Microsoft Power Platform certifications are the best way to be recognized as a specialist of one or all of the new MS Power Platform’s products (Power Apps, Power BI, Power Automate and Power Virtual Agents (Bots)).
Since there is a huge gap in the job market for these skills, now would be a really good time to invest in one or several of these certifications. So, let’s start from the beginning:
What is a Microsoft Power Platform Certification?
Microsoft Power Platform certifications are Microsoft’s official attestations to a candidate’s level of skill and proficiency in building solutions, automating tasks, analyzing data and generating reports, as well as building bots using the new Power Platform products (Powers Apps, Power Automate, Power BI and Power Virtual Agents), the certificates are obtained at the end of a paid assessment process requiring the successful completion of one or several exams.
Microsoft Power Platform certifications typically cost $165USD per exam, except for the PL-900 exam which costs 99$.
There are currently 7 Power Platform role-based certifications across 3 levels: Fundamentals, Associate and Expert, you’ll find them listed down below.
And without further ado, let’s jump directly to the crux of our subject, the actual Power Platform certifications list, categorized by level, and containing all the required exams and prep details that you need to know:
Microsoft Power Platform Fundamental Level Certifications
Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900)
This fundamental certification verifies an individual’s abilities and understanding of Power Platform, including its basic business process, data analysis, and more to generally improve an organization’s productivity.
Candidates should have a foundational understanding of computer technology, data analytics, cloud computing, and the internet for best possible results.
Obtaining this certification means the successful completion of the PL-900 exam (US$99), which measures how well individuals are able to describe the value of Power Platform and Power Virtual Agents to businesses, identify core components of PP, and demonstrate Power BI and Power Apps’ capabilities.
For a detailed list of all the exam’s components, please download the exam skills outline.
There are no official prerequisites for this exam, but candidates may feel more prepared after enrolling in the free or paid Learning Paths, which help them gain the relevant skills.
They also have the option of purchasing the official practice test to get a feel for what the exam will be like and be ready to answer all the questions correctly.
Microsoft Power Platform Associate Level Certifications
Power Platform App Maker Associate (PL-100)
This certification verifies an individual’s ability and knowledge with key technical business analyst tasks, including data modeling, basic UX design, and process analysis.
Those who are interested in this credential should have Visual Basic for applications, Excel Pivot-Tables, Teams, and solving business problems.
Candidates are required to successfully complete exam PL-100, which tests how effectively they are able to design and create solutions, analyze and visualize data, and implement and manage solutions.
Those interested can download the exam skills outline for a complete and detailed list of the areas covered on the exam and how much each skill is weighted. The exam itself costs US$165.
Preparation includes enrolling in the free or paid Learning Path courses to acquire all the relevant and necessary skills prior to scheduling the exam.
Power Platform Developer Associate (PL-400)
This certification was created to demonstrate an individual’s knowledge and skills in designing, securing, and extending Microsoft Power Platform solutions.
This means candidates should feel comfortable creating solution components, including app enhancements, data conversions, user experience, and visualizations.
A strong working knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform, JavaScript, .NET, C#, Microsoft 365, HTML, ASP.NET, and Power BI are encouraged, however, there are no official prerequisites.
In order to obtain this credential, candidates must first pass the PL-400 exam, which measures how well they are able to create technical designs, create and configure Power Apps, Common Data Service, and business process automation, extend the user experience and platform, as well as develop integrations.
The PL-400 exam is available for US$165.
Candidates may prepare and develop their skills for the exam by enrolling in Microsoft’s free or paid Learning Paths. They may also benefit from downloading the exam skills outline.
Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate (PL-200)
This credential was created for functional consultants, data analysts, or developers who are looking to demonstrate their consulting and configuration skills or are on the path to the solution architect certification.
Candidates should be able to build model-driven canvas and portal apps, design chat-bots using Power Virtual Agents, perform discovery, capture requirements, and create application enhancements, custom user experiences, system integrations, data conversions, process automation, and visualizations.
In order to earn this certification, candidates must successfully complete the PL-200, which is currently only available in English. This exam measures an individual’s ability to configure Common Data Services, create apps through Power Apps, create and manage Power Automate, implement Power Virtual Agents chat-bots, and effectively integrate Power Apps with other apps and services.
The PL-200 exam costs US$165 to take.
Preparation for this certification follows the typical steps as other certifications. It includes downloading the skills outline, enrolling in the free or paid Learning Path courses, and/or purchasing the official practice test.
Data Analyst Associate (DA-100)
This credential verifies an individual’s skills in designing and building data models, cleaning and transforming data, and advanced analytic capabilities to maximize a corporation’s data assets.
Those who are interested in pursuing this credential should have significant knowledge and experience with data repositories and processing, but there are no official prerequisites.
Those who hold this certification have successfully passed the DA-100 exam. This test measures how effectively candidates are able to prepare, model, visualize, and analyze data, as well as how they deploy and maintain deliverables.
The exam costs US$165 to take and is available in English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
Interested candidates may download the exam skills outline. Other means of preparation includes enrolling in the free or paid Learning Paths with Microsoft, or purchasing the official practice test.
Microsoft Power Platform Expert Level Certifications
Power Platform Solution Architect Expert (PL-600)
Those who hold this credential have advanced abilities to facilitate design decisions, including the ability to configure, integrate, secure, store, and manage.
Those who wish to pursue this certification should have one to three years of experience as a Power Platform architect or ten years as a developer that is knowledgeable in Power Platform.
Interested candidates must complete the prerequisite requirements, holding either the Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate or Power Platform Developer Associate certification.
Once individuals meet the requirements, they may schedule the PL-600 exam, which costs US$165 and where they will be tested on their ability to perform solution envisioning and requirement analysis, and architect and implement solutions.
Candidates can find a full and detailed list of the test’s objectives in the exam skills outline.
Dynamics 365 + Power Platform Solution Architect Expert (MB-600)
This unique certification, which combines Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform is set to be discontinued in June 2021.
Those who earn this credential verify their abilities and knowledge across a variety of Microsoft skills, being able to develop, configure, integrate, structure, secure, store, and change management.
This is one of the few certifications that requires candidates to have a prerequisite. Any one of the following certifications qualifies as a prerequisite to this credential:
- Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate
- Power Platform Developer Associate
- Dynamics Sales Function Consultant Associate
- Dynamics Marketing Functional Consultant Associate
- Dynamics Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
- Dynamics Field Service Functional Consultant Associate
On top of meeting the prerequisites, candidates must also pass the MB-600 exam, which tests how well they are able to perform solution envisioning and requirements analysis, architect solutions, and then implement said solution.
For a full and complete detailed list of all the categories covered on the exam, download the exam skills outline. The exam itself costs US$165
Microsoft offers free and paid Learning Path courses to help candidates prepare for the exam.
That’s it for Microsoft Power Platform certifications, I hope this article has been useful to you. And please check out my other Microsoft Certifications articles (Azure Certification Paths, AWS Certification Paths, Microsoft 365 Certifications, Dynamics 365 Certifications, Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certifications, MTA certifications) … and so much more.