Power Platform Fundamentals PL-900 Foundations
A structured Microsoft PL-900 course covering Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, AI, Dataverse, and administration, with linked practice questions.
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What you will learn
- Describe Power Apps.
- Explain Power Automate.
- Describe Power BI.
- Explain AI and Copilot.
- Describe Dataverse and administration.
Before you start
- Basic Microsoft 365 familiarity is helpful.
- No programming experience is required.
- No previous Microsoft certification is required.
Lesson 1 Power Apps
The Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals PL-900 exam introduces low-code tools for business solutions. Power Apps lets makers build custom applications. Canvas apps provide freeform design with drag-and-drop controls, while model-driven apps are built around Dataverse data, forms, and views. Power Pages creates external-facing websites. Connectors bridge apps to data sources, and custom connectors wrap custom APIs. Component libraries reuse UI pieces, and solutions package apps, flows, and tables for deployment. Power Apps users often start with templates, then connect to Dataverse or other services. Understanding app types helps choose the right tool for each requirement.
Example
Example: A field service team uses a canvas app on mobile devices, a model-driven app for approvals, and a Power Pages portal for customer submissions.Lesson 2 Power Automate
Power Automate automates workflows across cloud services and desktop applications. Cloud flows run in the cloud and connect to online services, while desktop flows use UI automation to control desktop apps. Triggers start flows when events happen, and actions perform steps. Scheduled flows run on a timer, instant flows start manually, and business process flows guide users through stages. Connectors let flows call services, and approval actions send requests to users. Power Automate reduces manual work, enforces consistency, and integrates with Microsoft 365 and third-party services. Makers design flows with templates, test them, and monitor runs for errors.
Example
Example: A scheduled flow checks a SharePoint list every hour and sends approval requests when a new expense exceeds the limit.Lesson 3 Power BI and Analytics
Power BI turns data into reports and dashboards. Power BI Desktop is used to author reports, and Power BI Service hosts, shares, and refreshes them. A dataset is the data model behind a report, a measure is a DAX formula that calculates values, and a dashboard shows key visuals on one page. Workspaces help teams collaborate, and row-level security restricts data by user. Gateways connect Power BI to on-premises data sources. Reports contain pages and visuals, and scheduled refresh keeps data current. Power BI can connect to Dataverse, Excel, SQL Server, and hundreds of other sources, making it a core component of the Power Platform.
Example
Example: A finance team builds a report in Power BI Desktop, publishes it to a workspace, and uses a gateway to refresh on-premises SQL data.Lesson 4 AI and Copilot
AI makes Power Platform solutions smarter. Copilot provides an AI assistant that helps users create apps, flows, and reports with natural language. AI Builder is a low-code platform for adding AI models to apps and flows. Form processing extracts fields from documents, text classification labels categories, object detection finds objects in images, and sentiment analysis judges tone. Generation models create text and content. A prompt is the instruction given to an AI model, and entities define labeled data. AI features reduce manual data entry, automate document workflows, and improve decision-making. Makers should consider accuracy, privacy, and responsible AI when using these tools.
Example
Example: An invoice flow uses AI Builder form processing to extract vendor and amount fields, then Copilot suggests a summary in natural language.Lesson 5 Dataverse, Administration, and Governance
Microsoft Dataverse is the data platform for Power Platform. Tables store records, columns define fields, relationships link tables, and views filter rows. Business rules validate data, and security roles control access. Solutions package components for deployment, and Dataverse for Teams brings data capabilities into Microsoft Teams. Administration uses the Power Platform admin center to manage environments, capacity, licenses, and policies. Environments isolate apps and data, and tenants are organization instances. Data loss prevention policies control which connectors can share data, managed environments add governance, and audit logs record activities. Effective governance balances maker productivity with security, compliance, and support.