Microsoft MB-260 is an exam offered by Microsoft that tests a candidate’s knowledge of the Dynamics 365 Marketing application. The exam measures the candidate’s ability to design, implement, and manage marketing campaigns in Dynamics 365 Marketing. Candidates who pass the exam earn the Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate certification. The exam covers topics such as lead management, segmentation, customer journeys, email marketing, event management, analytics, and reporting. Candidates are expected to have a working knowledge of Dynamics 365 Sales, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI.
Microsoft MB-260 Glossary
- Dynamics 365 Marketing: This is a marketing automation tool that helps organizations create and manage marketing campaigns, track customer behavior, and generate leads.
- Customer journey: This is the process that a customer goes through when interacting with a company’s marketing efforts, from initial contact to conversion and beyond.
- Segmentation: This is the process of dividing a customer base into smaller groups based on specific criteria, such as demographics, behavior, or interests.
- Lead management: This involves the process of capturing, qualifying, and nurturing leads to eventually convert them into customers.
- Email marketing: This is the practice of using email campaigns to communicate with customers and prospects, often used for promoting products or services, nurturing leads, and building relationships.
- Event management: This refers to the planning, coordination, and execution of events, such as trade shows, conferences, and webinars, as part of a marketing strategy.
- Analytics: This is the process of collecting, measuring, and analyzing data related to customer behavior and marketing campaigns, to gain insights and improve decision-making.
- Power Apps: This is a low-code development platform that allows users to build custom business applications.
- Power Automate: This is a workflow automation tool that allows users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes.
- Power BI: This is a business analytics tool that allows users to create interactive visualizations and reports from data.
Microsoft MB-260 E 260 Guide
- Exam MB-260: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing certification exam page: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/mb-260
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/marketing/
- Microsoft Learn Dynamics 365 Marketing module: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/dynamics–365-marketing/
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing sample data: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/marketing/sample-data/
- Dynamics 365 Marketing Community: https://community.dynamics.com/365/marketing
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Exam MB-260 Study Guide: https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWu3iL
It’s important to note that Microsoft may update their resources from time to time, so it’s recommended to check for the latest information on their website. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to supplement official resources with other study materials, such as practice exams, study guides, and video tutorials, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the exam topics.
Microsoft MB-260 E 260 Guide tips & tricks
- Understand the exam objectives: Before starting your preparation, make sure you understand the exam objectives outlined on the Microsoft certification page. This will help you to focus your efforts on the most relevant topics.
- Use official resources: As mentioned earlier, use official Microsoft resources such as documentation, sample data, and study guides. This will help you to get a better understanding of the concepts and ensure that you are studying the correct topics.
- Practice with sample questions: Microsoft provides sample questions that are similar to what you will encounter on the exam. Practice answering these questions to get familiar with the format and style of the questions.
- Take practice exams: In addition to the sample questions, take practice exams to evaluate your knowledge and identify areas where you need more practice. There are several online resources that offer practice exams for the MB-260 exam.
- Get hands-on experience: Try to get hands-on experience with Dynamics 365 Marketing by creating campaigns, customer journeys, and reports. This will help you to gain practical knowledge and understand how the concepts you have studied are applied in real-world scenarios.
- Manage your time: The MB-260 exam has a time limit, so make sure you manage your time effectively during the exam. Don’t spend too much time on difficult questions, and make sure you answer all the questions before time runs out.
- Read the questions carefully: Make sure you read each question carefully and understand what is being asked. Don’t rush through the questions and take time to analyze the information provided.
- Stay calm and focused: Finally, stay calm and focused during the exam. Don’t get discouraged if you encounter difficult questions, and don’t panic if you don’t know the answer to a question. Keep a clear head and use your knowledge and experience to make the best guess.
Preparation Guide for the Microsoft MB-260 Exam
Refer to these steps for passing the exam with flying colors –
Step 1 – Refer to the exam syllabus
Microsoft provides a course outline that covers the important components to help you prepare for the MB-260 exam. These are some examples:
1. Design Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data solutions (5–10%)
Describe Customer Insights – Data
- Describe Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data components, including tables, relationships, enrichments, activities, measures, and segments (Microsoft Documentation: Define and manage measures)
- Describe the first run experience (FRE) in D365 Customer Insights – Data
- describe support for near real-time updates (Microsoft Documentation: Real-time processing)
- describing support for enrichment (Microsoft Documentation: Enrich customer profiles with affinities and share of voice)
- Describe the differences between individual consumer and business account profiles.
Describe use cases for Customer Insights – Data
- Describe use cases for Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data (Microsoft Documentation: Audience insights for Dynamics 365 Customer Insights)
- Describe use cases for extending Customer Insights – Data by using Microsoft Power Platform components (Microsoft Documentation: Extending Customer Insights with Power Platform)
- Describe use cases for Customer Insights – Data APIs (Microsoft Documentation: Work with Customer Insights APIs)
- Describe use cases for working with business accounts
2. Ingest data into Customer Insights – Data (10–15%)
Connect to data sources
- determine which data sources to use
- determine whether to use the managed data lake or an organization’s data lake (Microsoft Documentation: Best practices for using Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2)
- Attach to Microsoft Dataverse data lake
- Attach to Azure Data Lake Storage
- Ingest and transform data using Power Query connectors
- Attach to Azure Synapse Analytics
- describe real-time ingestion capabilities and limitations (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Data Explorer data ingestion overview)
- describe benefits of pre-unification data enrichment (Microsoft Documentation: Data enrichment)
- Ingest data in real-time
- Update Unified Customer Profile fields in real-time
- Understand common ingestion errors
Transform, cleanse, and load data by using Power Query
- select tables and columns (Microsoft Documentation: Tables)
- resolve data inconsistencies, unexpected or null values, and data quality issues (Microsoft Documentation: Clean, transform, and load data in Power BI)
- evaluate and transform column data types (Microsoft Documentation: Data types in Power BI Desktop)
Configure incremental refreshes for data sources
- identify data sources that support incremental updates (Microsoft Documentation: Incremental refresh for datasets)
- Configure incremental refresh
- identify capabilities and limitations for scheduled refreshes (Microsoft Documentation: Data refresh in Power BI)
- configure scheduled refreshes and on-demand refreshes (Microsoft Documentation: Data refresh in Power BI)
3. Create customer profiles through data unification (30-35%)
Select source fields
- Select Customer Insights tables and attributes for unification
- select attribute types (Microsoft Documentation: Manage attributes and attribute groups)
- select the primary key
Remove duplicate records
- Deduplicate enriched tables
- Define deduplication rules
- Review deduplication results
Match conditions
- Specify a match order for tables
- Define match rules
- Define exceptions
- Include enriched tables in matching
- Configure normalization options
- Differentiate between basic and custom precision methods
Unify customer fields
- Specify the order of fields for merged tables
- Combine fields into a merged field
- Combine a group of fields
- Separate fields from a merged field
- Exclude fields from a merge
- Change the order of fields
- Rename fields
- Group profiles into Clusters
Implement business data separation
- Understand business unit separation prerequisites
- Access business data in Dataverse
- Implement Customer Insights – Data business unit integrations
Review data unification
- Review and create customer profiles
- View the results of data unification
- Verify output tables from data unification
- Update the unification settings
Configure relationships and activities
- create and manage relationships (Microsoft Documentation: Create and manage relationships in Power BI Desktop)
- create activities by using a new or existing relationship (Microsoft Documentation: Table relationships)
- Create activities in real-time
- manage activities (Microsoft Documentation: Track and manage activities)
- Combine customer profiles with activity data from unknown users
- Display Customer Insights – Data Activities in D365 Activity Timeline
Create a unified contact profile for B2B accounts
- Create unified contact profile
- Set the relationship between contacts and accounts
- Define the semantic fields
- Review contact unification
- Verify output tables from data unification
Configure search and filter indexes
- Define which fields should be searchable
- Define filter options for fields
- Define indexes
4. Implement AI predictions in Customer Insights – Data (5–10%)
Use Copilot in Customer Insights – Data
- Understand key Discovery page components
Configure prediction models
- configure and evaluate the customer churn models, including the transactional churn and subscription churn models (Microsoft Documentation: Transactional churn prediction)
- configuring and evaluating the product recommendation model (Microsoft Documentation: Product recommendations overview)
- configure and evaluate the customer lifetime value model (Microsoft Documentation: Customer lifetime value (CLV) prediction)
- create a customer segment based on a prediction model (Microsoft Documentation: Create a segment based on a prediction model)
- Configure and manage sentiment analysis
Implement machine learning models
- describe prerequisites for using custom Azure Machine Learning models in Customer Insights – Data (Microsoft Documentation: Custom machine learning models)
- Use a wizard to bring custom prediction models to Customer Insights – Data
- implement workflows that consume machine learning models (Microsoft Documentation: Deploy machine learning models to Azure)
- manage workflows for custom machine learning models (Microsoft Documentation: Custom machine learning models)
5. Configure measures and segments (10–15%)
Create and manage measures
- Create and manage tags
- describe the different types of measures (Microsoft Documentation: Create measures for data analysis in Power BI Desktop)
- create a measure (Microsoft Documentation: Create Measures)
- create a measure by using a template (Microsoft Documentation: Define and manage measures)
- configure measure calculations (Microsoft Documentation: Create measures for data analysis in Power BI Desktop)
- modify dimensions (Microsoft Documentation: Modify or Delete a Database Dimension in Solution Explorer)
- Schedule Measures
Create and manage segments
- Create and manage tags
- Describe methods for creating segments, including segment builder and quick segments (Microsoft Documentation: Working with segments)
- create a segment from customer profiles, measures, or AI predictions (Microsoft Documentation: Suggested segments)
- Create a segment based on a prediction model
- Find similar customers (Microsoft Documentation: Similar Customers)
- Project attributes
- Track usage of segments
- Export segments
Find suggested segments
- describe how the system suggests segments for use (Microsoft Documentation: Segments overview)
- create a segment from a suggestion (Microsoft Documentation: Suggested segments based on activity data)
- Create a suggested segment based on activity
- configure refreshes for suggestions (Microsoft Documentation:
Create segment insights
- configure overlap segments (Microsoft Documentation: Segment insights)
- configure differentiated segments (Microsoft Documentation: Customer segmentation and targeting)
- analyze insights (Microsoft Documentation: Application Insights)
- Find similar segments with AI
6. Configure third-party connections (10–15%)
Configure connections and exports
- configuring a connection for exporting data (Microsoft Documentation: Data export service)
- create a data export (Microsoft Documentation: Export case data in eDiscovery)
- define types of exports (Microsoft Documentation: Exports)
- configure on demand and scheduled data exports (Microsoft Documentation: Exports)
- define the limitations of segment exports
Export data to Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys or Dynamics 365 Sales
- identify prerequisites for exporting data from Customer Insights – Data (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of Exports)
- Create connections between Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data and Dynamics 365 apps (Microsoft Documentation: Product overview for Dynamics 365 Customer Insights)
- define which segments to export (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of Exports)
- Export a Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data segment into Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys as a marketing segment (Microsoft Documentation: Use segments from Dynamics 365 Customer Insights with Dynamics 365 Marketing)
- Use Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data profiles and segments with real-time marketing
- Export a Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data profile into Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys for customer journey orchestration (Microsoft Documentation: Use segments in Dynamics 365 Marketing)
- Export a Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data segment into Dynamics 365 Sales as a marketing list (Microsoft Documentation: Export segments to Dynamics 365 Sales)
- Display Customer Insights – Data data from within Dynamics 365 apps
Identify what data from Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data can be displayed within Dynamics 365 apps Configure the Customer Card add-in for Dynamics 365 apps - Identify permissions required to implement the Customer Card Add-in for Dynamics 365 apps
Implement Data Enrichment
- enrich customer profiles (Microsoft Documentation: enrich customer profiles)
- configure and manage enrichments (Microsoft Documentation: Data enrichment)
- enrich data sources before unification (Microsoft Documentation: Enrichment for data sources)
- View enrichment results
Use Customer Consent data
- Add Consent Data to Customer Insights – Data
- use consent data (Microsoft Documentation: Configure how users consent to applications)
Use Customer Insights – Data data across Power Platform and M365 applications
- Use D365 Customer Insights – Data chatbot for Microsoft Teams
- Connect Power Apps and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data
- Use the Power Automate Connector for Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data
- Configure the Dynamics 365 Customer Insights connector for Power BI – Data
7. Administer Customer Insights – Data (5–10%)
Create and configure environments
- identify who can create environments (Microsoft Documentation: Create and manage environments in the Power Platform admin center)
- differentiate trial and production environments (Microsoft Documentation: Environments overview)
- Connect Customer Insights – Data to Microsoft Dataverse
- Connect Customer Insights – Data with Azure Data Lake Storage Account Manage existing environments
- Change or claim ownership of the environment
- Reset an existing environment
- Delete an existing environment
- configure user permissions (Microsoft Documentation: default user permissions in Azure Active Directory)
- describe available user permissions (Microsoft Documentation: Assign user permissions)
Manage system refreshes
- differentiate between system refreshes and data source refreshes (Microsoft Documentation: Refresh database)
- describe refresh policies (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of the Office cloud policy service for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise)
- configure a system refresh schedule (Microsoft Documentation: Configure update settings for Microsoft 365 Apps)
- monitor and troubleshoot refreshes (Microsoft Documentation: Performance troubleshooting plan for Office 365)
- Export diagnostic logs
Manage system refreshes
- Differentiate between system refreshes and data source refreshes
- Describe refresh policies
- Configure a system refresh schedule
- Monitor and troubleshoot refreshes
Create and manage connections
- describe when connections are used (Microsoft Documentation: Connections)
- configure and manage connections
Step 2 – Refer to Exam Format
The Microsoft MB-260 exam contains 40-60 questions. Exam questions include scenario-based single-answer questions, multiple-choice questions, arrange in the correct order type questions, drag & drop questions, and mark review, drag, and drop type questions. To pass the exam, a candidate must obtain a score of 700 or higher. In addition, the Microsoft MB-260 exam is only available in English and costs $165 USD.
Step 3 – Devise a Study Strategy
The next step is to devise a study strategy for your preparations. Keep the course topics and the time remaining for the real exam in mind as you plan. Remember to start with your weaker areas. Pay close attention to exam topics that have a higher weightage. Following your plan will help you stay consistent and avoid distractions. The key to success is to start early, so get started and stay motivated.
Step 4 – Refer to the best learning resources
There are numerous Learning Resources on the market to assist you in preparing for the Microsoft MB-500 exam. Furthermore, Microsoft also offers the following Learning Resources to assist you in studying for the exam.
Microsoft Learning Platform
Microsoft provides access to learning platforms with a variety of tools to assist you in exam preparation. Visit the Microsoft website to learn everything there is to know about the Microsoft MB-260 exam and how to prepare for it. As a result, candidates will benefit in terms of better studying subjects and passing the test.
Microsoft Docs
The Microsoft documentation is a knowledge base that provides in-depth information on the Microsoft MB-260 exam test subjects. You can also learn about the various scales of different Azure services by consulting Microsoft documentation. This is made up of courses that will help you learn a lot about the various services and ideas covered in the test.
Online Study Groups
Candidates may benefit from online study groups when studying for exams. Joining study groups, in other words, will keep you in touch with experts and professionals who are already on this path. This group can also be used to discuss your test-related question or concern, as well as to study for the Microsoft MB-260 exam.
Practice Tests
Taking practice exams is critical for improving your preparation. You will learn about your weak and strong points by assessing yourself with Microsoft MB-260 practice exams. You will also be able to improve your response skills, allowing you to save significant time during the exam. Taking the Microsoft MB-260 exam practice tests after completing a subject is the best way to progress. This will also help with revision. So, to prepare for the Microsoft MB-260 exam, go online and look for the best practice exam tests.
