How I Prepared and Successfully Passed the DA-100 Microsoft Exam

How well does DA-100 exam technical knowledge?

The DA-100 is not as in-depth on evaluating technical knowledge as the previous tests. With fewer of the total questions and with mixing best practices into the questions, I don’t see this test as a great metric for technical ability. This is by design, but it is good to know.

DA-100 is a role-based certification for Data Analysts’ job roles. This exam is a replacement of Exam 70-778 – Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI which was retired on January 31, 2021. I sat the 70-778 exam back in December 2018 and found some significant changes in the DA-100 exam when compared to 70-778.

What does role DA-100 exam based mean?

Currently, this test is the sole requirement for Microsoft’s Data Analyst Associate certification. To me, this test feels like vendor trainings I used to do as a salesperson when I worked for LaCie. Sure, I’d learn about hard drive specifications, but mainly I learned about benefits for the end user. This test is more technical than those trainings! Ideally, this test is perfect for consultants and partners of Microsoft. The case studies require candidates to consider different situations where a consultant may be implementing solutions. Don’t get me wrong. You do need technical knowledge to pass, but it’s less deep than the previous exams.

Skills Measured in the Exam

There are specific skills measured in the exam. Find below the skills sets and the percentage of the expected questions for each set:

• Prepare the data (20-25%)
• Model the data (25-30%)
• Visualize the data (20-25%)
• Analyze the data (10-15%)
• Deploy and maintain deliverables (10-15%)

The official exam page states that they assess your knowledge on almost every bullet point appearing below each skillset, YES, they do. I strongly suggest you thoroughly understand each bullet point and make yourself comfortable answering the related questions.

Preparing and Passing the DA-100 Exam

• If you want to sit this exam and pass with confidence, you must do the preparation ahead of time. I have been using Power BI for nearly four years, but I found myself in trouble on the “Deploy and maintain deliverables” section as I had less exposure to it, so I had to allocate more learning time to it.
• Always prepare based on proven methods. The internet is flooded with lots of resources, so pick your content wisely. I will share some of the resources that I used to prepare and succeed in the exam.

The 1st and foremost are the FREE Microsoft DA-100 Practice Test You can find it right below the exam detail page. Microsoft has done a fantastic job putting up these learning paths, as they cover every topic from the skill set. You will also get some valuable quizzes at the end of each section to test your knowledge.

• If you want to learn or brush up your skills with each topic in the exam syllabus and prefer short video content on each topic, then I would highly recommend the DA-100 Training course on  from Parker Stevens.  It is affordable, and you get 7 days free trial as well.
• I came across an article posted in mssqltips.com, Study material for exam DA-100 Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI. The author has linked the official Microsoft documentation to every topic in the exam syllabus.
• I have been contributing to the Power BI community forum for the past 15 months and solved around 1,200+ questions submitted by members. Microsoft has recognized me as a Power BI Super User IV for my contributions (Profile). This played an important role in my Power BI learning journey. You will find lots of community content such as webinars, blogs, answers to questions, and many more valuable resources to enhance your knowledge.

Practicing for the DA-100 Exam

Once you have learned the concepts, it’s time to practice them in line with the exam skill-set. I believe this a crucial part of the journey towards a successful exam. It helps identify and close the knowledge gaps. I would highly recommend the following resources for you:

•  Rishi Sapra, a Microsoft Data Platform MVP has created an amazing set of Power BI Quizzes to practice questions related to DA-100. He also provides correct answers to the quizzes with explanations and links.
• Cecilia Brusatori from Magna Data has put together an interactive quiz-style Power BI report with lots of questions to practice and sharpen your knowledge.

Tips for The Exam

I liked the excitement and the energy on the day of the exam. If you plan to attend from home or office, please ensure to test your internet connection and the system and prepare the environment to make sure you have a smooth exam session.

• Be prepared to sit through the whole of your session, you are not allowed to leave your seat for any reason.
• They say you are monitored, and you are. I was looking away from my screen for a while as I felt a strain on my neck, and I was immediately informed through the chat window to keep my focus on the screen.
• You are allowed to keep your water and coffee but no other stuff on the table such as papers, calculators, extra monitors, phones, etc.
• Read your questions carefully before finalizing the answer because some wording may add complexity to the questions.
• Your time is limited to around 2.5 minutes per question. Do not spend too much time if you are not sure about the answer. Select the answer that you think is correct and mark the question for review to come back later.
• Avoid marking too many questions for revision as you will run out of time at the end to return and review.

Keep learning and practice more and more. Do not forget to visit the Power BI Community for any help.e

What does role based mean?

Currently, this test is the sole requirement for Microsoft’s Data Analyst Associate certification. To me, this test feels like vendor trainings I used to do as a salesperson when I worked for LaCie. Sure, I’d learn about hard drive specifications, but mainly I learned about benefits for the end user. This test is more technical than those trainings! Ideally, this test is perfect for consultants and partners of Microsoft. The case studies require candidates to consider different situations where a consultant may be implementing solutions. Don’t get me wrong. You do need technical knowledge to pass, but it’s less deep than the previous exams.

Would I hire someone who passed the DA-100?

I believe the DA-100 is much more useful for consultants than for direct positions. For a direct position, a DA-100 would make a candidate stand out compared to another who didn’t take the test. However, it won’t tell me if the person has the technical chops to use Power Query and DAX well, like the 778 and 779 do. If technical ability were my concern, I’d look to see if they had classes in DAX and Power Query. I would also ask candidates what they found valuable about the classes they took. I have experience with P3 (Power Pivot Pro) and with SQLBI. P3 teaches strong technical skills with an eye toward fostering data-informed decision making. I trained with P3 (and consulted with them for a year)— and 100% nailed the DAX section of the 779 test). SQLBI is the gold standard for intense, well-performing DAX and data modeling. Beyond those two, there are MANY great options for training in Power BI.