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Guided PL-300 Domain 4
Domain 4 — Module 3 of 5 60%
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PL-300 Study Guide

Domain 1: Prepare the Data

  • Connecting to Data Sources Free
  • Storage Modes: Import, DirectQuery & DirectLake Free
  • Data Profiling & Quality Free
  • Power Query Transforms Free
  • Combining Data: Merge, Append & Queries
  • Fact Tables, Dimension Tables & Keys
  • Data Loading & Query Optimisation

Domain 2: Model the Data

  • Star Schema & Relationships
  • Date Tables & Table Properties
  • Columns vs Measures: When to Use Which
  • DAX Fundamentals Free
  • CALCULATE & Filter Context
  • Time Intelligence & Calculation Groups
  • Model Performance Optimisation

Domain 3: Visualize and Analyze the Data

  • Choosing & Formatting Visuals
  • Slicers, Filters & Interactions
  • Bookmarks, Tooltips & Navigation
  • Copilot in Power BI Reports
  • Report Pages & Paginated Reports
  • Mobile, Accessibility & Personalisation
  • AI Visuals & Pattern Discovery

Domain 4: Manage and Secure Power BI

  • Workspaces & Distribution
  • Dashboards, Alerts & Subscriptions
  • Gateways & Scheduled Refresh
  • Row-Level Security & Access Control
  • Sensitivity Labels & Governance

PL-300 Study Guide

Domain 1: Prepare the Data

  • Connecting to Data Sources Free
  • Storage Modes: Import, DirectQuery & DirectLake Free
  • Data Profiling & Quality Free
  • Power Query Transforms Free
  • Combining Data: Merge, Append & Queries
  • Fact Tables, Dimension Tables & Keys
  • Data Loading & Query Optimisation

Domain 2: Model the Data

  • Star Schema & Relationships
  • Date Tables & Table Properties
  • Columns vs Measures: When to Use Which
  • DAX Fundamentals Free
  • CALCULATE & Filter Context
  • Time Intelligence & Calculation Groups
  • Model Performance Optimisation

Domain 3: Visualize and Analyze the Data

  • Choosing & Formatting Visuals
  • Slicers, Filters & Interactions
  • Bookmarks, Tooltips & Navigation
  • Copilot in Power BI Reports
  • Report Pages & Paginated Reports
  • Mobile, Accessibility & Personalisation
  • AI Visuals & Pattern Discovery

Domain 4: Manage and Secure Power BI

  • Workspaces & Distribution
  • Dashboards, Alerts & Subscriptions
  • Gateways & Scheduled Refresh
  • Row-Level Security & Access Control
  • Sensitivity Labels & Governance
Domain 4: Manage and Secure Power BI Premium ⏱ ~10 min read

Gateways & Scheduled Refresh

Understand when a data gateway is required, how to configure scheduled refresh, and keep your Power BI datasets up to date automatically.

Keeping data fresh

☕ Simple explanation

Imagine a delivery service. Your Power BI report lives in the cloud, but your data might live on a server in your office building. A gateway is the delivery truck that carries data from your on-premises server to the cloud.

Without a gateway, cloud-based Power BI can’t reach on-premises data. Scheduled refresh tells Power BI when to send the truck — daily, hourly, or at specific times.

A data gateway is software installed on an on-premises server that acts as a bridge between the Power BI service and on-premises data sources. It encrypts and compresses data for secure transfer.

Scheduled refresh configures automatic data refresh for Import-mode semantic models in the Power BI service. DirectQuery models don’t need scheduled refresh — they query the source live. The gateway is required for any data source that isn’t directly accessible from the cloud.

When is a gateway required?

Gateway = bridge from on-premises to cloud. Not needed for cloud data sources.
ScenarioGateway Needed?Why
On-premises SQL ServerYes ✓The server is behind your firewall — cloud can't reach it directly
On-premises file share (Excel, CSV)Yes ✓Files on a local network aren't accessible from the cloud
Azure SQL DatabaseNo ✗It's already in the cloud — Power BI can connect directly
SharePoint OnlineNo ✗Cloud service — directly accessible
Dataverse / Dynamics 365No ✗Cloud services — no gateway needed
On-premises Oracle or MySQLYes ✓On-premises databases need the gateway bridge

Simple rule: If the data source is behind your organisation’s firewall (on-premises), you need a gateway. If it’s a cloud service, you don’t.

Gateway types

TypeWhat It’s ForManaged By
On-premises data gateway (standard)Shared gateway for multiple users and datasetsIT admin — installed on a dedicated server
On-premises data gateway (personal)Single user, single machine — development onlyIndividual user

Kenji at Apex Manufacturing (🏭) needs data from the factory’s on-premises SQL Server. The IT team installs the standard gateway on a dedicated server. Kenji configures his semantic model to use this gateway for refresh.

💡 Exam tip: gateway installation
  • The gateway must be installed on a machine that is always on and has network access to the data source.
  • The gateway should be installed on a dedicated, always-on server with network access to the data source — avoid co-locating with the data source when possible for performance reasons.
  • The personal gateway is for development/testing only — never for shared production use.
  • Gateway supports DirectQuery AND Import mode for on-premises sources.

Scheduled refresh

Scheduled refresh automatically refreshes Import-mode semantic models at configured times.

How to configure:

  1. In the Power BI service → go to the semantic model settings
  2. Gateway and cloud connections → select the gateway (if on-premises)
  3. Data source credentials → enter/update credentials
  4. Scheduled refresh → set frequency and times
SettingOptions
FrequencyDaily or Weekly
Time slotsUp to 8 per day (shared capacity), up to 48 per day (Premium, PPU, or Fabric capacity)
Time zoneSet to match your business hours
Send failure notificationsEmail the dataset owner + additional contacts

Dr. Ethan at Bayview Medical (🏥) schedules refresh for 6:00 AM daily — so by the time staff arrive, the patient dashboard shows yesterday’s complete data.

Riley at Coastal Fresh (🛒) needs more frequent updates — she schedules refresh every 3 hours using 8 daily refresh slots (Pro maximum).

DirectQuery and refresh

DirectQuery models don’t need scheduled refresh for data — they query the source live. However, some metadata (like security role changes) may still benefit from a refresh cycle. A gateway is still required if the source is on-premises.

Composite models (mix of Import and DirectQuery) need scheduled refresh for the Import tables only.

DirectLake models (Fabric) don’t need refresh either — they read current files from OneLake directly.

Knowledge check

Question

When is a gateway required?

Click or press Enter to reveal answer

Answer

When the data source is on-premises (behind your firewall). Cloud sources like Azure SQL, SharePoint Online, and Dataverse don't need a gateway.

Click to flip back
Question

How many scheduled refresh slots does a Pro licence get?

Click or press Enter to reveal answer

Answer

Up to 8 per day on shared capacity. Premium, PPU, or Fabric capacity allows up to 48 per day (every 30 minutes).

Click to flip back
Question

Do DirectQuery models need scheduled refresh?

Click or press Enter to reveal answer

Answer

Not for data — DirectQuery queries the source live. However, some metadata (like RLS role definitions) may still use scheduled refresh. But you don't need to configure refresh for data freshness.

Click to flip back
Knowledge Check

Kenji's Power BI report uses Import mode connected to an on-premises SQL Server. The report data in the Power BI service is stale. What TWO things does he need?
Knowledge Check

Dr. Ethan's hospital has data in both Azure SQL Database (cloud) and an on-premises Oracle database. Which data source requires a gateway?

🎬 Video coming soon

Next up: Row-Level Security and Access Control — control who sees what data.

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