• Home
• Microsoft Exams
• PL-400 - Microsoft Power Platform Developer

PL-400 Microsoft Practice Test Questions and Exam Dumps

Question No 1:

A company that manages capital equipment for an electric utility has a SQL Server database containing maintenance records for its equipment. Technicians use the Dynamics 365 Field Service mobile app on tablet devices to view their scheduled assignments. Additionally, technicians use a canvas app to display and update the maintenance history of each piece of equipment. Managers currently use a Power BI dashboard that displays data from Dynamics 365 Field Service and real-time maintenance data.

Due to increasing demand, the managers need to be able to work efficiently in the field alongside technicians. The goal is to design a solution that allows managers to access all required information from one single screen.

What is the best solution to achieve this?

A. Add the maintenance history app to the Field Service Mobile app.
B. Add the manager Power BI dashboard to the Field Service mobile app.
C. Create a new maintenance canvas app from within the Power BI management dashboard.
D. Add the maintenance history app to the Power BI dashboard.

Answer: B. Add the manager Power BI dashboard to the Field Service mobile app.

Explanation:

In this scenario, the company needs to design a solution that allows managers to access relevant information, including the maintenance history of equipment, in a unified interface while working in the field. This requires integrating multiple data sources and apps into a single platform that is accessible from a mobile device.

Why Option B is the Correct Choice:

The most efficient approach is to add the Power BI dashboard to the Field Service mobile app. This option allows managers to access real-time maintenance data from the Power BI dashboard within the same mobile interface that the technicians use to manage their assignments. By integrating the Power BI dashboard into the Field Service mobile app, managers can have a single, consolidated screen that provides both the maintenance history (via the canvas app) and real-time operational data (via the Power BI dashboard). This will provide the managers with a seamless user experience while they are working in the field.

Power BI dashboards can be embedded into custom apps or other Microsoft applications, making it easy to present important data and analytics in the context of other business processes. By combining the dashboard with the Field Service app, managers can view data on the go, gain insights into operations, and take actions without needing to switch between different apps or interfaces.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

• A. Add the maintenance history app to the Field Service Mobile app:
  While this would allow technicians and managers to view maintenance history in the Field Service mobile app, it would not provide the managers with the real-time insights and operational data that they need from the Power BI dashboard. Simply adding the maintenance history to the app does not meet the requirement of displaying everything on a single screen.
  
  

• C. Create a new maintenance canvas app from within the Power BI management dashboard:
  This option would involve creating a new canvas app, which would add complexity without providing a unified view. A canvas app created within the Power BI dashboard would not be optimized for field use as it would require a separate interface, making it harder for managers to work efficiently in the field.
  
  

• D. Add the maintenance history app to the Power BI dashboard:
  While this might provide managers with maintenance data on the Power BI dashboard, it would require them to use Power BI as a primary tool, which might not be as intuitive or practical for managing field assignments in real-time. Power BI dashboards are best suited for data visualization rather than field-specific tasks that involve frequent updates and interactions with equipment.

Conclusion:

The optimal solution is to integrate the Power BI dashboard into the Field Service mobile app (Option B), enabling managers to have access to both maintenance history and real-time operational data from a single screen. This approach streamlines the workflow and supports efficient decision-making while working in the field.

Question No 2:

A company has developed an application that exposes API access, and you plan to integrate it into a canvas app by creating a custom connector. To proceed with this task, you need to request specific information from the API developers to successfully create the custom connector. 

Which two types of files would provide the necessary details for this task?

A. YAML
B. WSDL
C. OpenAPI definition
D. Postman collection

Correct Answer: C. OpenAPI definition, D. Postman collection

Explanation:

In the process of integrating an API into a canvas app through a custom connector, it is essential to gather the necessary information that defines the structure and behavior of the API. Specifically, you need to request certain files from the API developers to facilitate the creation of the connector. The following file types are commonly used for this purpose:

A. YAML

While YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialization format commonly used for configuration files, it is not typically used by itself to define the structure or endpoints of an API in a way that a custom connector would require. YAML may be used as part of defining configurations or settings for an API, but it is not the best choice for providing the necessary details about API endpoints, request/response formats, and authentication mechanisms. As such, YAML is not typically used to create custom connectors.

B. WSDL

WSDL (Web Services Description Language) is an XML-based format used primarily for describing SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) web services. It defines the operations provided by the web service and the XML schema for the messages involved. While WSDL is essential for SOAP-based web services, it is not commonly used for RESTful APIs, which are more frequently integrated into canvas apps. Therefore, while WSDL is useful for SOAP services, it is not typically applicable for creating custom connectors for REST APIs.

C. OpenAPI definition

The OpenAPI definition (formerly known as Swagger) is a widely accepted specification used for describing and defining RESTful APIs. It provides a detailed structure of the API, including information on endpoints, request parameters, response formats, and authentication requirements. The OpenAPI definition is the ideal choice for creating custom connectors in a canvas app because it provides a clear, machine-readable description of the API that can be used to automatically generate a connector.

D. Postman collection

A Postman collection contains a set of API requests that are typically organized into folders. It includes the request methods, parameters, headers, and response bodies, making it a great resource for defining the structure of an API and testing its endpoints. The Postman collection is another useful file format that can be used to create custom connectors. It is especially helpful because it provides real examples of API requests, which can be used to map the connector’s functionality more effectively.

Conclusion:

To successfully create a custom connector for a canvas app, the OpenAPI definition and Postman collection are the most appropriate file types to request from the API developers. These files contain the necessary details to understand and interact with the API, ensuring a smooth integration process. Therefore, the correct answers are C and D.

Question No 3: 

You are designing a canvas app that will manage large datasets. Users will need to filter and sort this data efficiently. To ensure good performance and avoid potential issues with data delegation, you need to recommend suitable data sources for the app. 

Which two data sources should you suggest to best handle delegation in this scenario?

A. SQL Server
B. Common Data Service
C. Azure Data Factory
D. Azure Table Storage

Correct Answer: A. SQL Server, B. Common Data Service

Explanation:

When building a canvas app that handles large sets of data, especially with the need to filter and sort the data, delegation becomes a key consideration. Delegation refers to the process of offloading the data processing tasks (such as filtering, sorting, and calculations) to the data source itself, rather than processing the data on the client side (in the app). This is crucial to improve performance and avoid issues related to handling large datasets in a client application.

Here’s a breakdown of the different data sources and how they relate to delegation:

A. SQL Server

SQL Server is a relational database management system that supports delegation for a wide range of queries, including filtering and sorting, as these operations can be executed directly on the database server. By using SQL queries, delegation allows the app to process large datasets efficiently. SQL Server supports delegated operations such as filtering, sorting, and aggregation, which makes it an excellent choice for scenarios where large amounts of data need to be managed. The canvas app can offload these tasks to the SQL Server database, ensuring good performance even with large datasets.

B. Common Data Service

The Common Data Service (CDS) is a data platform within the Power Platform that also supports delegation. It is optimized for use with PowerApps and Power BI, and it allows operations such as filtering and sorting to be offloaded to the server. The Common Data Service is especially useful when working with data from business applications like Dynamics 365, as it provides a secure and scalable way to handle large amounts of data. It supports delegation of operations for most data types, making it a strong candidate for managing data in canvas apps.

C. Azure Data Factory

Azure Data Factory is primarily an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) service used for orchestrating data workflows and processing large amounts of data across different data sources. While it can handle large data volumes, it is not typically used directly as a data source for canvas apps. It does not natively support the concept of delegation in the context of filtering and sorting data within an app, as it focuses on data movement and transformation rather than real-time querying.

D. Azure Table Storage

Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL data storage service that is designed for storing large amounts of unstructured data. While it supports simple queries and operations, it has limited delegation support compared to SQL Server and Common Data Service. For example, certain complex filtering or sorting operations may not be delegated, which can result in performance issues when querying large datasets in a canvas app.

Conclusion:

The best data sources to recommend for delegation in a canvas app are SQL Server and Common Data Service. These platforms support a wide range of delegated operations, ensuring that filtering, sorting, and other queries are efficiently handled by the data source rather than the app itself. This helps improve the overall performance of the app when dealing with large datasets. Therefore, the correct answers are A and B.

Question No 4:

A company is in the process of creating an order processing app. This app will handle various complex business logic and integrate with several external systems. When an order is created, the app needs to process the information, which may involve multiple line items. For some orders, which can have a large number of line items, the processing may take up to six minutes. However, it is critical that the processing for each order is completed in a single operation to avoid leaving records in an incomplete state.

Given these requirements, which solution should be recommended to the company to ensure smooth and efficient processing of orders?

A. An asynchronous workflow that uses a custom workflow activity
B. A real-time workflow that uses a custom action
C. A webhook that connects to an Azure Function
D. An asynchronous plug-in

Answer: A. An asynchronous workflow that uses a custom workflow activity.

Explanation:

The order processing app must handle complex logic that integrates with several external systems. Given that some orders could have a large number of line items, the processing could take several minutes (up to six minutes). The processing for each order must be done in a single operation to ensure that there are no incomplete records.

The company needs a solution that can:

• Handle long-running processes, specifically when dealing with large orders.

• Ensure data consistency, where the order records are not left in an incomplete state.

• Be flexible and scalable to support complex workflows and integrations with external systems.

Why Option A (Asynchronous Workflow with Custom Workflow Activity) is the Best Choice:

An asynchronous workflow is designed to handle processes that may take longer to complete, without blocking other operations. In this case, processing an order with many line items may take up to six minutes. A custom workflow activity is used to integrate the app with external systems and perform complex business logic asynchronously.

The asynchronous workflow works well because it:

• Is decoupled from the main thread, meaning that it doesn't block other processes while the order is being processed.

• Ensures that the entire order processing is completed in one operation, which is a key requirement to avoid leaving incomplete records.

• Provides reliable error handling and tracking, as the system will know when the workflow has completed successfully or failed.

A custom workflow activity allows the app to interact with external systems, invoke APIs, or carry out business logic that might not be possible using standard workflow steps. This is crucial for integrating the order processing system with the external systems that the company needs.

Additionally, asynchronous workflows can be scheduled and queued in a way that avoids timeouts, ensuring that long-running tasks do not affect the system's performance or responsiveness.

Why the Other Options are Less Suitable:

• B. Real-time Workflow with Custom Action: A real-time workflow is designed to run immediately upon a record’s change, and it runs synchronously with the transaction. This means it processes in real-time, which could potentially lead to timeouts for long-running tasks, such as processing orders with many line items. Since the company needs to process some orders that may take up to six minutes, a real-time workflow would not be ideal, as it might cause the transaction to time out before it can be completed. Furthermore, real-time workflows are best suited for operations that need to complete almost instantaneously, which does not align with the requirements here.
  
  

• C. Webhook that Connects to an Azure Function: A webhook can trigger an action in an external system, such as an Azure Function, which can be used to handle complex business logic. However, the downside of this approach is that webhooks and Azure Functions may not guarantee single-transaction consistency in the way an asynchronous workflow can. Additionally, using webhooks introduces complexity in terms of error handling, retries, and ensuring that the order processing is completed without leaving incomplete records. The external nature of this solution (Azure Functions) might also make it harder to manage dependencies and increase the risk of failure in processing, especially if external systems are down or there are network issues.
  
  

• D. Asynchronous Plug-in: An asynchronous plug-in is another possible option for handling long-running processes. While asynchronous plug-ins can process complex tasks in the background, they typically execute based on events in the system (such as record creation or updates). However, using plug-ins for this type of complex order processing could introduce a level of complexity in terms of maintaining the system and ensuring consistency, particularly when dealing with integration points with external systems. While asynchronous plug-ins do provide background processing, they are typically used for more specific tasks (such as custom validation or enrichment), not for integrating multiple external systems with complex logic.

The most effective solution for the company's requirements is to use an asynchronous workflow that employs a custom workflow activity. This solution is well-suited to handle long-running processes, integrates with external systems, and ensures that the entire order is processed without leaving incomplete records. This will allow the company to scale their order processing app while maintaining data consistency and providing a smooth user experience.

Question No 5:

You are working on implementing custom business logic within a Power Apps portal. As part of the solution, you need to use Liquid templates to display dynamic content on your portal pages. Liquid templates are a powerful tool that allows you to integrate dynamic content, perform logic operations, and render data on your portal pages.

Given this requirement, which three entities can you include Liquid code in? Each correct answer represents a valid solution for embedding Liquid code.

A. Content snippet
B. Web page
C. Web template
D. Page template
E. Portal settings

Answer:

The correct answers are:
A. Content snippet
B. Web page
C. Web template

Explanation:

In Power Apps portals, Liquid templates are used to display dynamic content on web pages. Liquid is a flexible and powerful templating language that enables the integration of business logic directly into the portal’s front end. With Liquid, you can perform operations like loops, conditionals, and data access from the portal’s data source. To include Liquid code in your portal, it is essential to understand which entities support Liquid templates.

Let’s break down the five options and explain why three of them support Liquid code and two do not.

1. A. Content snippet:

A content snippet is a reusable block of content that you can define in the Power Apps portal to be inserted into any page or web template. Content snippets allow you to insert dynamic data and apply Liquid templates to customize the content. They are commonly used for adding dynamic text, logic, and data-driven content to portal pages without directly modifying the web page or template code.

Why it works:
You can embed Liquid code inside a content snippet to dynamically render content, pull data from the database, or perform logic operations. For example, you could create a snippet that displays different text or images depending on the user’s role or other context-specific conditions.

2. B. Web page:

A web page is a fundamental component in a Power Apps portal. It represents the actual page users will see on the portal. Liquid code can be included directly within the content of a web page, making it highly flexible for customizing the presentation and behavior of the page.

Why it works:
When you create or edit a web page in Power Apps portals, you can embed Liquid code directly into the content areas of the page. Liquid allows you to access data from your portal’s data source, apply logic, and dynamically change the content that is displayed to the user based on their input, role, or any other condition. For example, you could use Liquid to pull and display a user’s profile information or display customized messages based on user interaction.

3. C. Web template:

A web template is a predefined set of HTML and Liquid code that defines the layout and structure for the content rendered on a web page. Web templates are reusable and allow you to create consistent layouts that can be applied across multiple pages. Liquid code can be embedded within web templates to pull dynamic data and display it based on the specific context of the page.

Why it works:
Web templates are designed specifically for reusability and provide an excellent place to include Liquid code for dynamic data rendering. For example, you can use Liquid in a web template to iterate over a collection of records and display them in a table format. Since web templates are used across multiple pages, this allows you to maintain consistency while dynamically rendering content across your portal.

4. D. Page template:

A page template in Power Apps portals is used to define the layout and structure for web pages, but unlike web templates, page templates are not designed for dynamic content rendering through Liquid. They are primarily used to apply consistent page layouts or to define structural elements for content on web pages.

Why it doesn't work:
While page templates define the structure of a page, they do not support the dynamic insertion of data or business logic via Liquid code. Liquid code needs to be applied directly to content, such as in content snippets or web pages, not in page templates.

5. E. Portal settings:

Portal settings define configuration options for your Power Apps portal, such as authentication settings, branding, and security options. These settings control how the portal behaves but are not designed to contain or process Liquid code.

Why it doesn't work:
Portal settings are focused on the configuration of the portal itself and do not support embedding Liquid templates or business logic. Liquid templates are designed to operate within the context of the content presented to users (i.e., web pages and templates), not within configuration settings.

Conclusion:

To summarize, Liquid code is a versatile tool in Power Apps portals that allows dynamic content rendering and integration of business logic into the portal’s front end. The three entities that support Liquid code are:

1. Content snippets – reusable content that can include dynamic Liquid code.

2. Web pages – the actual pages where Liquid code can be inserted to render dynamic content.

3. Web templates – predefined templates that can include Liquid code to manage the layout and content across multiple pages.

On the other hand, page templates and portal settings are primarily used for structure and configuration, not for embedding or processing Liquid code. Understanding which entities support Liquid code is crucial for effectively implementing dynamic, data-driven experiences in your Power Apps portal.