Study guide for Exam PL-400: Microsoft Power Platform Developer
Purpose of this document
This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.
| Useful links | Description |
|---|---|
| Review the skills measured as of September 19, 2023 | This list represents the skills measured AFTER the date provided. Study this list if you plan to take the exam AFTER that date. |
| Review the skills measured prior to September 19, 2023 | Study this list of skills if you take your exam PRIOR to the date provided. |
| Change log | You can go directly to the change log if you want to see the changes that will be made on the date provided. |
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Updates to the exam
Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. While Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when the localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.
Note
The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.
Note
Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.
Skills measured as of September 19, 2023
Audience profile
As a candidate for this exam, you design, develop, test, secure, and troubleshoot Microsoft Power Platform solutions. You implement components of a solution that include:
Application enhancements
Custom user experiences
System integrations
Data conversions
Custom process automation
You must have:
A strong applied knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform services, including in-depth understanding of its capabilities, boundaries, and constraints.
A basic understanding of authentication, security, and application lifecycle management (ALM) practices for the Microsoft Power Platform.
As a candidate, you should have development experience that includes Microsoft Power Platform services, JavaScript, JSON, TypeScript, C#, HTML, RESTful Web APIs, and Microsoft Azure.
Skills at a glance
Create a technical design (10–15%)
Configure Microsoft Dataverse (15–20%)
Create and configure Power Apps (10–15%)
Extend the user experience (10–15%)
Extend the platform (35–40%)
Develop integrations (5–10%)
Create a technical design (10–15%)
Design technical architecture
Design the technical architecture for a solution
Design authentication and authorization strategy
Determine whether requirements can be met with out-of-the-box functionality
Determine when to use Logic Apps versus Microsoft Power Automate cloud flows
Determine when to use serverless computing, plug-ins, or Power Automate
Determine when to use standard tables, virtual tables, or connectors
Describe security capabilities of the Microsoft Power Platform including data loss prevention (DLP) policies, security roles, teams, business units and row sharing
Design solution components
Design a Microsoft Dataverse data model
Design Power Apps reusable components including canvas components, code components, and client scripting
Design custom connectors
Design Dataverse code components including plug-ins and Custom APIs
Design automations including Power Automate cloud flows and real-time workflows
Design Azure inbound and outbound integrations
Configure Microsoft Dataverse (15–20%)
Configure Microsoft Power Platform to support development
Troubleshoot operational security issues found in testing
Configure Dataverse security roles and column-level security profiles
Configure business units and teams
Manage Microsoft Power Platform environments for development
Configure tables
Configure table options
Configure columns
Configure relationships
Configure business rules
Implement application lifecycle management (ALM)
Create solutions and manage solution components
Import and export solutions
Manage solution dependencies
Create and use environment variables
Describe the difference between unmanaged and managed solutions
Manage solution layers
Create and configure Power Apps (10–15%)
Create model-driven apps
Create and configure a model-driven app
Configure forms
Configure views
Configure commands and buttons using Power Fx
Configure commands and buttons using JavaScript
Create canvas apps
Create and configure a canvas app or a custom page
Implement complex Power Fx formulas
Build reusable component libraries
Test an app by using Power Apps Test Studio
Utilize Power Automate cloud flows to implement business logic from a canvas app
Manage and troubleshoot apps
Troubleshoot canvas and model-driven app issues by using Monitor and other browser-based debugging tools
Identify and resolve connector and API errors
Optimize canvas app performance including pre-loading data and query delegation
Optimize model-driven app performance including forms and views
Extend the user experience (10–15%)
Apply business logic using client scripting
Create JavaScript code that targets the Client API object model
Describe event handler registration options
Create client scripting that targets the Dataverse Web API
Describe the client API object model
Determine when to use business rules or client scripting
Create a Power Apps Component Framework (PCF) code component
Describe the code component lifecycle
Initialize a new code component
Configure a code component manifest
Implement component interfaces
Package, deploy, and consume a component
Configure and use Device, Utility, and Web API features in component logic
Extend the platform (35–40%)
Create a Dataverse plug-in
Describe the plug-in execution pipeline
Describe the plug-in execution context
Develop a plug-in that implements business logic
Implement Pre Images and Post Images to support plug-in logic
Perform operations in plug-ins by using the Organization service
Optimize plug-in performance
Configure a Dataverse Custom API message
Register custom assemblies by using the Plug-in Registration Tool
Develop a plug-in that implements a Custom API
Create custom connectors
Create an Open API definition for a REST API
Configure API security
Use policy templates to modify connector behavior at runtime
Import definitions from existing APIs including Open API definitions, Azure services, and GitHub
Create a custom connector for an Azure service
Create an Azure Function to be used in a custom connector
Extend an Open API definition for a custom connector
Use platform APIs
Perform operations with the Dataverse Web API
Perform operations with the Organization service
Implement API limit retry policies
Optimize for performance, concurrency, transactions, and batching
Perform authentication by using OAuth
Process workloads by using Azure Functions
Process long-running operations by using Azure Functions
Configure scheduled and event-driven triggers in Azure Functions
Authenticate to Microsoft Power Platform by using managed identities
Configure Power Automate cloud flows
Create and manage cloud flows
Configure flow steps to use Dataverse connector actions and triggers
Implement complex expressions in flow steps
Manage sensitive input and output parameters
Implement Azure Key Vault and Microsoft Entra service principals
Describe flow control actions including error handling
Add a cloud flow step to a business process flow
Configure trigger filter and retry policies
Develop integrations (5–10%)
Publish and consume Dataverse events
Publish a Dataverse event by using the IServiceEndpointNotificationService
Publish a Dataverse event by using the Plug-in Registration Tool
Register service endpoints including webhooks, Azure Service Bus, and Azure Event Hub
Describe options for listening to Dataverse events
Implement data synchronization with Dataverse
Describe synchronizing data by using change tracking
Read table change records by using platform APIs
Create and use alternate keys
Use the UpsertRequest message to synchronize data
Study resources
We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you take the exam. We offer self-study options and classroom training as well as links to documentation, community sites, and videos.
| Study resources | Links to learning and documentation |
|---|---|
| Get trained | Choose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an instructor-led course |
| Find documentation | Developer learning catalog - Power Apps Planning a Power Apps project Canvas apps Model-driven apps Power Pages Microsoft Dataverse Tables and metadata Dataverse developer Model-driven apps developer Canvas apps developer Implement healthy ALM using solutions Use Microsoft Power Platform Build Tools |
| Ask a question | Microsoft Q&A | Microsoft Docs |
| Get community support | Power Apps - Power Platform Community Microsoft Power Automate - Power Platform Community |
| Follow Microsoft Learn | Microsoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community |
| Find a video | #LessCodeMorePower | Shows Browse other Microsoft Learn shows |
Change log
Key to understanding the table: The topic groups (also known as functional groups) are in bold typeface followed by the objectives within each group. The table is a comparison between the two versions of the exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent of the changes.
| Skill area prior to September 19, 2023 | Skill area as of September 19, 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Audience profile | Minor | |
| Create a technical design | Create a technical design | No % change |
| Design technical architecture | Design technical architecture | No change |
| Design solution components | Design solution components | No change |
| Configure Microsoft Dataverse | Configure Microsoft Dataverse | No % change |
| Configure Microsoft Power Platform to support development | Configure Microsoft Power Platform to support development | No change |
| Configure tables | Configure tables | No change |
| Implement application lifecycle management (ALM) | Implement application lifecycle management (ALM) | No change |
| Create and configure Power Apps | Create and configure Power Apps | No % change |
| Create model-driven apps | Create model-driven apps | No change |
| Create canvas apps | Create canvas apps | No change |
| Manage and troubleshoot apps | Manage and troubleshoot apps | No change |
| Extend the user experience | Extend the user experience | No % change |
| Apply business logic using client scripting | Apply business logic using client scripting | No change |
| Create a Power Apps Component Framework (PCF) code component | Create a Power Apps Component Framework (PCF) code component | Minor |
| Extend the platform | Extend the platform | No % change |
| Create a Dataverse plug-in | Create a Dataverse plug-in | No change |
| Create custom connectors | Create custom connectors | No change |
| Use platform APIs | Use platform APIs | No change |
| Process workloads by using Azure Functions | Process workloads by using Azure Functions | Minor |
| Configure Power Automate cloud flows | Configure Power Automate cloud flows | Minor |
| Develop integrations | Develop integrations | No % change |
| Publish and consume Dataverse events | Publish and consume Dataverse events | No change |
| Implement data synchronization with Dataverse | Implement data synchronization with Dataverse | No change |
Skills measured prior to September 19, 2023
Audience profile
Candidates for this exam design, develop, test, secure, and troubleshoot Microsoft Power Platform solutions. Candidates implement components of a solution that include application enhancements, custom user experiences, system integrations, data conversions, and custom process automation.
Candidates must have strong applied knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform services, including in-depth understanding of its capabilities, boundaries, and constraints. Candidates should have a basic understanding of authentication, security, and application lifecycle management (ALM) practices for the Microsoft Power Platform.
Candidates should have development experience that includes Microsoft Power Platform services, JavaScript, JSON, TypeScript, C#, HTML, RESTful Web APIs, and Microsoft Azure.
Skills at a glance
Create a technical design (10–15%)
Configure Microsoft Dataverse (15–20%)
Create and configure Power Apps (10–15%)
Extend the user experience (10–15%)
Extend the platform (35–40%)
Develop integrations (5–10%)
Create a technical design (10–15%)
Design technical architecture
Design the technical architecture for a solution
Design authentication and authorization strategy
Determine whether requirements can be met with out-of-the-box functionality
Determine when to use Logic Apps versus Power Automate cloud flows
Determine when to use serverless computing, plug-ins, or Power Automate
Determine when to use standard tables, virtual tables, or connectors
Describe security capabilities of the Microsoft Power Platform including data policies (DLP), security roles, teams, business units and row sharing
Design solution components
Design a Microsoft Dataverse data model
Design Power Apps reusable components including canvas components, code components, and client scripting
Design custom connectors
Design Dataverse code components including plug-ins and Custom APIs
Design automations including Power Automate cloud flows and real-time workflows
Design Azure inbound and outbound integrations
Configure Microsoft Dataverse (15–20%)
Configure Microsoft Power Platform to support development
Troubleshoot operational security issues found in testing
Configure Dataverse security roles and column-level security profiles
Configure business units and teams
Manage Microsoft Power Platform environments for development
Configure tables
Configure table options
Configure columns
Configure relationships
Configure business rules
Implement application lifecycle management (ALM)
Create solutions and manage solution components
Import and export solutions
Manage solution dependencies
Create and use environment variables
Describe the difference between unmanaged and managed solutions
Manage solution layers
Create and configure Power Apps (10–15%)
Create model-driven apps
Create and configure a model-driven app
Configure forms
Configure views
Configure commands and buttons using Power Fx
Configure commands and buttons using JavaScript
Create canvas apps
Create and configure a canvas app or a custom page
Implement complex Power Fx formulas
Build reusable component libraries
Test an app by using Power Apps Test Studio
Utilize Power Automate cloud flows to implement business logic from a canvas app
Manage and troubleshoot apps
Troubleshoot canvas and model-driven app issues by using Monitor and other browser-based debugging tools
Identify and resolve connector and API errors
Optimize canvas app performance including pre-loading data and query delegation
Optimize model-driven app performance including forms and views
Extend the user experience (10–15%)
Apply business logic using client scripting
Create JavaScript code that targets the Client API object model
Describe event handler registration options
Create client scripting that targets the Dataverse Web API
Describe the client API object model
Determine when to use business rules or client scripting
Create a Power Apps Component Framework (PCF) code component
Describe the code component lifecycle
Initialize a new code component
Configure a code component manifest
Implement component interfaces
Package, deploy, and consume a component
Configure and use Device, Utility, and WebAPI features in component logic
Extend the platform (35–40%)
Create a Dataverse plug-in
Describe the plug-in execution pipeline
Describe the plug-in execution context
Develop a plug-in that implements business logic
Implement Pre Images and Post Images to support plug-in logic
Perform operations in plug-ins by using the Organization service
Optimize plug-in performance
Configure a Dataverse Custom API message
Register custom assemblies by using the Plug-in Registration Tool
Develop a plug-in that implements a Custom API
Create custom connectors
Create an Open API definition for a REST API
Configure API security
Use policy templates to modify connector behavior at runtime
Import definitions from existing APIs including Open API definitions, Azure services, and GitHub
Create a custom connector for an Azure service
Create an Azure Function to be used in a custom connector
Extend an Open API definition for a custom connector
Use platform APIs
Perform operations with the Dataverse Web API
Perform operations with the Organization service
Implement API limit retry policies
Optimize for performance, concurrency, transactions, and batching
Perform authentication by using OAuth
Process workloads by using Azure Functions
Process long-running operations by using Azure Functions
Configure scheduled and event-driven function triggers in Azure Functions
Authenticate to Microsoft Power Platform by using managed identities
Configure Power Automate cloud flows
Create and manage cloud flows
Configure flow steps to use Dataverse connector actions and triggers
Implement complex expressions in flow steps
Manage sensitive input and output parameters
Implement Azure Key Vault and Microsoft Entra service principals
Describe flow control actions including error handling
Add a cloud flow step to a business process flow
Configure trigger filter and retry policies
Develop integrations (5–10%)
Publish and consume Dataverse events
Publish a Dataverse event by using the IServiceEndpointNotificationService
Publish a Dataverse event by using the Plug-in Registration Tool
Register service endpoints including webhooks, Azure Service Bus, and Azure Event Hub
Describe options for listening to Dataverse events
Implement data synchronization with Dataverse
Describe synchronizing data by using change tracking
Read table change records by using platform APIs
Create and use alternate keys
Use the UpsertRequest message to synchronize data