The Microsoft Power Platform is becoming increasingly popular among organizations that want to build custom business applications, automate workflows, and gain insights from their data. The platform is designed to be low-code, meaning that individuals with little or no coding experience can create powerful applications and workflows using drag-and-drop tools and pre-built connectors.
By obtaining the PL-900 certification, individuals can demonstrate their proficiency in using the Power Platform to solve business problems and drive digital transformation. The certification can be particularly valuable for individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in IT, business analysis, or digital transformation. In addition to enhancing an individual’s career prospects, the PL-900 certification can also benefit organizations. Certified individuals can help organizations to get the most out of their investment in the Power Platform, by creating custom applications and workflows that meet their specific needs. Furthermore, organizations can use the certification to identify and recruit individuals who possess the skills and knowledge necessary to implement and manage the Power Platform.
Throughout this blog post, we will explore the PL-900 exam in detail, including its structure, content, and difficulty. We will also provide tips and advice for individuals who are preparing to take the exam. By the end of this post, you should have a better understanding of whether the PL-900 certification is worth pursuing, and what you can expect from the exam.
What is the PL-900?
The only requirement for earning the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals certification is to pass the PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals exam. It’s intended to be an entry-level certification that bridges the gap between technical expertise and non-technical first-tier users. There are no prerequisites, and no follow-up certifications have yet been created.
Is PL-900 Exam worth taking?
Whether or not the PL-900 Exam is worth pursuing depends on your personal and professional goals, as well as your current skillset and knowledge of the Microsoft Power Platform.
If you are interested in pursuing a career in IT, business analysis, or digital transformation, obtaining the PL-900 certification can be a valuable addition to your resume. The certification demonstrates your foundational knowledge of the Power Platform and can help you stand out from other candidates when applying for jobs or promotions.
Additionally, if you currently work in an organization that uses the Power Platform, the certification can be particularly beneficial. It can help you to better understand the platform and its capabilities, allowing you to create custom solutions and workflows that meet your organization’s specific needs.
That being said, if you already possess a strong understanding of the Microsoft Power Platform and its components, the certification may not offer significant additional value. Additionally, if your career goals do not involve working with the Power Platform, pursuing the certification may not be a priority.
Ultimately, whether the PL-900 Exam is worth it for you depends on your individual circumstances and goals. If you are interested in learning more about the Power Platform and demonstrating your proficiency in using it, the certification can be a valuable investment. However, if you already possess the necessary skills and knowledge, or if your career goals do not involve working with the platform, pursuing the certification may not be necessary.
Microsoft Exam PL-900 Exam Glossary
Here are some key terms and concepts related to the Microsoft Exam PL-900:
- Microsoft Power Platform – A low-code platform that enables users to build custom business solutions, including apps, workflows, and reports.
- Dynamics 365 – A suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications that run on the Microsoft Power Platform.
- Power Apps – A suite of app development tools that enable users to create custom, no-code or low-code apps.
- Learn Power Automate – A workflow automation tool that enables users to automate repetitive tasks and processes.
- Power BI – A business intelligence and data visualization tool that enables users to create interactive reports and dashboards.
- Common Data Service – A cloud-based data storage and management service that enables users to store and manage data used by Dynamics 365 and other business applications.
- Cloud computing – The delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, software, and analytics, over the internet.
- Azure – Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, which provides a wide range of cloud services and solutions, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS).
- Artificial intelligence (AI) – The simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems, including learning, reasoning, and self-correction.
- Internet of Things (IoT) – The network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity, which enables these objects to connect and exchange data.
Microsoft Exam PL-900 Exam Guide
Here are some official resources for Microsoft Exam PL-900:
- Microsoft Learn – Microsoft’s official learning platform provides a range of PL-900 learning paths, modules, and interactive exercises to help prepare for the exam: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/pl-900
- Exam PL-900: Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals – Microsoft’s official exam page provides an overview of the exam, including exam objectives, exam format, and pricing: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/pl-900
- Microsoft Certification Exam Policies – This page provides information about exam policies, including registration, cancellation, rescheduling, exam retake policy, and more: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/certification-exam-policies.aspx
- Microsoft Official Practice Tests – Microsoft offers official practice tests for PL-900 to help candidates prepare for the exam. These practice tests are available for purchase on the Microsoft Certification dashboard: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/certification-exam-practice.aspx
- Microsoft Exam Replay – This program provides a discounted exam voucher and a retake voucher in case you do not pass on the first attempt. Learn more about the Exam Replay program here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-replay.aspx
- Microsoft Certification Community – Join the Microsoft Certification community to connect with other learners, share your experiences, and get tips and advice on preparing for Microsoft exams: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/community-home
Microsoft PL-900 Exam Study Guide
We shall now look at the top learning resources to prepare for the PL-900 exam.
1. PL-900 Exam- Microsoft Documentation
Let’s now have a look at the course outline to know more about the exam –
Topic 1: Describe the business value of Microsoft Power Platform (20-25%)
1.1 Describe the business value of Microsoft Power Platform services
- Describe the value of Power Apps to build applications (Microsoft Documentation: What is Power Apps?, What are model-driven apps in Power Apps?)
- Describe the value of Power Automate to automate processes (Microsoft Documentation: Get started with Power Automate)
- Describe the value of Power BI to gain insights into data (Microsoft Documentation: Apply insights in Power BI, Find Insights in your reports)
- Describe the value of Power Pages to build websites (Microsoft Documentation: What is Power Pages?)
- Describe the value of Power Virtual Agents to create chatbots (Microsoft Documentation: Power Virtual Agents overview, Use variables)
- Describe the value of connectors to integrate services and data (Microsoft Documentation: Custom connectors)
- Describe the value of Microsoft Dataverse to organize business data (Microsoft Documentation: What is Microsoft Dataverse?)
- Describe the value of AI Builder to enhance apps and flows (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of AI Builder)
1.2 Describe the business value of extending business solutions by using the Microsoft Power Platform
- Describe how Microsoft Power Platform apps work together with Microsoft Dynamics 365 apps (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Power Platform integration with finance and operations apps)
- Describe how Microsoft Power Platform business solutions work together with Microsoft 365 apps and services
- Describe how Microsoft Power Platform apps work together
- Describe how Microsoft Power Platform works with Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Documentation: Power Apps and Microsoft Teams integration)
- Describe how Microsoft Power Platform business solutions can consume Microsoft Azure services
1.3 Describe Microsoft Power Platform administration and governance
- Describe the Microsoft Power Platform security model (Microsoft Documentation: Security concepts in Microsoft Dataverse, Security in Microsoft Dataverse)
- Describe environments (Microsoft Documentation: Environments overview)
- Describe where to perform specific administrative tasks including Microsoft Power Platform admin center and Microsoft 365 admin center (Microsoft Documentation: Administer Microsoft Power Platform, role of a Power Platform administrator)
- Describe how Microsoft Power Platform supports privacy and accessibility guidelines (Microsoft Documentation: Compliance and data privacy, Security and governance considerations)
Topic 2: Identify Foundational Components of the Microsoft Power Platform (10-15%)
2.1 Describe Microsoft Dataverse
- Describe the differences between traditional databases and Microsoft Dataverse (Microsoft Documentation: Dataverse is not a database, What is Power Apps?)
- Describe tables, columns, and relationships in Microsoft Dataverse (Microsoft Documentation: Table relationships)
- Describe business logic in Microsoft Dataverse (Microsoft Documentation: Apply business logic in Microsoft Dataverse)
- Describe dataflows for Microsoft Dataverse (Microsoft Documentation: What are dataflow?)
2.2 Describe Connectors
- Describe the components of a connector (Microsoft Documentation: Connectors overview)
- Describe standard and premium connectors (Microsoft Documentation: Connector reference overview, List of all Premium tier connectors, List of all Standard tier connectors)
- Identify use cases for custom connectors (Microsoft Documentation: Custom connectors)
Topic 3: Demonstrate the capabilities of Power BI (10-15%)
3.1 Identify basic Power BI components
- Describe Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service (Microsoft Documentation: Power BI service, Compare Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service)
- Compare and contrast dashboards, workspaces, reports, and paginated reports (Microsoft Documentation: What are paginated reports in Power BI?, When to use paginated reports in Power BI, Create and use the paginated report visual)
- Describe how to clean and transform data by using Power Query (Microsoft Documentation: Clean, transform, and load data in Power BI)
- Describe how AI Insights helps identify anomalies and trends in data
3.2 Build a basic dashboard by using Power BI
- Create a Power BI report by adding visualizations (Microsoft Documentation: Add visuals to a Power BI report (part 1), part 2)
- Create a Power BI dashboard (Microsoft Documentation: Create reports and dashboards in Power BI)
- Add visualizations to dashboards by using Q&A (Microsoft Documentation: Use Power BI Q&A to explore your data and create visuals)
- Consume Power BI reports and dashboards (Microsoft Documentation: Introduction to dashboards for Power BI designers)
Topic 4: Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Apps (20-25%)
4.1 Identify basic Power Apps capabilities
- Describe the differences between canvas apps and model-driven apps
- Describe use cases for and capabilities of canvas apps (Microsoft Documentation: Understand canvas-app forms, Canvas component overview)
- Describe use cases for and capabilities of model-driven apps (Microsoft Documentation: What are model-driven apps in Power Apps?)
4.2 Build a basic canvas app
- Connect to data sources by using connectors (Microsoft Documentation: Data sources in Power BI Desktop)
- Create an app from data (Microsoft Documentation: Create a canvas app with data from Microsoft Dataverse)
- Add controls to canvas app screens (Microsoft Documentation: Controls and properties in canvas apps, Add and configure controls in canvas apps)
4.3 Build a basic model-driven app
- Create a model-driven app from tables (Microsoft Documentation: Build your first model-driven app)
- Modify forms
- Create and modify views
Topic 5: Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Automate (15-20%)
5.1 Identify basic Power Automate components
- Describe use cases for cloud and desktop flows (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of the different types of flows, Introduction to desktop flows, Introduction to other types of desktop flows)
- Describe use cases for cloud flow templates
- Describe how Power Automate cloud flows use connector triggers and actions (Microsoft Documentation: Connectors overview, Get started with triggers)
- Describe Power Automate use cases for approvals, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Forms (Microsoft Documentation: Create and test an approval workflow with Power Automate, Get started with approvals)
- Describe the Power Automate apps including Power Automate for Desktop, Power Automate mobile, and the Power Automate portal
- Describe actions for Power Automate desktop flows (Microsoft Documentation: Introduction to desktop flows)
- Describe document processing in Power Automate (Microsoft Documentation: Use a document processing model in Power Automate)
5.2 Build a basic power automate flow
- Create a flow by using the instant, automated, or scheduled flow template (Microsoft Documentation: Introducing instant flows, Create a flow in Power Automate, Run flows on a schedule)
- Modify a flow (Microsoft Documentation: Edit desktop UI flows)
- Add flow steps to perform data operations (Microsoft Documentation: Use data operations, Perform data operations in Azure Logic Apps)
- Run a cloud flow (Microsoft Documentation: Watch your flows in action)
- Build a basic desktop flow by recording tasks
Topic 6: Describe complementary Microsoft Power Platform solutions (15–20%)
6.1 Describe the capabilities of Power Virtual Agents
- Describe use cases for Power Virtual Agents (Microsoft Documentation: Power Virtual Agents overview)
- Describe the purpose of topics, entities, and actions (Microsoft Documentation: Use entities and slot filling in Power Virtual Agents bots)
- Create topics from existing FAQs by using Suggest Topics (Microsoft Documentation: Create topics from existing online support content)
6.2 Describe the capabilities of Power Pages
- Describe use cases for Power Pages (Microsoft Documentation: What is Power Pages?, Power Pages capabilities)
- Describe use cases for templates (Microsoft Documentation: Use Word templates to create standardized documents)
- Describe how to share data externally
Describe the capabilities of AI Builder
- Describe use cases for AI Builder, including Sentiment Analysis and receipt processing
- Describe the lifecycle to create an AI Builder model (Microsoft Documentation: Administer AI Builder)
Let us now look at some resources that will help you ace the exam in one go!
2. Instructor-led Training
Microsoft provides Instructor-led Training courses to assist candidates with their preparation. This Microsoft PL-900 training course is intended for candidates preparing for the PL-900 exam and has the ability to improve productivity by automating business processes, analyzing data to generate business insights, and acting more effectively by creating simple app experiences. In this short course, they will learn about the Power Platform’s various capabilities, such as creating and building a Power BI Dashboard and automating a process with Microsoft Flow.
3. Study Groups
Joining study groups will be beneficial during the exam preparation period. As these groups will assist you in staying connected with others who are on the same path as you. Furthermore, you can start a discussion about any exam-related issue or query here. You will receive the best possible response to your query if you do so.
4. Exam Practice Tests
This is a critical component that will assist you in better preparing for the exam. That is to say, Microsoft PL-900 exam practice tests are important because they allow you to assess your weak and strong points. We are all aware that time is of the essence during the exam. So, by practicing, you will be able to improve your answering skills, resulting in significant time savings. Furthermore, the best time to begin doing practice tests is after you have completed one full topic, as this will serve as a revision component for you. As a result, make certain to locate the best practice sources.
Conclusion
This exam is ideal for an experienced Power Platform user who wants to progress to the next level and start creating or modifying their tools. If your background is limited to working with applications that your company has already developed, studying for the PL-900 exam will prepare you to go inside Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents to design and develop tools to meet your needs. So, Hurry up and start practising now!
