Microsoft PL-900 exam – detailed requirements

The Microsoft PL-900 exam tests your knowledge of the concepts behind the Power Platform. The requirements for the exam are checked every couple of months and updated as necessary. This article relates to the requirements in the December 2022 update.

The skills tested in this exam are:

1. Describe the business value of Microsoft Power Platform.
2. Identify the core components of Microsoft Power Platform.
3. Demonstrate the capabilities of Power BI.
4. Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Apps.
5. Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Automate.
6. Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Virtual Agents.

Microsoft does not issue a definitive list of topics to be learned for the PL-900 exam. However, it does publish a suggested range of topics, which are an excellent starting point. The suggested topics within the PL-900 skills tested are broken down as follows:

Describe the business value of Microsoft Power Platform (20-25% of total marks)

Describe the business value of Microsoft Power Platform services

• Gain insights into data by using Power BI.
• Build applications quickly by using Power Apps.
• Automate processes by using Power Automate.
• Use connectors to integrate services and data.
• Create powerful chatbots by using the Power Virtual Agents web app and Power Virtual Agents in Microsoft Teams.

Describe the business value of extending business solutions by using Microsoft Power Platform

• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform apps work together with Dynamics 365 apps.
• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform business solutions work together with Microsoft 365 apps and services.
• Describe how to use Microsoft Power Platform solutions with Microsoft Teams.
• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform business solutions can consume Microsoft Azure services, including Azure Cognitive Services.
• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform business solutions can consume third-party apps and services.
• Describe use cases for AppSource.
• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform apps work together.

Describe Microsoft Power Platform administration and security

• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform implements security including awareness of Microsoft Dataverse security roles, Azure Identity Services, and Access Management (IAM).
• Describe how to manage apps and users.
• Describe environments.
• Describe where to perform specific administrative tasks including Microsoft Power Platform admin center and Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Describe data policies.
• Describe how Microsoft Power Platform supports privacy and accessibility guidelines.
• Describe Microsoft Power Platform governance capabilities.
• Describe analytics and how they can be used.

Identify the core components of Microsoft Power Platform (10-15% of total marks)

Describe Microsoft Dataverse

• Describe the difference between databases and Dataverse.
• Describe differences between Dataverse and Dataverse for Teams.
• Describe tables, columns, and relationships.
• Describe solutions and their purpose.
• Describe business logic uses including business rules, real-time workflows, and actions.
• Describe dataflows and their uses.
• Describe how to use common standard tables to describe people, places, and things.

Describe Connectors

• Describe triggers including trigger types and where triggers are used.
• Describe actions.
• Describe licensing options for connectors including standard or premium tier.
• Identify use cases for custom connectors.

Describe AI Builder

• Identify the business value of AI Builder.
• Describe models including business card reader, detection model, document processing model, and prediction model.
• Describe how the Power Apps and Power Automate can consume AI Builder data.
• Describe how AI Builder is consumed in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft SharePoint.

Demonstrate the capabilities of Power BI (20-25% of total marks)

Identify common Power BI components

• Identify and describe uses for visualization controls including pie, bar, donut, and scatter plots and KPIs.
• Describe the Power BI Desktop Reports, Data, and Model views.
• Compare and contrast Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service.
• Compare and contrast dashboards, workspaces, and reports.
• Describe the Power BI security model.
• Describe using Power BI in mobile apps.

Connect to and consume data

• Connect to and combine data from multiple sources including Microsoft Excel.
• Describe how to use Power Query to clean and transform data.
• Describe and implement aggregate functions.
• Identify available types of data sources including Microsoft Excel.
• Describe use cases for shared datasets.
• Describe use cases for template apps.
• Describe options for viewing Power BI reports and dashboards.

Build a basic dashboard using Power BI

• Create a Power BI report.
• Create a Power BI dashboard.
• Publish and share reports and dashboards.

Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Apps (25-30% of total marks)

Identify common Power Apps components

• Describe the differences between canvas apps and model-driven apps.
• Describe use cases for formulas.

Build a basic canvas app

• Describe types of data sources.
• Connect to data sources by using connectors.
• Create an app from data.
• Use controls to design the user experience.
• Publish and share an app.
• Describe embedding into Microsoft Teams.

Build a basic model-driven app

• Create a model-driven app from tables.
• Modify forms.
• Create and modify views and columns.
• Publish and share an app.

Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Automate (10-15% of total marks)

Identify common Power Automate components

• Identify flow types including cloud, desktop, and business process flows.
• Describe use cases for flows and available flow templates.
• Describe how Power Automate uses connector triggers and actions.
• Describe loops and conditions including switch, do until, and apply to each.
• Describe expressions.
• Describe use cases for approvals.
• Describe the Power Automate apps, including Power Automate Desktop, Power Automate mobile, and Power Automate portal.

Build a basic cloud flow

• Create a cloud flow by using the instant, automated, or scheduled flow template.
• Modify a cloud flow.
• Use flow steps to perform data operations.
• Run a cloud flow.

Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Virtual Agents (1-5% of total marks*)

*This was decreased in the December 2022 update.

Describe the capabilities of Power Virtual Agents in Microsoft Teams (this used to be Power Virtual Agents generally but, in the December 2022 update, was changed to focus on Microsoft Teams).

• Describe the capabilities of Power Virtual Agents in Microsoft Teams.
• Describe use cases for Power Virtual Agents within Microsoft Teams.
• Describe topics, entities, and actions.
• Describe message nodes, question nodes, conditions, trigger phrases, and the authoring canvas.

Build and publish a basic chatbot

• Create a chatbot.
• Create a topic.
• Call an action.
• Launch a Power Automate flow from a chatbot.
• Publish a chatbot to different applications including Microsoft Teams, websites and other apps.

How can you learn the requirements of the PL-900 exam?

To learn the above topics, our PL-900 course covers them all.

I do data… and so can you!