it, build key model calculations, create interactive reports, and manage features such as scheduled refresh or row-level security. You'll also have a clearer picture of exam logistics, study strategy, and what the mock results say about your readiness.

Is this course more conceptual or hands-on?

It's more like guided, applied review than theory-heavy study. The course explains the exam topics, then reinforces them through step-by-step exercises, quizzes, and a mock exam rather than a big independent project. It's a good fit if you want structured practice with Power BI tasks.

Why would I choose this course over other Power BI courses?

This course is a strong choice if you want PL-300 preparation that stays tightly focused on the certification objectives instead of offering a general tour of Power BI. It reviews each major exam area, gives you guided practice in the same workflow, and adds a mock exam, test-taking strategies, and practical guidance for signing up for the proctored exam. If your goal is to measure your readiness and focus your study time, it's a better fit than a broader report-building course.

Microsoft PL-300 Exam Preparation and Practice

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Microsoft PL-300 Exam Preparation and Practice

This course is part of Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate

Instructor: Microsoft

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

679 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

4 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

94%

Most learners liked this course

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

679 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

4 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

94%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Prepare the data with Power BI.
Model, visualize, and analyze the data in Power BI.
How to deploy and maintain Power BI assets.
NEW [optional] Generative AI for Power BI.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

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Assessments

16 assignments¹

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Taught in English

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Build your Data Analysis expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 5 modules in this course

This course forms part of the Microsoft Power BI Analyst Professional Certificate. This Professional Certificate consists of a series of courses that offer a good starting point for a career in data analysis using Microsoft Power BI.

This course will help you prepare for the Microsoft PL-300 exam. In this course, you’ll refresh your knowledge of all the key areas assessed in the Microsoft-certified Exam PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst. In addition, you will prepare for the certification exam by taking a mock exam with a similar format and content as in the Microsoft PL-300 exam. You’ll also get tips and tricks, testing strategies, useful resources, and information on how to sign up for the Microsoft PL-300 proctored exam. This course is a great way to prepare for the Microsoft PL-300 exam. By passing the PL-300 exam, you’ll earn the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst certification. Earning a Microsoft Certification is globally recognized evidence of real-world skills. After completing this course, you'll be able to: ● Prepare the data ● Model the data ● Visualize and analyze the data ● Deploy and maintain assets

Module details

In this module, you will review how preparing data is covered on the PL-300 exam. You will focus on the core concepts involved in connecting to data sources, addressing data quality issues, and shaping and loading data in Power BI.

What's included

13 videos26 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt

13 videosTotal 58 minutes

Course introduction5 minutes
Introduction to preparing for the exam4 minutes
Identify and connect to a data source4 minutes
DirectQuery, Import, and Dual mode4 minutes
Parameter values4 minutes
Connecting to a dataflow4 minutes
Evaluating data, data statistics, and column properties6 minutes
Resolve inconsistencies and data quality issues4 minutes
Create and transform columns5 minutes
Identify when to use reference queries4 minutes
Merge and append queries6 minutes
Table relationships4 minutes
Module summary: Preparing data4 minutes

26 readingsTotal 395 minutes

Course syllabus10 minutes
Additional resources: Microsoft PL-300 Exam resources5 minutes
How to prepare for the proctored examination10 minutes
How the exam is administered10 minutes
Topics covered in the Exam PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst10 minutes
Testing strategy10 minutes
Additional resources: Microsoft certification5 minutes
Connectors in Power BI10 minutes
Shared dataset or local dataset10 minutes
Activity: Set up a data source30 minutes
Managing data sources10 minutes
Microsoft Dataverse10 minutes
In-depth: Get data from data sources10 minutes
Additional resources: Get data from data sources5 minutes
Activity: Analyze a dataset30 minutes
Activity: Resolve data import errors30 minutes
In-depth: Profiling and cleaning data10 minutes
Additional resources: Profiling and cleaning data5 minutes
Activity: Shape and transform tables30 minutes
Activity: Table Transformations in Power Query30 minutes
Splitting column data10 minutes
Activity: Sorting columns30 minutes
Activity: Configure data loading for queries30 minutes
Activity: Find top performing products30 minutes
In-depth: Transform and load data10 minutes
Additional resources: Transform and load data5 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 45 minutes

Power BI Data Storage, Access, and Shared Dataset Fundamentals15 minutes
Power Query Data Profiling and Error Handling Check15 minutes
Power BI Fundamentals: Data Transformation and Modeling15 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

How do you prepare for the PL-300 Exam?10 minutes

In this module, you will review key concepts related to modeling data in Power BI for the PL-300 exam, including data model design, DAX calculations, model implementation, and performance optimization.

What's included

13 videos20 readings4 assignments

13 videosTotal 66 minutes

Designing a schema4 minutes
Implementing role-playing dimensions5 minutes
Using CALCULATE to manipulate filters4 minutes
Cardinality and cross-filter direction6 minutes
Calculated Columns4 minutes
Single aggregation measures5 minutes
Implement time intelligence measures7 minutes
Additive, semi-additive and non-additive measures4 minutes
Calculated tables6 minutes
Data hierachies6 minutes
Using the Performance Analyzer5 minutes
Improve performancing via cardinality and summarization6 minutes
Module summary: Modeling data5 minutes

20 readingsTotal 360 minutes

Activity: Configure table and column properties30 minutes
Activity: Common date tables30 minutes
In-depth: Design a data model10 minutes
Additional resources: Design a data model5 minutes
Activity: Add a SUM aggregation measure30 minutes
Activity: Replacing implicit measures30 minutes
Statistical functions cheatsheet10 minutes
Activity: Create a semi-additive measure30 minutes
Path DAX functions10 minutes
In-depth: Create model calculations using DAX10 minutes
Additional Resources: Create model calculations using DAX5 minutes
Activity: Adding a calculated table30 minutes
Activity: Creating a report hierarchy30 minutes
Activity: Add an Index Column30 minutes
In-depth: Implement a data model10 minutes
Additional Resources: Implement a data model5 minutes
Activity: Optimal data types and reducing data30 minutes
Best practices for SQL data sources10 minutes
In-depth: Optimize model performance10 minutes
Additional resources: Optimize model performance5 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 61 minutes

Self-review: What did you learn?18 minutes
Self-review: What did you learn?15 minutes
Self-Review: What did you learn?18 minutes
Self-review: What did you learn?10 minutes

In this module, you will review how to visualize and analyze data in Power BI for the PL-300 exam. You will work with core concepts for creating reports, improving report usability and storytelling, and identifying patterns and trends by using features such as filtering, navigation, interactions, AI visuals, anomaly detection, grouping, binning, metrics, and reference lines.

What's included

14 videos24 readings3 assignments

14 videosTotal 71 minutes

Using appropriate visualizations5 minutes
Configuring and formatting visualizations4 minutes
Slicing and filtering3 minutes
Report navigation and sorting6 minutes
Interactions between visuals6 minutes
Sync slicers4 minutes
Group and layer visuals by using the Selection pane4 minutes
Design reports for mobile devices5 minutes
Detect outliers and anomalies5 minutes
Grouping and binning data5 minutes
AI visuals6 minutes
Reference lines and error bars6 minutes
Scorecards and metrics5 minutes
Module Summary: Visualize and Analyze data6 minutes

24 readingsTotal 525 minutes

Activity: Format and configure visualizations30 minutes
Activity: Conditional formatting30 minutes
Activity: Configure the report page30 minutes
Activity: Use a custom visual30 minutes
Activity: Using the Play Axis visualization30 minutes
Export and printing reports10 minutes
Activity: Exporting and Importing Themes30 minutes
In-depth: Creating reports10 minutes
Additional Resources: Creating reports5 minutes
Activity: Configure a bookmark30 minutes
Activity: Create custom tooltips30 minutes
Conditional formatting for buttons10 minutes
Activity: Apply sorting30 minutes
What is published with a report?10 minutes
Activity: Using the Q&A feature for reports30 minutes
Activity: Add the Q&A feature to a dashboard30 minutes
In-depth: Enhance Reports for usability and storytelling10 minutes
Additional resources: Enhance reports for usability and storytelling5 minutes
Activity: Anomaly detection30 minutes
Activity: Grouping data30 minutes
Activity: Binning data30 minutes
Activity: Using the Analyze feature30 minutes
In-depth: Identify patterns and trends10 minutes
Additional Resources: Identify patterns and trends5 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Self-Review: What did you learn?24 minutes
Self-review: What did you learn?21 minutes
Self-Review: What did you learn?15 minutes

In this module, you will review the core concepts used to deploy and maintain Power BI assets for the PL-300 exam. You will focus on workspaces, workspace roles, apps, dashboards, sensitivity labels, subscriptions, alerts, and content endorsement, along with dataset management concepts such as gateways, scheduled refresh, row-level security, and dataset access.

What's included

8 videos10 readings2 assignments

8 videosTotal 45 minutes

Workspaces and workspace roles5 minutes
Workspace apps5 minutes
Subscriptions and data alerts4 minutes
Promote or certify Power BI content5 minutes
Data gateways7 minutes
Row-level security8 minutes
Providing access to datasets6 minutes
Module Summary: Deploy and maintain assets5 minutes

10 readingsTotal 170 minutes

Activity: Create a workspace30 minutes
Publish, import, or update assets in a workspace10 minutes
Activity: Create dashboards30 minutes
Activity: Apply sensitivity labels30 minutes
Global options for files10 minutes
In-depth: Create and manage workspaces and assets10 minutes
Additional Resources: Deploy and maintain assets5 minutes
Activity: Configure a dataset scheduled refresh30 minutes
In-depth: Manage datasets10 minutes
Additional Resources: Manage datasets5 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 30 minutes

Self-Review: What did you learn?15 minutes
Self-Review: What did you learn?15 minutes

In this module, you will bring together what you’ve learned across the course as you prepare for the PL-300 practice exam. You will review how core Power BI skills connect across the data analyst workflow, examine how Microsoft Copilot supports business and reporting tasks, and consider how AI can assist with report design and DAX troubleshooting. You will also reflect on your learning and identify next steps in your Power BI journey.