Microsoft PL-400 Exam Dumps & Practice Test Questions

Question 1:

Your company manages capital equipment for an electric utility and stores maintenance records in a SQL Server database. Technicians use the Dynamics 365 Field Service mobile app on tablets to see their assignments, and a canvas app is used to view and update maintenance history. Managers use a Power BI dashboard showing data from Dynamics 365 Field Service plus real-time maintenance information. Due to growing demands, managers need to work more effectively in the field alongside technicians. 

How can you best provide managers with access to all necessary information on a single screen?

A. Add the maintenance history app to the Field Service mobile app.
B. Add the manager’s Power BI dashboard to the Field Service mobile app.
C. Build a new maintenance canvas app within the Power BI dashboard.
D. Embed the maintenance history app inside the Power BI dashboard.

Answer: B

Explanation:

The company requires a streamlined solution that lets managers efficiently access both real-time operational data and maintenance histories on one mobile interface while working alongside technicians. The best way to achieve this is by integrating the existing Power BI dashboard directly into the Dynamics 365 Field Service mobile app.

Power BI dashboards provide rich, real-time data visualizations, which are invaluable for managers to monitor equipment status and maintenance activities. By embedding this dashboard within the Field Service app, managers can have seamless access to both the operational data from Power BI and the maintenance history from the canvas app — all within a single, unified mobile environment. This reduces app switching and complexity, making fieldwork more productive and informed.

Option A, adding only the maintenance history app to the Field Service app, lacks the real-time insights provided by the Power BI dashboard. Option C, building a new canvas app inside Power BI, increases complexity and splits user focus, making it less practical for on-field use. Option D, embedding the maintenance history app into the Power BI dashboard, forces managers to use Power BI as their primary tool, which is less suited for interactive, field-based workflows.

In summary, embedding the Power BI dashboard into the Field Service mobile app combines analytics and operational data access in a single interface optimized for mobile field use, supporting faster, more effective decision-making by managers.

Question 2:

You are planning to integrate an existing API into a canvas app by creating a custom connector. To do this, you need to request specific documentation files from the API developers that describe the API’s structure and behavior. 

Which two file types should you ask for to successfully build the custom connector?

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

Answer: C, D

Explanation:

When integrating an external API into a canvas app via a custom connector, having clear, machine-readable API documentation is crucial. Two file types that provide comprehensive details for this purpose are the OpenAPI definition and the Postman collection.

The OpenAPI definition (formerly Swagger) is a standardized format widely used to describe RESTful APIs. It outlines available endpoints, expected inputs, output formats, and authentication requirements. This structured format enables tools to auto-generate connectors and client code, simplifying the integration process and ensuring consistency with the API specification.

The Postman collection is a practical set of pre-configured API requests grouped logically. It shows actual request URLs, methods, headers, and sample responses, which helps in testing and understanding API behavior. It can also be imported into many integration tools to expedite connector creation.

YAML, while a readable configuration format, doesn’t by itself fully describe API endpoints and is typically used as part of other specs rather than as a standalone document for connector creation. WSDL is an XML-based specification for SOAP web services rather than RESTful APIs, so it is relevant mainly for SOAP integrations, not for typical modern REST APIs used in canvas apps.

Thus, requesting both the OpenAPI definition and Postman collection from API developers ensures you have the complete and practical information necessary to design and implement a robust custom connector in your canvas app.

Question 3:

You are tasked with designing a canvas app that will work with extensive datasets. The app users require efficient filtering and sorting capabilities. 

To maintain optimal performance and avoid delegation issues, which two data sources would you recommend to best support delegation in this application?

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

Correct Answer: A, B

Explanation:

When developing canvas apps that deal with large volumes of data, it’s critical to consider delegation. Delegation refers to pushing data processing—like filtering, sorting, and aggregations—to the data source itself rather than handling it client-side in the app. This approach allows the app to efficiently manage large datasets without performance degradation or data limits.

Among the options, SQL Server is a robust relational database system that fully supports delegation. It can handle complex queries, including filtering and sorting, directly on the server. This means that when a user applies a filter or sorts data, the SQL Server performs these operations and sends only the required data back to the app, minimizing resource use on the client device and improving responsiveness.

The Common Data Service (CDS), now part of Microsoft Dataverse, is designed specifically for Power Platform environments like PowerApps. It supports delegation for a wide array of operations and integrates seamlessly with canvas apps. CDS is optimized for business data scenarios, offering scalability, security, and the ability to handle delegation efficiently.

On the other hand, Azure Data Factory is primarily an ETL tool focused on orchestrating data workflows and transformations rather than serving as a real-time data source for apps. It lacks native delegation support for filtering and sorting in app queries, making it unsuitable for this purpose.

Similarly, Azure Table Storage is a NoSQL store optimized for simple key-value data and has limited querying capabilities. It does not fully support delegation, especially for complex filters or sorts, which can cause the app to retrieve excessive data and reduce performance.

In conclusion, SQL Server and Common Data Service are the best candidates because they support delegation comprehensively. This enables the app to offload heavy data operations to the backend, ensuring efficient handling of large datasets with better performance and user experience.

Question 4:

A business is developing an order processing application that includes complex business rules and integration with multiple external systems. Some orders can have many line items, causing processing times up to six minutes. It is essential that each order’s processing is completed as a single operation to avoid partial or inconsistent data. 

What solution would best fulfill these requirements?

A. Use an asynchronous workflow with a custom workflow activity
B. Use a real-time workflow with a custom action
C. Implement a webhook that triggers an Azure Function
D. Use an asynchronous plug-in

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

The company’s order processing app must handle intricate business logic and integrate with external systems, with some orders involving numerous line items that may require up to six minutes to process. Crucially, the entire order processing must be atomic—meaning it should complete fully or not at all—to prevent incomplete or inconsistent records.

An asynchronous workflow with a custom workflow activity is the most suitable solution here. Asynchronous workflows are designed for long-running operations that should not block the main application process. They execute in the background, allowing other system activities to continue uninterrupted, and can handle delays gracefully.

A custom workflow activity enables integration with external systems or complex logic that standard workflows might not support. This approach ensures the entire order, including all line items, is processed in a single, consistent transaction without timing out, even if it takes several minutes. The asynchronous model also provides robust error handling and tracking to verify successful completion or catch failures.

In contrast, a real-time workflow with a custom action executes synchronously within the transaction scope. Long processing times would risk causing timeouts, potentially leaving orders in a partial state. Real-time workflows are better suited for quick, immediate validations or updates, not prolonged operations.

Using a webhook to trigger an Azure Function allows external processing but introduces complexity regarding transactional consistency. Webhooks and serverless functions operate outside the system’s transaction scope, which can risk partial updates and complicate error recovery and retries.

An asynchronous plug-in is an option for background processing but is typically event-driven and better suited for specific tasks like data enrichment or validation rather than orchestrating complex, multi-system order processing workflows.

Therefore, the asynchronous workflow combined with a custom workflow activity offers the right balance of reliability, scalability, and integration capability, ensuring orders are processed fully without impacting system performance or data integrity.

Question 5:

You are tasked with implementing dynamic content using Liquid templates in a Power Apps portal. Liquid enables you to embed business logic and data-driven content within your portal pages. 

Which three types of entities in Power Apps portals allow you to embed Liquid code? Select all that apply.

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

Correct Answers: A, B, C

Explanation:

Liquid templates are a powerful feature in Power Apps portals that enable developers to incorporate dynamic content and business logic directly into the portal’s user interface. Understanding where Liquid code can be embedded is key to building flexible, interactive portals.

Content snippets are reusable pieces of content that can be inserted into multiple locations within a portal. Because they can include HTML and Liquid code, they are ideal for embedding dynamic elements that need to appear consistently across pages. For example, you might create a snippet that personalizes greetings based on the user’s profile.

Web pages represent the actual pages users visit on the portal. These pages support embedding Liquid code directly within their content areas, allowing you to render dynamic data such as user-specific information, conditional content, or data fetched from the backend. This makes web pages highly adaptable for customized user experiences.

Web templates define the HTML structure and layout for pages and can also include Liquid. They are reusable templates that can be applied across multiple pages to maintain consistency while dynamically rendering data. For example, a web template might iterate over a list of records and display them in a table, all powered by Liquid.

In contrast, page templates mainly control static layout and structure but do not support embedding dynamic Liquid code. They are intended to provide consistent page frameworks rather than data-driven content. Similarly, portal settings are configurations that control the portal’s behavior but do not process or render Liquid templates.

In summary, Liquid code can be used within content snippets, web pages, and web templates to enable dynamic content and logic. Page templates and portal settings are not designed for embedding Liquid and serve different purposes within the portal architecture. Knowing these distinctions ensures you leverage Liquid effectively for customized portal development.

Question 6:

You need to create a Power Automate flow that triggers automatically when a new record is added to a Dataverse table. Which trigger should you select in your flow?

A. When a record is created, updated, or deleted (Dataverse)
B. When an item is created (SharePoint)
C. Manually trigger a flow
D. Recurrence trigger

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

The Microsoft Power Platform uses Dataverse as its core data service for storing and managing data. When you want to automate processes based on changes in Dataverse data, you need to select the appropriate trigger in Power Automate. The trigger named "When a record is created, updated, or deleted (Dataverse)" is specifically designed to respond to create, update, or delete operations on Dataverse tables.

Option A allows the flow to start immediately after a record is created, providing event-driven automation capabilities. This trigger ensures the flow reacts only when the specified event occurs, making automation real-time and efficient.

Option B relates to SharePoint and would be inappropriate for Dataverse data. Option C, manual trigger, requires a user to start the flow manually and does not respond automatically to data changes. Option D, recurrence trigger, runs flows on a schedule rather than responding to specific events.

Therefore, for automation based on new Dataverse records, option A is the correct choice because it directly integrates with Dataverse’s event model and provides near real-time triggering of flows whenever records are added, updated, or deleted.

Question 7:

You want to enforce business rules on a Dataverse table to validate data regardless of which client application modifies the data. Which method ensures the validation logic runs on the server?

A. Canvas app validation
B. Power Automate flow
C. Dataverse business rules
D. Dataverse plugins

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

Enforcing business logic in Dataverse can be done in several ways, but to guarantee the logic runs on the server side — no matter the client — Dataverse plugins are the most robust solution. Plugins are custom code components developed using .NET that execute synchronously or asynchronously during specific events (such as create, update, or delete) on Dataverse tables.

Because plugins execute within the Dataverse server environment, they enforce validation and business rules consistently, regardless of whether data is modified through a Canvas app, Power Automate, API, or any other client. This centralizes and secures critical business logic, reducing the chance of invalid data entering the system.

Option A, Canvas app validation, only runs client-side and can be bypassed by other clients or integrations. Option B, Power Automate flows, typically run asynchronously and are not suitable for real-time validation that blocks invalid data. Option C, Dataverse business rules, also run on the server but offer limited complexity compared to plugins and cannot handle complex custom logic or integrations.

Hence, for complex, reliable validation logic that must run on every data change, the use of Dataverse plugins is the most effective and dependable approach.

Question 8:

You want to securely connect a Canvas app to an on-premises SQL Server database. Which technology should you implement to allow this connection?

A. On-premises data gateway
B. Custom connector
C. Power Automate HTTP action
D. Azure API Management

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

When working with Power Platform applications such as Canvas apps that need to access on-premises data sources like SQL Server, you must use an On-premises data gateway. This gateway acts as a secure conduit that allows cloud services like Power Apps and Power Automate to communicate with data sources that reside inside an organization's private network.

The gateway facilitates data queries, updates, and transactions securely, without exposing the database directly to the internet. This approach protects the organization's data and complies with network security policies.

Option B, custom connectors, are useful for exposing external APIs but do not directly solve the issue of securely connecting to on-premises SQL Server. Option C, HTTP actions in Power Automate, can call APIs but require an accessible API endpoint and do not inherently handle on-premises connectivity. Option D, Azure API Management, manages APIs in Azure but does not by itself enable direct connectivity to on-premises databases.

Therefore, to establish secure and reliable connectivity from a Canvas app to an on-premises SQL Server, the on-premises data gateway is essential.

Question 9:

You want to extend Dataverse with custom business logic that integrates with external systems. 

Which feature allows you to create server-side APIs that can be called by external clients?

A. Custom connectors
B. Custom actions
C. Power Virtual Agents
D. Canvas app custom connectors

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Dataverse supports extending its functionality by defining custom actions, which are custom operations implemented on the server side. These actions are exposed as part of the Dataverse Web API, allowing external systems to invoke them like standard REST endpoints.

Custom actions enable developers to bundle complex business logic and expose it securely for consumption by external clients, Power Automate, or other Power Platform components. This approach centralizes business rules and integration logic, ensuring consistency and maintainability.

Option A, custom connectors, allow Power Platform to call external APIs but do not expose server-side APIs within Dataverse itself. Option C, Power Virtual Agents, provides chatbot functionality and is unrelated to API extension. Option D is not a valid term — Canvas apps can use custom connectors but cannot expose APIs.

Thus, when you want to extend Dataverse by creating server-side APIs callable by external systems, custom actions are the recommended solution.

Question 10:

You are tasked with automating an approval process where a user submits a request and the manager approves or rejects it. You want the flow to wait for the manager's decision before continuing. 

Which action in Power Automate is best suited for this scenario?

A. Start and wait for an approval
B. Send an email notification
C. Condition control
D. Apply to each

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

Power Automate provides a specific action called "Start and wait for an approval", designed to handle approval processes efficiently. This action sends an approval request to the specified approver(s) and pauses the flow until a response (approve or reject) is received. It simplifies the approval logic by managing requests, tracking responses, and enabling branching based on the approval outcome.

Option B, sending an email notification, only informs the manager but does not provide a mechanism for responding or waiting on their decision. Option C, Condition control, evaluates conditions but cannot initiate or wait for an approval. Option D, Apply to each, is used for iterating over collections and is unrelated to approvals.

By using "Start and wait for an approval", you ensure the flow pauses until the manager acts, making the approval process streamlined and auditable.