Power Platform Developer PL-400 Certification

Microsoft has announced a new exam, PL-400, and certification aimed at developers who implement solutions using the Power Platform.

As with any new certifications, you will have lots of questions. I will attempt to answer the questions you may have below.

Q. Is this exam just about canvas apps?
A. No, it covers Common Data Service, Power Apps (canvas, model, and portal), Power Automate, Power BI, ad Power Virtual Agents. It also includes integrating with, and using, Azure with the Power Platform. PL-400 is a very broad developer orientated exam.

Q. What are the topics in the exam.
A. The main objectives for the exam are:

• Create a technical design (10-15%)
• Configure Common Data Service (15-20%)
• Create and configure Power Apps (15-20%)
• Configure business process automation (5-10%)
• Extend the user experience (10-15%)
• Extend the platform (15-20%)
• Develop integrations (5-10%)

Q. When will this exam be available?
A. PL-400 is due to be released in September.

Q. Are there any codes for this exam?
A. Not yet. If it follows other exams there will be a beta code for 80% off. Details will be posted on the Microsoft Learn blog https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-learn-blog/bg-p/MicrosoftLearnBlog in the Microsoft Learn Community.

Q. Is this a standalone exam and certification, or do I need to take other exams to gain the certification?
A. Unlike the MB-400 which required the MB-200 exam, this is a standalone certification with a single exam.

Q. Does the PL-400 replace the MB-400?
A. Yes, the MB-400 exam will be retired on December 31st 2020.

Q. I have been preparing for MB-400, can I still take the MB-400 or will I need to start preparing for PL-400.
A. You can still take MB-400 until the end of the year.

Q. What is different in this exam to MB-400?
A. The main differences are in emphasis. The MB-400 exam was really about the Power Platform and the Common Data Service (now Microsoft Dataflex Pro) anyway. So the exam has removed mention of Dynamics 365 in the text where it wasn’t relevant.

Q. How is this exam different from PL-200?
A. I will be posting on the differences between PL-100, PL-200, and PL-400 separately, but the main differences are the audiences. PL-100 is targeted at the person who builds apps as part of their job for themselves and their colleagues. PL-200 is aimed at the people whose job it is to build apps for others.  PL-400 is aimed at professional developers. There is necessarily some overlap and I will post about that.

Q. What learning materials are there to prepare for this exam?
A. There is a course for MB-400 and I expect this to be updated for PL-400 later this year. I suspect it will be a 3 day course. There is some material on Microsoft Learn for topics relevant to this role. I have created a collection to make it easier for you to find the relevant modules on Learn.

Q. As an MCT, can I teach PL-400 course without passing the exam?
A. If you have passed MB-400 exam, you will be able to teach the PL-400 course until the end of 2020.

You should download and read the skills measured on Microsoft Learn https://docs.microsoft.com//learn/certifications/exams/pl-200.