31. Interview Questions Asked in MNC Interviews
31.11 Frequently Asked Across MNC Interviews
These questions come up punha and again in Power BI interviews. Questions without a source tag (M103–M105) could not be attributed to any company from the sources I read, so no company name is given. Where a general question was also reported for specific companies (M102, M106), those companies are listed in brackets.
M102. Explain the difference between a calculated column and a measure, with an example of when you'd use each.
Frequently asked across MNC interviews (also reported for Accenture [S20], Capgemini [S23], EY [S5], KPMG [S8], LTIMindtree [S27], Amazon [S32], FedEx India [S33])
A calculated column is computed row by row at refresh and stored, for example Order Size Band (Small/Medium/Large) used as a slicer. A measure is computed at query time in the current filter context and not stored, for example [AOV] that changes with the city slicer. If you need to filter or group by it, use a column (preferably from Power Query). If you need to aggregate it, use a measure (Module 8.12).
M103. What are calculation groups and when would you use them?
Frequently asked across MNC interviews
A calculation group (created in Model view in newer Desktop versions, or with Tabular Editor) holds calculation items such as Current, LY, YoY %, YTD that apply to any measure through SELECTEDMEASURE(). Instead of writing Sales LY, Orders LY and AOV LY separately, one item "LY" = CALCULATE(SELECTEDMEASURE(), SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR('Date'[Date])) works for all of them. Explicit measures are required, and format strings can be set per item.
M104. What is Object-Level Security (OLS) and how is it different from RLS?
Frequently asked across MNC interviews
RLS hides rows (Nagpur's manager sees only Nagpur orders). OLS hides whole tables or columns from a role (for example Product[Unit Cost] and margin measures hidden from store staff). OLS is defined with external tools such as Tabular Editor on a role. Visuals that use a secured column show an error for users of that role, so design separate pages or reports.
M105. How do you explain a dashboard to a non-technical business user?
Frequently asked across MNC interviews
Start from their question, not the tool: "This page tells you whether each city is hitting its delivery promise." Walk from the top-left KPI cards (Total Sales, AOV, % under 10 mins) to the trend, then to the breakdown. Use one concrete insight ("Solapur's late orders rise after 9 pm"), explain what the colours mean, and show one interaction (click a city). Avoid words like "measure", "DAX" and "relationship" unless they ask.
M106. What is the difference between Power BI Desktop, the Service and Report Server?
Frequently asked across MNC interviews (also reported for Accenture [S20] and PwC [S11])
Desktop is the free Windows application for building models and reports. The Service (app.powerbi.com) is the cloud platform for publishing, sharing, apps, scheduled refresh, dashboards, subscriptions and security. Power BI Report Server is an on-premises server for organisations that must keep reports inside their own network. It uses a special Desktop version and supports fewer cloud features.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, many students lose marks on questions they actually know because they answer in one line. Aim for three parts: a one-sentence definition, a small example from the Blinkit model, and one practical caution (for example "RLS does not restrict workspace Members"). That structure shows understanding, and it takes less than a minute to say. Practise, and it will feel very easy.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, बरेच students खरंतर येत असलेल्या प्रश्नांवर गुण गमावतात, कारण ते एका ओळीत उत्तर देतात. तीन भाग ठेवा: एका वाक्याची व्याख्या, Blinkit model मधलं छोटं उदाहरण, आणि एक practical सावधगिरी (उदाहरणार्थ "RLS workspace Members वर बंधन घालत नाही"). या रचनेतून समज दिसते, आणि ते सांगायला एका मिनिटापेक्षा कमी वेळ लागतो. Practice करा, मग एकदम सोपं वाटेल.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, बहुत से students उन सवालों पर भी नंबर गँवा देते हैं जो उन्हें असल में आते हैं, क्योंकि वे एक लाइन में जवाब देते हैं. तीन हिस्से रखो: एक वाक्य की परिभाषा, Blinkit model से छोटा उदाहरण, और एक practical सावधानी (जैसे "RLS workspace Members पर रोक नहीं लगाता"). इस ढाँचे से समझ दिखती है, और इसे कहने में एक मिनट से कम लगता है. Practice करो, फिर बहुत आसान लगेगा.
Thodkyaat sangaycha tar (quick recap)
Prashna path karu naka, concept samja, Blinkit project che udaharan tayar theva, aani je kela nahi te pramanikpane sanga. All the best, mitrano!