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TomWechsler's avatar
Feb 15, 2022

This is how I prepared for the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900)!

 

Dear Microsoft Power Platform Friends,

 

Honestly, when you read Fundamentals, don't you think: This will be easy! You know, this is exactly the mistake I try to avoid whenever possible! The Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals exam was, in my opinion, the most difficult of all the Fundamentals I have ever taken. The topics of this exam are about a kilometer wide and 1mm deep. What do I mean by that, it is valid to know very many services/functions in Microsoft Power Platform. But you don't have to configure any of the services/functions.


Now let's go through my checklist:

 

1. First of all, I looked at the Exam Topics to get a first impression of the scope of topics. These are really very extensive.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/power-platform-fundamentals/

 

2. So that I can prepare for an exam I need a test environment (this is indispensable for me). You can sign up for a free trial here.

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/dev-program


3. Now it goes to the Microsoft Learn content. These modules (as you can see below) I have worked through completely and "mapped"/reconfigured as much as possible in my test environment.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-power-platform/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-common-data-service/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-power-apps/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-app-solution/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/how-build-model-driven-app/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-power-apps-portals/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-power-automate/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-automated-solution/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-power-bi/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/build-simple-dashboard/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/introduction-power-virtual-agents/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/how-build-basic-chatbot/

 

4. Register for the exam early. This creates some pressure and you stay motivated.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/power-platform-fundamentals/

 

5. This link describes the skills assessed on the PL-900 exam.

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE43KLw

 

6. Further I can only recommend to read as many Microsoft Docs articles as possible. These have helped me extremely in preparing for the exam. Like for example:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/release-plans/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/common-data-service/data-platform-intro

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/common-data-model/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/

 

7. Please watch the Youtube video of John Savill (@NTFAQGuy), really super helpful!
https://youtu.be/lbPHM-MiEUA

 

8. On this exam, Microsoft Learn provides a few sample questions, be sure to check them out!

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWSME4

 

9. Here is another list of links that helped me prepare.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/how-build-model-driven-app/03-build-blocks-of-model-driven-apps

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder/object-detection-model-in-flow

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/getting-started

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/run-scheduled-tasks

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/get-started-logic-flow

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/modern-approvals

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/twitter/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/multi-step-logic-flow

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-voice/send-survey-flow

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/administer-flows/2-flow-export-import

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/error-checker

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/mobile-monitor-activity

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/flowpush/

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/data-operations

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/authoring-create-edit-topics

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/publication-fundamentals-publish-channels

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/configuration-end-user-authentication

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/authoring-test-bot

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder/prebuilt-sentiment-analysis

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/fin-ops-core/dev-itpro/business-events/home-page

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/fundamentals-what-is-power-virtual-agents

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/pricing-billing-skus

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/wp-security-cds

 

10. At my GitHub account you can find a repo to Microsoft Power Platform, the content is constantly extended.

https://github.com/tomwechsler/Microsoft_Power_Platform

 

I know you've probably read and heard this many times: read the exam questions slowly and accurately. Well, that was the key to success for me. It's the details that make the difference between success and failure.

 

For example: You work with Power BI and want to use "calculated colums" which Power BI tool do you use? You can choose between Power BI Desktop, Power BI service and Power BI Mobile. The correct choice is Power BI Desktop. Please have a look at the link:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/fundamentals/service-service-vs-desktop

 

One final tip: When you have learned something new, try to explain what you have learned to another person (whether or not they know your subject). If you can explain it in your own words, you understand the subject. That is exactly how I do it, except that I do not explain it to another person, but record a video for YouTube!

 

I hope this information helps you and that you successfully pass the exam. I wish you success!

 

Kind regards, Tom Wechsler

 

P.S. All scripts (#PowerShell, Azure CLI, #Terraform, #ARM) that I use can be found on github! https://github.com/tomwechsler

 

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