Power BI Developer interview questions for recruiters

Technical screening questions

Ask for one example per question and listen for specifics.

• What is the difference between a calculated column and a measure? A good answer: Row-level stored values versus evaluated aggregations in filter context.
• Explain filter context in DAX. A good answer: How filters and slicers affect measure results.
• How do you design a star schema for Power BI? A good answer: Fact and dimension tables and relationships.
• How do you set up row-level security? A good answer: Roles and DAX filter expressions, tested with view-as.
• How do you handle scheduled refresh problems? A good answer: Gateway, credentials, query folding and incremental refresh.

Quick screening questions

Use these when you have only a few minutes.

• How do you design a model for a large dataset?
• Which DAX patterns do you use most?
• How do you manage refresh and gateways?

What separates the levels

Match the level to the requirement before you submit.

• Junior: builds visuals and simple measures.
• Mid: owns models and DAX.
• Senior: designs the semantic layer and governance.

Red flags

Any of these is a reason to probe further.

• Charts only, no DAX.
• Cannot explain relationships.
• Imports everything with no modeling.

Tools you should hear mentioned

A Power BI developer with real experience usually names several of these without prompting.

• Power BI Desktop and Service
• DAX
• Power Query (M)
• SQL
• Dataflows
• Row-level security

Run the call well

Ask for the last project first, then dig into the second or third question. Take notes on versions, team size and outcomes, and record them with the submission so the vendor’s later technical interview does not surprise you.

Frequently asked questions