Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate: key terms

Flashcards for this exam Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate guide Class dates

• Accessible VisualizationDesigning charts that people with disabilities, including color-vision deficiency and screen-reader users, can perceive and understand.Intermediate
• Active RelationshipThe single relationship between two Power BI tables that propagates filters by default; additional relationships are inactive.Intermediate
• Additive MeasureA fact that can be summed meaningfully across every dimension, such as sales amount or quantity.Intermediate
• ALL FunctionA DAX function that returns all rows of a table or column, ignoring filters; inside CALCULATE it removes filters (like REMOVEFILTERS).Advanced
• Append QueriesA Power Query operation that stacks rows from two or more queries with the same columns, like SQL UNION ALL.Foundational
• Bar ChartA chart that compares values across categories using rectangular bars whose lengths are proportional to the values.Foundational
• BookmarkA saved state of a Power BI report page (filters, slicers, visibility, sort) that users can return to, often used for navigation and storytelling.Intermediate
• Bridge TableA table that resolves a many-to-many relationship between a fact and a dimension, or handles multivalued dimensions.Advanced
• Bullet ChartA compact bar chart, designed by Stephen Few, that shows a measure against a target and qualitative ranges.Advanced
• Business Intelligence (BI)The technologies and practices for collecting, integrating, analyzing and presenting business data to support decision-making.Foundational
• CALCULATE FunctionThe DAX function that evaluates an expression in a modified filter context, adding, replacing or removing filters.Advanced
• Calculated ColumnA DAX column computed row by row at data refresh and stored in the model, usable in slicers, filters and axes.Intermediate
• Calculated TableA table created with a DAX expression evaluated at refresh, such as a date table from CALENDAR or CALENDARAUTO.Advanced
• Calculation GroupsA semantic model feature that applies reusable DAX logic (calculation items) to any measure, reducing measure proliferation.Advanced
• Cardinality (Data Modeling)The number of instances of one entity that can relate to instances of another: one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many.Foundational
• Categorical Color PaletteA set of distinct hues for unordered categories, without implying magnitude or order.Intermediate
• Chart SelectionMatching the chart to the task: bar to compare, line for trends, histogram or box plot for distributions, scatter for relationships.Foundational
• Choropleth MapA map that shades geographic regions by a data value.Intermediate
• Column CardinalityThe number of distinct values in a column; high cardinality means many unique values.Intermediate
• Composite ModelA Power BI model that combines storage modes, such as Import and DirectQuery tables, or that chains to other published semantic models.Advanced
• Context TransitionThe DAX behavior in which CALCULATE, or a measure reference, converts the current row context into an equivalent filter context.Advanced
• Cross-Filter DirectionThe direction in which a Power BI relationship propagates filters: single (one side to many side) or both (bidirectional).Advanced
• Dashboard (Data Visualization)A visual display of the most important information needed to achieve objectives, arranged on a single screen for at-a-glance monitoring.Foundational
• Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)The formula language of Power BI, Analysis Services Tabular and Power Pivot, used for measures, calculated columns, calculated tables and security rules.Intermediate
• Data MartA subset of a data warehouse focused on one business area or department, such as sales or finance.Foundational
• Data ProfilingExamining data to summarize its structure, content, completeness, distributions, patterns and anomalies before using it.Foundational
• Data StorytellingCommunicating insights by combining data, visuals and narrative tailored to an audience to drive understanding and action.Foundational
• Data VisualizationRepresenting data graphically so that patterns, trends, comparisons and outliers can be understood quickly.Foundational
• Dataflow Gen2Fabric's low-code data preparation item that uses Power Query Online to ingest and transform data and write it to lakehouses, warehouses and more.Intermediate
• Date DimensionA dimension with one row per calendar date and attributes such as year, quarter, month, weekday, fiscal period and holiday flag.Foundational
• DAX MeasureA DAX calculation evaluated at query time in the filter context of each visual cell; it is not stored in the model.Intermediate
• Decomposition TreeA Power BI AI visual that lets users break a measure down across dimensions in any order, with AI splits suggesting the highest or lowest values.Advanced
• DenormalizationIntentionally adding redundancy, for example by merging tables or duplicating columns, to speed reads and simplify queries.Intermediate
• Deployment PipelinesA Power BI and Fabric feature for promoting content through development, test and production workspaces, with deployment rules for data sources and parameters.Advanced
• Dimension TableA table of descriptive attributes (who, what, where, when) used to filter, group and label facts.Foundational
• Dimensional ModelingA data modeling technique that organizes analytic data into facts (measurable events) and dimensions (descriptive context).Intermediate
• Direct LakeA Fabric storage mode in which semantic models load Delta Parquet column data directly from OneLake into memory on demand, without import refresh.Advanced
• DirectQueryA Power BI storage mode that sends queries to the source at report time instead of importing data, keeping results current.Intermediate
• Diverging Color PaletteA two-hue color scale with a neutral midpoint, used for data that deviates above and below a meaningful center such as zero or a target.Intermediate
• Drill-DownNavigating from summarized data to a more detailed level along a hierarchy, such as Year to Quarter to Month.Foundational
• Drill-ThroughNavigating from a summary value to a separate detail page or report, filtered to the selected context.Intermediate
• Dual Axis ChartA chart that overlays two measures with independent axes on the same pane, often with different mark types.Intermediate
• Dual Storage ModeA Power BI table storage mode that can act as Import or DirectQuery depending on the query, which avoids weak relationships in composite models.Advanced
• Dynamic Row-Level SecurityRLS that filters data using the signed-in user's identity, typically through USERPRINCIPALNAME() and a user-to-entitlement mapping table.Advanced
• Embedded AnalyticsIntegrating dashboards and reports directly into other applications or portals.Intermediate
• EndorsementPower BI and Fabric badges (Promoted, Certified and Master data) that signal trustworthy content to users.Intermediate
• Fact TableThe central table in a star schema that stores numeric measurements of business events plus foreign keys to dimensions.Foundational
• Fan TrapA modeling or join error in which joining tables at different grains duplicates rows and inflates aggregated totals.Advanced
• Field ParametersA Power BI feature that lets report users switch which measures or dimensions a visual displays through a slicer.Advanced
• Filter ContextThe set of filters applied to the model when a DAX measure is evaluated, coming from visuals, slicers, filters, RLS and CALCULATE.Advanced
• Funnel ChartA chart of stages in a sequential process showing decreasing values, used for conversion pipelines.Foundational
• GrainThe level of detail one row of a fact table represents, such as one line item per order or one balance per account per day.Intermediate
• Heat MapA matrix visualization in which cell color intensity encodes values, revealing patterns across two dimensions.Foundational
• Import ModeA Power BI storage mode that loads compressed data into the in-memory VertiPaq engine for the fastest query performance.Foundational
• Incremental RefreshA Power BI policy that refreshes only recent partitions of large Import tables while keeping historical partitions, using RangeStart and RangeEnd parameters.Advanced
• Iterator FunctionsDAX functions ending in X (SUMX, AVERAGEX, COUNTX, MAXX, RANKX) that evaluate an expression row by row over a table and then aggregate.Advanced
• Key Influencers VisualA Power BI AI visual that identifies and ranks the factors that most influence a target metric or outcome.Advanced
• KPI CardA visual that displays a key metric's current value, often against a target and with trend or status indicators.Foundational
• Line ChartA chart that connects data points with lines to show trends over a continuous dimension, usually time.Foundational
• Live ConnectionQuerying the data source directly each time a view is rendered, so results reflect current data.Foundational
• M LanguagePower Query Formula Language: the functional, case-sensitive language behind every Power Query transformation.Intermediate
• Many-to-Many Relationship (Database) (M:N)A relationship where many rows in one table relate to many rows in another; it is resolved with a junction table.Intermediate
• Mark as Date TableA Power BI setting that designates a table as the model's date table, validating a unique, contiguous date column for time intelligence.Intermediate
• Merge QueriesA Power Query operation that joins two queries horizontally on matching columns, like a SQL join.Foundational
• Microsoft FabricMicrosoft's unified SaaS analytics platform combining data engineering, integration, warehousing, real-time analytics, data science and Power BI on OneLake.Foundational
• Moving AverageThe average of the most recent n periods, recalculated each period to smooth short-term fluctuations and reveal trends.Foundational
• Non-Additive MeasureA fact that cannot be summed across any dimension, such as percentages, ratios or unit prices.Intermediate
• Object-Level Security (OLS)Power BI semantic model security that hides entire tables or columns from specified roles.Advanced
• OLAP CubeA multidimensional data structure that precomputes measures across dimensions for fast slicing and aggregation.Intermediate
• On-Premises Data GatewaySoftware installed on a local machine that securely connects Power BI, Fabric, Power Apps and Logic Apps to on-premises data sources.Intermediate
• One-to-Many Relationship (1:N)A relationship where one row in a parent table can relate to many rows in a child table, but each child relates to one parent.Foundational
• One-to-One Relationship (1:1)A relationship where each row in one table matches at most one row in another.Intermediate
• Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)Systems optimized for complex, read-heavy queries that aggregate large volumes of historical data for analysis.Foundational
• Paginated ReportA pixel-perfect, printable report format (RDL) built in Power BI Report Builder, designed for multi-page tables such as invoices or statements.Intermediate
• Performance AnalyzerA Power BI Desktop pane that records how long each visual takes, broken into DAX query, visual display and other time.Intermediate
• Pie ChartA circular chart divided into slices showing each category's proportion of a whole.Foundational
• Power BI AppA packaged, read-only bundle of reports and dashboards from a workspace, distributed to a broad audience.Intermediate
• Power BI DashboardA single-page canvas in the Power BI Service made of tiles pinned from one or more reports, used for at-a-glance monitoring.Foundational
• Power BI DesktopMicrosoft's free Windows application for connecting to data, transforming it with Power Query, modeling it with DAX and designing reports.Foundational
• Power BI ServiceThe cloud SaaS component of Power BI (app.powerbi.com) for publishing, sharing, refreshing and collaborating on semantic models, reports, dashboards and apps.Foundational
• Power QueryMicrosoft's data connection and transformation engine, used in Power BI, Excel, Dataflows and Fabric, with a GUI that records steps as M code.Foundational
• Q&A VisualA Power BI feature that lets users ask questions in natural language and get auto-generated visuals.Intermediate
• Query FoldingPower Query's ability to translate transformation steps into a single native source query, such as SQL, so the source does the work.Advanced
• RELATED FunctionA DAX function that fetches a value from the 'one' side of a relationship into the current row context on the 'many' side.Intermediate
• Role-Playing DimensionA single physical dimension referenced several times by a fact table in different roles, such as Date as Order Date and Ship Date.Intermediate
• Roll-UpAggregating data to a higher, less detailed level of a hierarchy, such as City to Country; the opposite of drill-down.Foundational
• Row ContextThe current row being evaluated in a DAX calculated column or iterator function such as SUMX or FILTER.Advanced
• Row-Level Security (RLS)Restricting which rows a user can see based on their identity or role, enforced by the data platform or semantic model.Intermediate
• Running TotalA cumulative sum that adds each row's value to the total of all preceding rows in a defined order.Foundational
• Scatter PlotA chart that plots two numeric variables as points to reveal relationships, clusters and outliers.Foundational
• Scheduled RefreshAutomatically refreshing a Power BI semantic model's imported data at set times in the Service.Foundational
• Self-Service BIEnabling business users to create their own reports and analyses from governed data without relying on IT for each request.Foundational
• Semantic LayerA business-friendly abstraction over physical data that defines entities, relationships and metrics once for consistent use across tools.Intermediate
• Semantic ModelPower BI's model, formerly called a dataset, containing tables, relationships, measures, hierarchies and security that reports query.Intermediate
• Semi-Additive MeasureA fact that can be summed across some dimensions but not across time, such as account balances or inventory levels.Advanced
• Sequential Color PaletteA single-hue (or light-to-dark) color scale for ordered numeric data running from low to high.Intermediate
• Single Source of Truth (SSOT)The practice of having one authoritative source for each data element or metric so that everyone uses consistent numbers.Foundational
• Slice and DiceOLAP operations: slicing fixes one dimension to a single value, and dicing selects a sub-cube using values from several dimensions.Foundational
• SlicerAn on-canvas Power BI visual that lets users filter other visuals on the page by selecting values.Foundational
• Small MultiplesA grid of small charts with the same scale and axes, each showing a different subset of the data, for easy comparison.Intermediate
• Snowflake SchemaA dimensional model whose dimension tables are normalized into multiple related tables, such as Product to Subcategory to Category.Intermediate
• SparklineA small, word-sized line chart without axes that shows the trend shape alongside a number or in a table.Intermediate
• Stacked Bar ChartA bar chart in which each bar is divided into segments showing the parts that make up the total.Foundational
• Star SchemaA dimensional model with a central fact table joined directly to denormalized dimension tables, forming a star shape.Foundational
• Time Intelligence FunctionsDAX functions such as TOTALYTD, SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR, DATEADD, DATESYTD and PARALLELPERIOD that compute values across periods.Advanced
• TreemapA chart that displays hierarchical part-to-whole data as nested rectangles sized by value.Intermediate
• Unpivot ColumnsA Power Query transformation that turns selected columns into attribute-value row pairs, converting wide data to long format.Intermediate
• USERELATIONSHIP FunctionA DAX modifier used in CALCULATE that activates an inactive relationship for one calculation.Advanced
• VertiPaqThe in-memory columnar storage engine behind Power BI Import mode, Analysis Services Tabular and Power Pivot.Advanced
• Waterfall ChartA chart showing how an initial value is increased and decreased by sequential positive and negative contributions to reach a final value.Intermediate
• Weighted AverageAn average in which each value is multiplied by a weight reflecting its importance or frequency, divided by the sum of the weights.Foundational
• Wide vs Long DataTwo layouts for the same data: wide has one column per variable value (such as per month); long (tidy) has one row per observation.Intermediate
• Workspace RolesPower BI and Fabric workspace permission levels: Admin, Member, Contributor and Viewer.Intermediate