By: Daniel Calbimonte | Updated: 2023-06-23 | Comments | Related: More > Professional Development Certifications
Problem
Microsoft has an Advanced Exam for Microsoft Azure and Power BI. This tip will cover FAQs related to the Microsoft Certification exam, DP-500.
Solution
The DP-500 exam is for Power BI experts. This article includes FAQs and links to questions, books, and training material for this exam.
What does DP-500 mean?
DP stands for Data Platform and 500 is an identifier.
How much time do I need to get ready for the exam?
It depends on your experience. If you are an expert in Azure SQL Databases, Power BI, and Synapse Analytics, it may take you one month in the best scenario. If you have no experience with the technologies mentioned, it is strongly recommended that you study and take the PL-300 exam first and then the DP-500 exam. If you are an expert in Power BI but do not have experience with Synapse Analytics and Azure SQL Databases, you may need to study for 2-4 months. There are some without experience that pass the exam having only studied for one month; however, they are an exception, not the rule.
What languages are available for this exam?
- English
- Japanese
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Korean
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Italian
How much does the exam cost?
It depends on the country, but generally, it is around $80-165 USD.
Is there an official paid course for this exam?
Yes. The course oriented for this exam is the Course DP-500T00: Designing and Implementing Enterprise-Scale Analytics Solutions Using Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI. You can find some official courses on Microsoft’s site: DP-500T00 Courses. The price for this course is approximately $1,800 USD.
What about a self-paced free course?
There is a free course available to learn at your own pace. However, this course and the official paid courses are insufficient to pass the exam. Both do not cover all the topics completely. The self-paced course is available on Microsoft’s site: Self-paced course.
Is there a study guide for the DP-500 exam?
Yes, you can find the study guide here: DP-500 Study Guide.
Which books would you recommend for the Microsoft DP-500 exam?
The following books can be helpful:
- Exam Ref Dp-500 Designing and Implementing Enterprise-Scale Analytics Solutions Using Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI, First edition
- Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Certification Guide
- The Definitive Guide to DAX
- Limitless Analytics with Azure Synapse
- Azure Synapse Analytics Cookbook
- Mastering Microsoft Power BI
- Microsoft Power BI Cookbook
Are there some training exams for the DP-500?
Check out the following training exams:
What resources do you recommend to study for the exam?
Here are several categories with links to use as study aids:
Govern and Manage Data Analytics Environments
- Microsoft Purview
- Using the Power BI REST APIs
- Microsoft Power BI Cmdlets for Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core
- About the admin portal
Integrate Analytics Platforms into Existing Infrastructures
- Optimization guide for Power BI
- Manage data storage in Power BI workspaces
- What is an on-premises data gateway?
- How to Connect Power BI to Azure Data Lake Gen 2 / Blob Storage
- Power BI and Azure Synapse
Administer Analytics Lifecycle
- Working with source control using Synapse Studio
- Working with Power BI assets
- Power BI Pipelines
- Impact analysis of Datasets
- Dataset with XMLA endpoints
- Use Power BI templates, .pbids files, and shared datasets
Query Data with Azure Synapse Analytics
- Analyze data with a dedicated SQL Pool in Azure Synapse Analytics
- Query storage files with SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics
- Score machine learning models using the PREDICT function
Ingest and Transform Data with Power BI
- Power BI Bottlenecks
- Best practices with Power Query
- Create scalable Power BI dataflows
- Data Source settings
- Power Query Advanced Editor
- Consume Power BI data using JSON, Parquet, Azure Machine Learning Models, and REST APIs
How to Design and Build Tabular Models
- Using DirectQuery
- Install DAX Studio for SQL Server
- DAX Studio and Tabular editor
- Calculation groups
- Handling errors with DAX, Blank rows, virtual relationships, Iterators
- Optimizing DAX calculation for a large dataset
- Aggregation and Composite Model
- Design Row-level and Object-level Security in Power BI
- Scenarios for Using Calculated Tables in Analysis Services
Optimize Enterprise-scale Models
- Improve Power BI Performance
- Debug a DAX measure
- Optimize Power BI data model with Tabular Editor
- Analyze a dataset with Veripaq Analyzer
- Configuring incremental refresh
- Optimize with denormalization
Explore Data with Azure Synapse Analytics
- Analyze data with Apache Spark
- Query SQL Server DB from Spark notebook in Azure Synapse Analytics
- Visualize data with Synapse SQL pane
Visualize Data with Power BI
- Import custom theme
- Create your own theme
- Create R visuals in Power BI
- Create Python visuals in Power BI
- Create visuals with Python
- Dataset connectivity using XMLA endpoint
- Design reports for accessibility
- Personalize visuals
- Automatic page refresh
- Publish paginated reports
What is the score to pass the DP-500 exam?
Around 700 out of 1000.
How many questions are included in the exam?
There are approximately 40-60 questions.
How long does the exam take?
It takes around 3 hours.
Where can I take the exam?
You can take the exam online here.
What happens if I fail the exam?
In the event you do not receive a passing score, you have an opportunity to retake the exam. Your second attempt can occur after 24 hours. If you fail the exam five times, the sixth attempt must be taken one year after your first attempt.
Next Steps
For additional learning for the DP-500 exam, check out these tips from MSSQLTips:
- Exploring the Capabilities of Azure Synapse Spark External Tables
- Real-Time Analytics, Advanced Analytics, and Reporting in Azure Synapse Analytics
- Getting started with R scripts and R visuals in Power BI Desktop
- Power BI Performance Optimization Tips
- Generate visualizations in Power BI using Python Scripts
About the author
Daniel Calbimonte is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer and 6-time Microsoft Certified IT Professional. Daniel started his career in 2001 and has worked with SQL Server 6.0 to 2022. Daniel is a DBA as well as specializes in Business Intelligence (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) technologies.This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.
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Article Last Updated: 2023-06-23
