Book Image

Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant: PL-200 Exam Guide

By : Julian Sharp

Book Image

Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant: PL-200 Exam Guide

By: Julian Sharp

Overview of this book

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.

Preface

Who this book is for

What this book covers

To get the most out of this book

Download the color images

Conventions used

Section 1: Introduction

Section 1: Introduction

Free Chapter

PL-200 Exam

Understanding role-based certifications

Performance-based testing

Introducing Power Platform and Dynamics 365 roles

Dynamics 365 and Power Platform roles

The Functional Consultant role

Role definition

Key role activities

Required experience

Functional Consultant roles

Exploring the PL-200 exam and its objectives

Skills measured

Configure the Common Data Service (25–30%)

Create apps by using Power Apps (20–25%)

Create and manage Power Automate (15–20%)

Implement Power Virtual Agents chatbots (10–15%)

Integrate Power Apps with other apps and services (15–20%)

Further reading

Section 2: Microsoft Dataverse

Section 2: Microsoft Dataverse

Power Platform

Introducing Dynamics 365 and the Dynamics 365 apps

Dynamics 365 apps

Exploring the Power Platform and its components

Power Platform components

Power Virtual Agents

Related components

Dataverse (formerly) Common Data Service

Common Data Model

Understanding Power Platform environments

Multiple environments

Environments and databases

Environment security

Environment types

Environment operations

Administration and maker portals

The Power Apps maker portal

The Power Platform administration center

Microsoft 365 administration center

Microsoft AppSource

Further reading

Data Modeling

Understanding the Common Data Model

Data definitions in the CDM

The importance of metadata

Open Data Initiative

Introducing the Common Data Service

Benefits of the CDS

Dynamics 365 apps and the CDS

Understanding the technologies used in the CDS

Introducing solutions

Default solution

Common Data Services Default solution

Using custom solutions

Publishers and prefixes

Creating solutions

Solution operations

Changing the data model

Creating entities

Activity entities

Virtual entities

Entity ownership

Other entity properties

Creating a one-to-many relationship

Behaviors and cascading rules

Creating a many-to-many relationship

Configuring connection roles

Creating a field

Calculated fields

Further reading

Business Rules

Introducing business rules

Using actions in business rules

Types of action

Show Error Message

Set Field Value

Set Default Value

Set Business Required

Locking or unlocking a field

Combining actions in a business rule

Using conditions in business rules

Using the visual rule designer to create and edit business rules

Finding business rules in the classic portal

Creating a business rule

Setting the name of the rule

Adding conditions to a business rule

Adding actions to a business rule

Saving the business rule

Validating the business rule

Setting the scope of the business rule

Copying business rules

Documenting the business rule

Navigating complex rules with the mini-map

Viewing the structure and logic of a business rule with code view

Activating business rules

Using business rules

How scope controls the running of business rules

Business rule scope and canvas apps

Understanding the limitations of business rules

Further reading

Classic Workflows

Classic Workflows

Introducing processes

Classic workflows

Action processes

How processes are triggered

How processes perform work

Check conditions

Wait conditions

Creating a classic workflow

Process properties

Setting the scope of the process

Setting the options for automatic processing

Settings when the process is available to run

Adding steps to a process

Running a background workflow

Security for background workflows

Running a real-time workflow

Security for real-time workflows

Converting between real-time and background workflows

Activating processes

Creating and using action processes

Built-in actions

Extending processes with custom actions

Monitoring classic workflows

Logs for background workflows

Logs for real-time workflows

Further reading

Managing Data

Importing data from different sources

Using the Import Data Wizard

Monitoring import data jobs

Using data templates

Adding sample data

Using Import from Excel

Using Power Query

Exporting to Excel in model-driven apps

Exporting data in the maker portal

Replicating data to Azure SQL

Using Power Automate

Configuration Migration tool

Further reading

Dataverse Settings

Dataverse Settings

Configuring duplicate detection

Duplicate detection settings

Duplicate detection rules

Duplicate detection jobs

Managing data growth

Using bulk delete

Configuring auditing

Understanding how auditing works

Viewing audit records

Managing audit logs

Managing audit security

Enabling read logging

Configuring search

Further reading

Security

Overview of security features

Securing data with encryption

Authenticating apps

Environment security

Security in the CDS

Business units, users, and security roles

Creating or modifying security roles

Assigning multiple security roles

Roles in model-driven apps

Roles in other components

Users and teams

Users in Microsoft 365

Users in the CDS

Record ownership

Azure AD group teams

Hierarchical security

Manager hierarchy

Position hierarchy

Field-level security

Field security profiles

Further reading

Section 3: Power Apps

Section 3: Power Apps

Model-Driven Apps

Model-Driven Apps

Introducing model-driven apps

Creating a model-driven app

Configuring the site map

Selecting components for an app

Sharing a model-driven app

Configuring forms and controls

Configuring the main form

Understanding the form structure

Showing related records

Adding controls to forms

Adding fields to a form

Configuring fields

Configuring lookup fields

Configuring subgrids

Configuring the timeline

Using quick view forms

Using quick create forms

Using the card form

Using multiple forms

Configuring forms for mobile

Configuring views

Using public views

Using system views

Customizing a view

Sharing personal views

Enabling editable grids

Creating charts and dashboards

Understanding charts

Creating a chart

Sharing personal charts

Understanding dashboards

Configuring standard dashboards

Configuring interactive experience dashboards

Securing dashboards

Sharing personal dashboards

Understanding reporting options

Further reading

Canvas Apps

Introducing canvas apps

Creating canvas apps

Creating an app

Adding controls to your app

Understanding what screens are

Understanding what controls are

The gallery control

The button control

The form control

Reusable components

Exploring connectors and data sources

Using the Common Data Service

Deploying canvas apps

Publishing and sharing an app

User authentication

User authorization

Managing changes

Limitations of canvas apps

Further reading

Portal Apps

Introducing portal apps

Inviting users to the portal

Creating portal apps

Creating portals for Dynamics 365 apps

Administering a portal

Adding web pages and entity forms

Exposing data in the portal

Applying a theme to a portal

Securing portal apps

Authenticating a portal app

Managing entity permissions and web roles

Further reading

Section 4: Automation

Section 4: Automation

Power Automate Flows

Power Automate Flows

Introduction to Power Automate flows

Creating Power Automate flows

Ways to create a flow

Adding steps to your flow

Using input from the previous step

Connectors and data sources

The Common Data Service connector

Available connectors for Common Data Service

Triggers for the Common Data Service connectors

Common Data Service connector actions

Connecting using a service principal

Controlling flows with logic and expressions

Administering and monitoring flows

Monitoring flows

Power Automate checker

Further reading

Business Process Flows

Business Process Flows

Understanding business process flows

Creating business process flows

Adding stages to a business process flow

Creating a business process flow for multiple entities

Amending the Stage Category option set

Adding steps to stages

Classic workflows

Global workflows

Conditional branching in business process flows

Adding a condition

Connecting stages

Securing business process flows

Business process flow performance

Business process flow considerations

Forms and business process flows

Flows and business process flows

Business rules and business process flows

Field-level security and business process flows

Model-driven apps and business process flows

Further reading

UI Flows

Technical requirements

Introducing UI flows

Types of UI flow

Use cases for UI flows

Recording business tasks

Recording actions

Editing actions

Using attended and non-attended flows

Further reading

Section 5: Power Virtual Agents

Section 5: Power Virtual Agents

Creating Chatbots

Creating Chatbots

Introducing Power Virtual Agents

Benefits of using Power Virtual Agents

Use cases for Power Virtual Agents

Best practices for chatbots

Creating a chatbot

Publishing chatbots

Adding the chatbot to channels

Adding a chatbot to Microsoft Teams

Monitoring chatbots

Further reading

Configuring Chatbots

Configuring Chatbots

Defining topics

Configuring topics

Extracting topics from existing content

Adding greetings and other system topics

Configuring entities

Creating custom entities

Defining actions

Using variables

Further reading

Section 6: Integrations

Section 6: Integrations

Power BI

Introducing Power BI

Using data with Power BI

Using pre-built Power BI apps

Connecting to the Common Data Service

Creating datasets

Using Dataflows to extract and transform data

Creating visualizations

Creating reports and dashboards

Using Power BI with Power Platform

Using Power BI with Power Apps

Using Power BI with Power Automate

Further reading

AI Builder

Introducing AI Builder

Identifying AI Builder model types

Introducing AI Builder prebuilt models

Building an AI Builder model

Preparing data for a model

Training and testing a model

Using AI Builder models

Consuming a model using canvas apps

Consuming a model using model-driven apps

Consuming a model using Power Automate

Further reading

Microsoft 365 Integration

Microsoft 365 Integration

Understanding integration with SharePoint

Using Power Apps with Microsoft Teams

Model-driven apps with Microsoft Teams

Canvas apps with Microsoft Teams

Project Oakdale

Using Power Automate with Microsoft Teams

Integrating Microsoft Teams with the Common Data Service

Creating Word and Excel templates

Email templates

Excel templates

Controlling access to templates

Further reading

Application Life Cycle Management

Application Life Cycle Management

Working with solutions

Working with unmanaged solutions

Working with multiple solutions

Using segmented solutions

Using managed solutions

Using managed properties

Using the Solution checker

Exporting and importing solutions

Importing unmanaged solutions

Importing managed solutions

Updating a managed solution

Cloning solutions and patches

Creating a solution patch

Setting the version number for a solution patch

Cloning solutions

Importing a cloned solution

Setting the version number for a cloned solution

Further reading

Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks

Reviewing the exam objectives

Revising for an exam

Understanding how exams are structured

Understanding the question types

Preparing for the exam

Tips when taking the exam

Practice Test 1

Practice Test 1

Introducing the test

Instructions for the test

Practice test 1

Section 3 – Case study

Existing environment

Problem statement

Post-test instructions

Answers to Practice Test 1

Answers to Practice Test 1

Answers to practice test 1

Section 3 – case study

Practice Test 2

Practice Test 2

Introducing the test

Instructions for the test

Practice test 2

Existing environment

Post-test instructions

Answers to Practice Test 2

Answers to Practice Test 2

Assessments

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Set Field Value

You should use the Set Field Value action to calculate and set the value of the field.

You choose the field to set the value for and then choose the type of calculation. There are four methods for performing a calculation:

Value: Sets the value of the field to a value you enter in the business rule designer.
Field: Replaces the value of the field with the value of another field.
Formula: Sets the value to the result of a simple calculation. The calculation can use either a value of another field or a value you enter in the business rule designer.
Clear: Removes the value from the field; it sets the value to null.

The following screenshot shows how to use a formula to calculate the Klout field from the product of the Followers and Posts fields:

Figure 4.4 – Calculating a field with a formula

Formulas are only available for numerical and date data types. The Formula option is not shown for text fields.