SharePoint and OneDrive sources in Power BI - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding SharePoint Folder Connector in Power BI

Which of the following best describes how Power BI connects to a SharePoint folder to load files?

A Power BI uses the SharePoint Folder connector to list all files in the folder and then allows filtering and combining files.

B Power BI connects directly to each file in SharePoint without listing the folder contents first.

C Power BI requires downloading files manually from SharePoint before importing them.

D Power BI uses the Web connector to access SharePoint files by URL only.

💡 Hint

Think about how Power BI handles multiple files in a SharePoint folder.

The SharePoint Folder connector lists all files in the folder, enabling users to filter and combine files easily. This is the recommended way to connect to SharePoint folders.

❓ dax_lod_result

intermediate

Calculating Total Sales from OneDrive Excel Source

You imported sales data from an Excel file stored in OneDrive. The table 'SalesData' has columns: Date, Product, and SalesAmount.

What is the result of this DAX measure?

 TotalSales = SUM(SalesData[SalesAmount]) 

Assuming the SalesAmount column has values: 100, 200, 150, 50.

A 500

B 150

C 100

D Syntax Error

💡 Hint

SUM adds all values in the column.

The SUM function adds all values in the SalesAmount column: 100 + 200 + 150 + 50 = 500.

❓ visualization

advanced

Best Visualization for File Size Distribution from SharePoint Folder

You loaded a SharePoint folder containing many files with different sizes. You want to show the distribution of file sizes grouped by file type.

Which visualization is best suited for this purpose in Power BI?

A Line Chart showing file size over time

B Pie Chart showing count of files per file type

C Stacked Column Chart showing total file size per file type

D Table showing file names and sizes

💡 Hint

Think about comparing total sizes by categories.

A Stacked Column Chart effectively shows total file sizes grouped by file type, making it easy to compare size distribution visually.

🔧 Formula Fix

advanced

Troubleshooting SharePoint Folder Access Error

You try to connect Power BI to a SharePoint folder but get an error: 'Access Denied'. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

A The SharePoint folder is empty and cannot be connected.

B You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site or folder.

C Power BI does not support SharePoint folder connections.

D The Excel files in the folder are corrupted.

💡 Hint

Think about permissions when accessing online folders.

'Access Denied' usually means the user lacks permission to access the SharePoint site or folder. Permissions must be granted to connect successfully.

🎯 Scenario

expert

Combining Multiple Excel Files from OneDrive with Different Structures

You have multiple Excel files stored in OneDrive, each with sales data but different column orders and some missing columns. You want to combine them into one table in Power BI.

Which approach will handle this scenario best?

A Use the SharePoint Folder connector and rely on automatic column matching without transformations.

B Manually download and combine files in Excel before importing to Power BI.

C Import only one file and ignore others to avoid mismatched columns.

D Use Power Query to import all files, promote headers, and use 'Append Queries' with 'Use First Row as Headers' and 'Column Matching' enabled.

💡 Hint

Think about how Power Query can transform and combine data with different structures.

Power Query allows importing multiple files, promoting headers, and appending queries with column matching, handling different column orders and missing columns effectively.

Practice

1. Which option in Power BI allows you to connect directly to files stored in SharePoint Online?

easy

A. SQL Server connector

B. SharePoint Folder connector

C. Azure Blob Storage connector

D. Local File connector

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct connector for SharePoint Online

   Power BI provides a specific connector called 'SharePoint Folder' to access files stored in SharePoint Online.

2. Step 2: Eliminate other connectors

   SQL Server and Azure Blob Storage connectors are for different data sources, and Local File connector is for files on your computer.

3. Final Answer:

   SharePoint Folder connector -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   SharePoint Folder = SharePoint Folder connector [OK]

Hint: Use 'SharePoint Folder' to connect to SharePoint files quickly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing SQL Server connector for SharePoint data
• Using Local File connector for cloud files
• Confusing Azure Blob Storage with SharePoint

2. Which of the following is the correct URL format to connect Power BI to a SharePoint document library using the Web connector?

easy

A. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_layouts/15/start.aspx

B. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/documents

C. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('libraryname')/items

D. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the URL needed for Web connector

   The Web connector requires the direct URL to the SharePoint document library root folder, which looks like https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname.

2. Step 2: Analyze other URL options

   https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_layouts/15/start.aspx is a SharePoint start page, not a document library URL. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('libraryname')/items is an API endpoint, not a direct folder URL. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/documents is incorrect because 'documents' is not the standard library name unless customized.

3. Final Answer:

   https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Correct SharePoint library URL = https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname [OK]

Hint: Use the direct library URL without extra paths for Web connector [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using SharePoint homepage URL instead of library URL
• Using API URLs instead of folder URLs
• Adding extra SharePoint layout paths

3. Given this Power Query M code snippet connecting to SharePoint folder:

Source = SharePoint.Files("https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sales", [ApiVersion = 15])
Filtered = Table.SelectRows(Source, each Text.EndsWith([Name], ".xlsx"))

What does the 'Filtered' step return?

medium

A. All files in the SharePoint site ending with .xlsx

B. Only folders in the SharePoint site

C. All files except those ending with .xlsx

D. Only files from local drive

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SharePoint.Files function

   This function lists all files and folders in the specified SharePoint site URL.

2. Step 2: Analyze the filter condition

   The filter keeps only rows where the file name ends with '.xlsx', so it selects Excel files only.

3. Final Answer:

   All files in the SharePoint site ending with .xlsx -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Filter by '.xlsx' files = All files in the SharePoint site ending with .xlsx [OK]

Hint: Text.EndsWith filters file extensions easily [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it filters folders instead of files
• Assuming it excludes .xlsx files
• Confusing SharePoint files with local files

4. You try to connect Power BI to a SharePoint folder but get an error: "Access denied". Which of the following is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site

B. You used the wrong SharePoint URL format

C. Power BI does not support SharePoint connections

D. Your local file path is incorrect

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the error message

   An "Access denied" error usually means the user lacks permission to access the SharePoint site or folder.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Wrong URL format usually causes "Not found" errors, not access denied. Power BI supports SharePoint connections. Local file path is irrelevant for SharePoint connection.

3. Final Answer:

   You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Access denied = Permission issue = You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site [OK]

Hint: Access denied usually means permission problem [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming URL format causes access denied
• Thinking Power BI can't connect to SharePoint
• Confusing local file errors with SharePoint errors

5. You want to create a Power BI report that automatically updates when new Excel files are added to a OneDrive folder. Which approach is best?

hard

A. Connect using SharePoint Folder connector with a static file path

B. Download files manually and import them into Power BI Desktop

C. Connect using OneDrive Folder connector and enable scheduled refresh

D. Use SQL Server connector to link OneDrive files

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct connector for OneDrive files

   Power BI has a OneDrive Folder connector that connects directly to OneDrive folders and supports automatic refresh.

2. Step 2: Understand refresh options

   Enabling scheduled refresh allows the report to update when new files are added. Manual download is inefficient. SQL Server connector is unrelated. SharePoint Folder connector is for SharePoint, not OneDrive.

3. Final Answer:

   Connect using OneDrive Folder connector and enable scheduled refresh -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   OneDrive Folder + scheduled refresh = Connect using OneDrive Folder connector and enable scheduled refresh [OK]

Hint: Use OneDrive Folder connector with refresh for auto updates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Manually importing files instead of connecting live
• Using SharePoint connector for OneDrive data
• Trying to use SQL Server connector for cloud files