Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant PL-200 Exam Guide

Get up to speed with expert tips, techniques, and the latest insights to confidently take the PL-200 exam

▶Book Description
The Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate (PL-200) exam tests and validates the practical skills of Power Platform users who are proficient in developing solutions by combining the tools in Power Platform and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem based on business needs.

This certification guide offers complete, up-to-date coverage of the PL-200 exam so you can prepare effectively for the exam. Written in a clear, succinct way with self-assessment questions, exam tips, and mock exams with detailed explanations of solutions, this book covers common day-to-day activities involved in configuring Power Platform, such as managing entities, creating apps, implementing security, and managing system change.

You'll also explore the role of a functional consultant in creating a data model in the Microsoft Dataverse (formerly Common Data Service). Moving ahead, you'll learn how to design the user experience and even build model-driven and canvas apps. As you progress, the book will show you how to manage automation and create chatbots. Finally, you'll understand how to display your data with Power BI and integrate Power Platform with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams.

By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed with the essential concepts and techniques required to prepare for the PL-200 certification exam.

▶What You Will Learn
-Understand how to build apps that meet customer needs
-Extend the schema for Dataverse with entities, fields, and relationships
-Create and configure automations to simplify user activities
-Explore various security features in Power Platform and learn how to implement them
-Use multiple data sources to create task- or role-based web and mobile applications for users
-Automate business processes and enhance the user experience with Power Automate and UI Flows
-Integrate various applications within the Microsoft ecosystem with Power Platform

▶Key Features
-Learn effectively with the help of self-assessment questions, mock tests, and detailed explanations in this up-to-date study guide
-Address the challenges faced by a functional consultant in day-to-day activities
-Understand how to configure, customize, and implement solutions based on Power Platform

▶Who This Book Is For
This book is for functional consultants and business analysts who are involved in implementing solutions based on Power Platform or Dynamics 365. As the PL-200 exam is a pre-requisite for other role-based certifications in Power Platform and Microsoft Dynamics 365, individuals pursuing their careers in these domains will also find this book helpful. Basic knowledge of Power Platform and access to a Power Platform environment are required to get started with this book.

▶What this book covers
- Chapter 1, PL-200 Exam, introduces the exam contents, the purpose of the exam, the skills measured, and who the exam is aimed at. This chapter will also look at how the PL-200 exam fits with the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform role-based certifications.

- Chapter 2, Power Platform, provides a high-level overview of the Power Platform and its components, examines the different Power Platform environments, and explains how to configure and administer environments.

- Chapter 3, Data Modeling, covers modifying the data model to meet business requirements, extending the schema for Dataverse with entities, relationships, and fields, and how to use solutions to manage your changes.

- Chapter 4, Business Rules, explains how to validate data, perform calculations, and manipulate fields on forms, all without the need to write JavaScript.

- Chapter 5, Classic Workflows, covers using classic workflow processes to automate data changes and communications using triggers, conditions, and action steps.

- Chapter 6, Managing Data, discusses the features for importing data into, and exporting data from, the Dataverse.

- Chapter 7, Dataverse Settings, covers the features for managing data once it is in Dataverse, including finding duplicates, cleansing data, how to remove stale data, and how to monitor and control data volumes.

- Chapter 8, Security, provides an overview of the available security features in the Power Platform and then examines the security features used most frequently in Power Platform solutions.

- Chapter 9, Model-Driven Apps, explains the components in model-driven apps and looks at how to configure forms, views, charts, and dashboards, before bringing the components together to create an app for business users.

- Chapter 10, Canvas Apps, explains how to create canvas apps for web and mobile users, add controls to apps, use multiple data sources, and deploy apps.

- Chapter 11, Portal Apps, covers the building of Portal apps to expose data in Dataverse to external users, customize the pages and layout, and add content.

- Chapter 12, Power Automate Flows, covers automating steps within the Power Platform and across cloud systems including Office 365, Azure, and third-party services, creating flows, using connectors, adding steps, using expressions, and using logic to control the actions a flow performs.

- Chapter 13, Business Process Flows, explains how to create business process flows to guide users through an end-to-end business process by adding stages, steps, and conditions, using branching, applying security, and using business process flows with other components of the Power Platform.

- Chapter 14, UI Flows, explains how you can automate user activities on legacy applications when there isn’t an API available, by creating and running UI Flows.

- Chapter 15, Creating Chatbots, describes how to create, publish, and monitor Power Virtual Agents bots, and explains the key concepts involved in building chatbots.

- Chapter 16, Configuring Chatbots, describes how to configure and author your own chatbots using topics, entities, and variables, along with adding questions and responses to tailor your chatbot to your business scenario.

- Chapter 17, Power BI, describes how to create powerful visualizations, reports, and dashboards using the data captured in the Common Data Service (Dataverse).

- Chapter 18, AI Builder, explains to add Artificial Intelligence (AI) to your apps and flows with no code, explains the AI model types, shows how to build your own AI models, and demonstrates how to use prebuilt and custom models in Power Apps and Power Automate.

- Chapter 19, Microsoft 365 Integration, explains how to configure and use the integration with Microsoft 365, Word, and Excel, along with how to create templates and how to use the Power Platform with Microsoft Teams.

- Chapter 20, Application Life Cycle Management, describes the tools and processes around moving changes from development through testing to production environments using solutions.

- Chapter 21, Tips and Tricks covers tried and tested strategies that will help improve the reader's capabilities to solve and manage the exam questions on D day. These tips and tricks will help readers prepare mentally to have a relatively less stressful exam.

- Chapters 22-25, cover practice tests and their answers. It will enhance your understanding of the concepts by testing your knowledge and to help prepare yourself for the certification exam.