Power BI and Microsoft Fabric · Exam comparison
PL-300 vs DP-600: Power BI analyst or Fabric analytics engineer?
PL-300 (Power BI Data Analyst Associate) is about turning data into reports people use: Power Query, data models, DAX and visuals. DP-600 (Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate) takes modeling to enterprise scale in Microsoft Fabric: preparing data with SQL, KQL and DAX, building and optimizing large semantic models, and running the solution with security and lifecycle management.
- Choose PL-300 if you build reports and dashboards for the business.
- Choose DP-600 if you build the data and semantic models that many reports share, in Fabric.
Side by side
| PL-300 | DP-600 | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | Power BI Data Analyst Associate | Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate |
| Main job | Prepare, model and visualize data in Power BI | Prepare and model data for analytics at scale in Fabric |
| Languages | DAX and Power Query | SQL, KQL and DAX |
| Biggest skill areas in our practice tests | Create model calculations by using DAX (14%) Design and implement a data model (12%) Create reports (12%) Transform and load the data (12%) | Transform data (18%) Design and build semantic models (16%) Query and analyze data (16%) |
| Career path on ExamKite | DP-900 → PL-300 | DP-900 → PL-300 → DP-600 |
| ExamKite practice | 9 practice tests, 500 questions | 6 practice tests, 350 questions |
Where they overlap
Both test data modeling and DAX. In our practice tests, designing models and writing DAX make up 26% of PL-300 questions, and designing and building semantic models makes up 16% of DP-600 questions. Modeling skills from PL-300 carry straight over.
Where they differ
PL-300 is about reports: creating reports, making them usable and finding patterns in them make up 29% of its practice questions.
DP-600 is about the data behind them: it has no report-building skill area. Instead, transforming and querying data with SQL and KQL make up 34% of its practice questions, and managing the analytics development lifecycle another 14%.
Which should you take first?
Neither exam has a prerequisite. PL-300 first is the usual route, and it is the step before DP-600 on our Analytics Engineer career path, because DP-600 builds on Power BI modeling and DAX. If you already work in Fabric with SQL, you can go straight to DP-600.
Questions people ask
Do I need PL-300 before DP-600?
No. DP-600 has no prerequisite exam, but Power BI modeling and DAX experience, which PL-300 covers, helps a lot.
Is DP-600 a Power BI exam?
Partly. Semantic models and DAX work the same as in Power BI, but the rest is Fabric: lakehouses and warehouses, SQL and KQL, security and lifecycle management.
How long are the certifications valid?
Both are valid for one year. You renew them with a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn before they expire.
More answers in the full FAQ.
Practice in the real exam formats
Every exam on ExamKite starts with a free diagnostic and a study plan for the topics you miss.