About Our Work What We Do Who We Serve Careers Contact About Blog How To Pass the Microsoft DA-100 Exam How To Pass the Microsoft DA-100 Exam Microsoft DA-100 Exam Introduction The DA-100 exam is titled Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI and is one of the many exams within the umbrella of Microsoft certification paths. Passing the exam is the only requirement to become a Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate. Currently, it is the only Power BI specific exam and certification path offered by Microsoft. Since Microsoft moved to role-based certifications and retired the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certifications, the DA-100 is the only option for Power BI developers who want a Microsoft certification at this time. Who is the DA-100 Exam for? The DA-100 exam is intended for Power BI subject matter experts that are capable of modeling, transforming, and visualizing data within the tool. Additionally, candidates need to transform business requirements into actions and recommendations through various case studies. If you are new to Power BI, plenty of hands-on practice is required to pass this exam. Experience in all areas of the tool and the ability to discern which deployment methods may be best for a given situation are also necessary. The exam does a good job in bridging the gap between a skilled Power BI user and an individual who can create and manage content in the best way for their organization. Why take the Microsoft DA-100 Exam? Becoming a Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate has more benefits than just a bullet point on a resume. Passing the exam requires technical knowledge as well as knowing how to best utilize the Power BI environment for a given situation. These skills can turn report builders into architects of enterprise-wide data solutions. This certification would greatly benefit anyone looking to begin a career or transition to a new role in data analytics using Power BI. It can also be a great way to display your personal career growth to managers or showcase skills to clients. This certification demonstrates that you can be trusted to build, deploy, and manage a business intelligence solution for an organization. How is the DA-100 Exam structured? The exam gives you 180 minutes to complete around sixty questions. The question formats are multiple choice and multi-select. There are case studies that ask multiple questions about a single, detailed set of business requirements. These contain a lot of information and involve a bit of critical thinking. The bulk of the exam consists of standalone questions. There is a nine-page document listing 116 skills that may be covered in the exam and there is a detailed list of skills covered provided by Microsoft. Overall, any feature that has been released as Generally Available for Power BI, both in the desktop and Power BI Service, may be included. The most important detail about the structure of the exam is that there is enough time allotted not to feel rushed. While some questions can be answered quickly, others require a bit of thought. When taking long exams, stress can be a driving factor in how people select responses. It is important to slowly read the questions to not miss key details of questions along the way. Only a minimal amount of experience of DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) and Power Query is required, you just need to be familiar with some basic functions and where to place them in a query. How should you prepare for the Microsoft DA-100 Exam? Even though the DA-100 exam was recently released, there are paid courses and practice exams tailored directly to passing that are excellent resources. However, my primary recommendation is to prioritize being familiar with using Power BI. I say that because the questions are tailored to experienced users and it is much easier to recall how you did something than remember what you read about it. This exam reinforces that concept with specific questions about what certain actions are called or how to perform them. I recommend first checking out the free learning paths offered by Microsoft for each of the five content areas covered in the exam. From there, you can determine which of the content areas are the most challenging and direct efforts to those. If you do not have a lot of experience in Power BI, fear not, there is an excellent community of Power BI content creators that also provide many free resources. There is a growing library of excellent YouTube channels dedicated to showing the latest Power BI tips and tricks. Just like the SQL Server community, the Power BI community has a strong presence on Twitter and many Power BI developers, Microsoft MVPs, and even Microsoft employees answer questions and post blogs on all things Power BI. If you are not cramming for the exam, you may consider joining a local Power BI user group. Microsoft has recently moved user groups to its own site located at community.powerbi.com that were previously managed by a third party. Wrap Up By passing the exam, you will have demonstrated that you know how to develop reports, effectively write DAX and Power Query code, manage the Power BI web environment, and apply analytical techniques within Power BI to deploy a comprehensive data solution for an organization. Anyone with this certification can reliably fill a data analyst role using Power BI. If you are looking to prove your talents or take on a new challenge in your career, becoming a Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate is a great step in that direction. We're Hiring Come work with our award winning team. Check out our careers page for current openings and send us your resume today! Careers BRIAN KNOXCORE CONTRIBUTOR BUSINESS ANALYST Brian Knox has passed the DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI exam and has been a Power BI developer, administrator, and instructor for over four years. He is a founder and leader of the Hampton Roads Power BI User Group. Brian applies his analytics knowledge as a business analyst at Marathon Consulting. He is a graduate from the College of William and Mary, having completed the inaugural class of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program. He has an undergraduate degree in Information Science from Christopher Newport University. Brian learned early on that he wanted to combine his passions of business and technology. Brian loves all things data and is always looking for ways to share his data science knowledge to help others throughout Hampton Roads. More posts from Brian Knox DATE: August 09, 2021 WRITTEN BY: Brian Knox SEARCH: RECENT POSTS: How to Make the Most of a Limited Google Ads Budget Rachel Brannaman September 27, 2021 UX Design – What Video Games, Web Design, and Mobile App Design have in Common: Part 2 Brett Oliver September 01, 2021 How To Pass the Microsoft DA-100 Exam Brian Knox August 09, 2021 Let's Talk About Your Project. We are a full-service IT and digital marketing firm. We believe that successful projects are the result of working collaboratively and transparently with our clients. Are you looking for a better user experience for your website or application? Need an experienced database architect or business analyst? Let’s talk! 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