PL 900T00A ENU TrainerHandbook - FSI
PL 900T00A ENU TrainerHandbook - FSI
PL 900T00A ENU TrainerHandbook - FSI
Official
Course
PL-900T00
Microsoft Power Platform
Fundamentals
PL-900T00
Microsoft Power Platform
Fundamentals
II Disclaimer
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EULA III
13. “Personal Device” means one (1) personal computer, device, workstation or other digital electronic
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EULA V
User will agree that their use of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware will be subject
to the terms in this agreement prior to providing them with the Microsoft Instructor-Led
Courseware. Each individual will be required to denote their acceptance of this agree-
ment in a manner that is enforceable under local law prior to their accessing the Micro-
soft Instructor-Led Courseware,
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Session,
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You may not install the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware on a device you do not own or
control.
2. For each license you acquire on behalf of an End User or MCT, you may either:
1. distribute one (1) hard copy version of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware to one
(1) End User attending the Authorized Training Session and only immediately prior to
the commencement of the Authorized Training Session that is the subject matter of the
Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware provided, or
2. provide one (1) End User attending the Authorized Training Session with the unique
redemption code and instructions on how they can access one (1) digital version of the
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own valid licensed copy of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware that is the subject of
the Authorized Training Session,
3. you will ensure that each End User provided with a hard-copy version of the Microsoft
Instructor-Led Courseware will be presented with a copy of this agreement and each End
User will agree that their use of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware will be subject
to the terms in this agreement prior to providing them with the Microsoft Instructor-Led
Courseware. Each individual will be required to denote their acceptance of this agree-
ment in a manner that is enforceable under local law prior to their accessing the Micro-
soft Instructor-Led Courseware,
VI EULA
4. you will ensure that each MCT teaching an Authorized Training Session has their own
valid licensed copy of the Trainer Content that is the subject of the Authorized Training
Session,
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credential that is the subject of the MOC title being taught for all your Authorized
Training Sessions using MOC,
6. you will only provide access to the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware to End Users,
and
7. you will only provide access to the Trainer Content to MCTs.
3. If you are a MPN Member:
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Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware in the form provided to you. If the Microsoft Instruc-
tor-Led Courseware is in digital format, you may install one (1) copy on up to three (3)
Personal Devices. You may not install the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware on a device
you do not own or control.
2. For each license you acquire on behalf of an End User or Trainer, you may either:
1. distribute one (1) hard copy version of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware to one
(1) End User attending the Private Training Session, and only immediately prior to the
commencement of the Private Training Session that is the subject matter of the Micro-
soft Instructor-Led Courseware being provided, or
2. provide one (1) End User who is attending the Private Training Session with the unique
redemption code and instructions on how they can access one (1) digital version of the
Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware, or
3. you will provide one (1) Trainer who is teaching the Private Training Session with the
unique redemption code and instructions on how they can access one (1) Trainer
Content.
3. For each license you acquire, you must comply with the following:
1. you will only provide access to the Licensed Content to those individuals who have
acquired a valid license to the Licensed Content,
2. you will ensure that each End User attending an Private Training Session has their own
valid licensed copy of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware that is the subject of the
Private Training Session,
3. you will ensure that each End User provided with a hard copy version of the Microsoft
Instructor-Led Courseware will be presented with a copy of this agreement and each End
User will agree that their use of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware will be subject
to the terms in this agreement prior to providing them with the Microsoft Instructor-Led
Courseware. Each individual will be required to denote their acceptance of this agree-
ment in a manner that is enforceable under local law prior to their accessing the Micro-
soft Instructor-Led Courseware,
4. you will ensure that each Trainer teaching an Private Training Session has their own valid
licensed copy of the Trainer Content that is the subject of the Private Training Session,
EULA VII
5. you will only use qualified Trainers who hold the applicable Microsoft Certification
credential that is the subject of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware being taught
for all your Private Training Sessions,
6. you will only use qualified MCTs who hold the applicable Microsoft Certification creden-
tial that is the subject of the MOC title being taught for all your Private Training Sessions
using MOC,
7. you will only provide access to the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware to End Users,
and
8. you will only provide access to the Trainer Content to Trainers.
4. If you are an End User:
For each license you acquire, you may use the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware solely for
your personal training use. If the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware is in digital format, you
may access the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware online using the unique redemption code
provided to you by the training provider and install and use one (1) copy of the Microsoft
Instructor-Led Courseware on up to three (3) Personal Devices. You may also print one (1) copy
of the Microsoft Instructor-Led Courseware. You may not install the Microsoft Instructor-Led
Courseware on a device you do not own or control.
5. If you are a Trainer.
1. For each license you acquire, you may install and use one (1) copy of the Trainer Content in
the form provided to you on one (1) Personal Device solely to prepare and deliver an
Authorized Training Session or Private Training Session, and install one (1) additional copy
on another Personal Device as a backup copy, which may be used only to reinstall the
Trainer Content. You may not install or use a copy of the Trainer Content on a device you do
not own or control. You may also print one (1) copy of the Trainer Content solely to prepare
for and deliver an Authorized Training Session or Private Training Session.
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logically associated with instruction of a training session in accordance with the most recent
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use of “customize” refers only to changing the order of slides and content, and/or not using
all the slides or content, it does not mean changing or modifying any slide or content.
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described in this agreement.
VIII EULA
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X EULA
Power Apps
Power Apps provides a rapid low code development environment for building custom apps for business
needs. It has services, connectors, and a scalable data service and app platform (Common Data Service)
to allow simple integration and interaction with existing data. Power Apps enables the creation of web
and mobile applications that run on all devices.
People use apps for every area of their lives, and business should be no exception. Most out of the box
solutions do not meet exact business needs or integrate well with other business programs. Power Apps
eases users into app development with a simple interface so that every business user or pro developer
can build custom apps.
4 Module 1 Introduction to Power Platform
Power Automate
Power Automate lets users create automated workflows between applications and services. It helps
automate repetitive business processes such as communication, data collections, and decision approvals.
Don't waste important productive hours on drafting the same email for a weekly update or walking
approvals through. Not only for the individual user, Power Automate allows for the creation of enter-
prise-grade process automation. Power Automate's simple interface allows every level of user to auto-
mate work tasks - from beginners to seasoned developers.
Power BI
Power BI (Business Intelligence) is a business analytics service that delivers insights for analyzing data. It
can share those insights through data visualizations which make up reports and dashboards to enable
fast, informed decisions. Power BI scales across an organization, and it has built-in governance and
security allowing businesses to focus on using data more than managing it.
You can consider Power BI as the analysis and insights leg of the Power Platform. It takes business data
and allows you to display it in ways that makes the most sense to users. A Power BI dashboard could
potentially replace a standing meeting to report out on company metrics such as sales data, progress
against goals, or employee performance.
Features
Among the programs listed above, there are cross cutting features which enable the Power Platform to
be leveraged to its full potential. Some of these are:
AI Builder
AI Builder lets users and developers add AI capabilities to the workflows and Power Apps they create
and use. AI Builder is a turnkey solution that allows you to easily add intelligence to your workflows and
apps and predict outcomes to help improve business performance without writing code.
Connectors
Connectors enable you to connect apps, data, and devices in the cloud. Consider connectors the bridge
across which information and commands travel. There are more than 275 connectors for the Power
Platform, enabling all of your data and actions to connect cohesively. Examples of popular connectors
include Salesforce, Office 365, Twitter, Dropbox, Google services, and more.
Although every feature is essential to building powerful solutions, let's dive in deeper to one of the
features of Power Platform, connectors.
Data connectors
Power Platform is made powerful by its ability to leverage data across many
platforms. To do this, components of the Power Platform use connectors. You can
think of connectors as a bridge from your data source to your app or workflow
which allows information to be conveyed back and forth. Connectors allow you to
extend your business solutions across platforms and add functionality for your
users.
Data Sources
In order to understand the types of connectors and what you can do with them,
you must first understand the types of data sources to which they connect. The
two types of data sources are tabular and function-based.
Tabular data - A tabular data source is one that returns data in a
structured table format. Power Apps can directly read and display these tables
through galleries, forms, and other controls. Additionally, if the data source
supports it, Power Apps can create, edit, and delete data from these data
sources. Examples include Common Data Service, SharePoint, and SQL Server.
Function-based data - A function-based data source is one that uses
functions to interact with the data source. These functions can be used to
return a table of data but offer more extensive action such as the ability to
send an email, update permissions, or create a calendar event. Examples include
Office 365 Users, Project Online, and Azure Blob Storage.
Both of these data source types are commonly used to bring data and additional
functionality to your solutions.
As you can see, connecting to data sources allows you to integrate disparate
parts of your business solutions to build them out cohesively.
Connectors
Now that you understand more about data sources, you are ready to learn about
connectors.
Connectors are the bridges from your data source to your app, workflow, or
dashboard. The Power Platform has more than 275 connectors available to common
data sources. Connectors are divided into standard and premium. Some popular
standard connectors are SharePoint, Outlook, and YouTube. Premium connectors
require additional licensing for your app and/or users. A few premium connectors
are SQL Server, Survey Monkey, and Mail Chimp. The connector reference in the
6 Module 1 Introduction to Power Platform
summary and resources unit lists all connectors and whether they are considered
standard or premium. You can also use AppSource to source and install apps and
use the connectors to non-Microsoft services.
Connectors can provide input and output between the data source and the Power
Platform, which can accelerate the delivery of Power Platform business
solutions. For instance, using Dynamics 365 apps such as Customer Service, you
can set up Power Automate to notify users when specific customer types are
added. Or you can use a SharePoint document library to store files that are fed
into Power Apps to manage and distribute. Microsoft also provides connectors to
their Azure services, providing advanced AI techniques to do tasks such as
reading text off images or cognitive services like recognizing faces in images.
All Power Platform business solutions can be used and implemented into Microsoft
365 apps such as Teams. This allows users to play Power Apps within Teams or run
Power Automate from actions and events within Teams.
Custom Connectors
While the Power Platform offers more than 200 connectors, you also have the
option to build a custom connector. This will allow you to extend your app by
calling a publicly available API, or a custom API you are hosting in a cloud
provider, such as Azure. API stands for Application Programming Interface and
holds a series of functions available for developers. Connectors work by sending
information back and forth across these APIs and gathering available functions
into Power Apps or Power Automate. Because these connectors are function-based,
they will call specific functions in the underlying service of the API to return
the corresponding data.
An advantage of building custom connectors is that they can be used in different
platforms, such as Power Apps, Power Automate, and Azure Logic Apps.
Power Platform overview 7
1 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/custom-connectors/define-blank
2 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/custom-connectors/define-openapi-definition
3 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/custom-connectors/define-postman-collection
4 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/use-custom-connectors-in-powerapps-canvas-app/
8 Module 1 Introduction to Power Platform
preference. You can manage connectors when you create or modify the properties
of a DLP policy from the Power Platform admin
center5. These affect Power Platform
canvas apps and Power Automate flows. To create a DLP policy, you need to be
a tenant admin or have the Environment Admin role.
Data Protection
Data as it is in transit between user devices and the Microsoft datacenters are
secured. Connections established between customers and Microsoft datacenters are
encrypted, and all public endpoints are secured using industry-standard TLS. TLS
effectively establishes a security-enhanced browser to server connection to help
ensure data confidentiality and integrity between desktops and datacenters. API
access from the customer endpoint to the server is also similarly protected.
Currently, TLS 1.2 (or higher) is required for accessing the server endpoints.
5 https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/
6 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/accessibility-checker
Power Platform overview 9
help review potential accessibility issues in your app. For more details and
suggestions on making your canvas apps more accessible, visit
https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/accessible-apps.
Pulling it together
Although we live in a data driven world, your business can find it difficult to take advantage of the data
you have access to. Sales, customer, and employee data should drive our business decisions, but where
do we even start? The Power Platform can add value to any business by helping you to analyze, act, and
automate. Act by building custom apps in Power Apps, automate processes based on the data you collect
in Power Automate, and analyze the data you have collected in Power BI.
Consider a business that has IT equipment for general use. Currently, equipment check-out is conducted
by visiting the IT office, checking if the product is available, then writing your name and the equipment
name in a notebook. Employees may have to visit IT several times before equipment becomes available,
and IT personnel must drop their tasks to check on equipment status or go to collect it for the employee.
Sometimes employees hold onto the equipment longer than they intend and an IT personnel spends
time tracking it down. In addition, important equipment information such as serial number, warranty
details, and instructions for use are kept somewhere in the IT office. How can the Power Platform improve
this process?
Power Apps allows us to build an app that has all equipment listed, the status of that equipment, and
even important details such as use instructions. This way employees can check out available equipment,
walk to IT at a specified pick up time where the equipment will be ready, and even access the use instruc-
tions or flag an equipment malfunction from their phone or tablet. Power Automate can read when
equipment needs to be returned and send out reminder emails, or even a warning that the equipment is
late being checked in. Users can see when equipment is booked through the app and request check out
for a future date at which time Power Automate can send them a reminder to pick up the equipment and
IT a reminder to have it ready. Power BI can take all the data generated from the app and analyze it to
help you understand what equipment is used most often and by whom. This way you can decide if you
need additional equipment, if some users or departments need dedicated equipment, and when your
equipment has reached the end of its usefulness.
This is only one common scenario in which the Power Platform can transform the way businesses work.
Consider your own business and what processes take up valuable time and are a burden to customers or
employees. How can you leverage the Power Platform to improve them?
10 Module 1 Introduction to Power Platform
Module summary
Questions
Multiple choice
Your social media engagement officer has requested your help in boosting followers and retweets on Twitter.
How could you help her get more information to better understand and subsequently increase engagement?
Power Apps portals can create a new customer site for our followers
Power Automate can handle our content approvals for us, reducing the time it takes to produce new
content and ensure our quality procedure is followed
Configure a Power BI report to capture and analyze data from Twitter, allowing you to beter under-
stand why certain posts elicit more responses
Multiple choice
Your team has become frustrated with number of times they have to perform basic data entry on project
startup. There are many divisions who need the information and sometimes human error results in mis-
takes, making it more difficult to make sense of your information. Which program would be the most help
in this situation?
Power Apps
Power Automate
Power BI
Multiple choice
Someone has added an item in SharePoint which prompts a workflow to run in Power Automate. What type
of operation have you used to start your workflow?
Trigger
Action
Function-based
Multiple choice
A client likes the idea of implementing a Power Platform solution, but is concerned about the ability to
interact with a custom API. How should you respond?
The Power Platform offers the ability to create custom connectors for this purpose, which allow you to
connect to Power Apps and Power Automate.
The Power Platform has over 270 connectors to use in these situations.
The Power Platform uses connectors that hold a series of functions available for developers.
Module summary 11
Key takeaways
Here are the five key takeaways:
1. Power Platform is a system that enables users to do three key actions on data that help them drive
business: gain insights from data (Analyze), drive intelligent business processes via apps they build
(Act), and automate business processes (Automate).
2. Power BI helps you analyze and visualize data on a unified platform with data from internal and
external sources.
3. Power Apps helps you build and deploy customized apps that work across web and mobile, embed-
ded or standalone, on any device.
4. Connectors are bridges that allow you to send information from your data source to your app or
workflow and back.
5. Power Automate helps you create automation workflows, from simple to advanced scenarios.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
Power BI
●● Power BI7
●● Power BI customer showcase8
Power Apps
●● Power Apps9
●● Power Apps Resources10
7 https://powerbi.microsoft.com/
8 https://powerbi.microsoft.com/customer-showcase/
9 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/
10 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-powerapps-learning-resources/
12 Module 1 Introduction to Power Platform
Power Automate
●● Power Automate11
●● Power Automate Documentation12
More on Connectors
●● Connector Reference13
●● Overview of canvas-app connectors for Power Apps14
11 https://flow.microsoft.com/
12 https://docs.microsoft.com/flow/
13 https://docs.microsoft.com/connectors/
14 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/connections-list
15 https://docs.microsoft.com/connectors/custom-connectors/define-blank
16 https://docs.microsoft.com/connectors/custom-connectors/define-openapi-definition
17 https://docs.microsoft.com/connectors/custom-connectors/define-postman-collection
18 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/use-custom-connectors-in-powerapps-canvas-app/
19 https://powervirtualagents.microsoft.com/en-us/
Module summary 13
Answers
Multiple choice
Your social media engagement officer has requested your help in boosting followers and retweets on
Twitter. How could you help her get more information to better understand and subsequently increase
engagement?
Power Apps portals can create a new customer site for our followers
Power Automate can handle our content approvals for us, reducing the time it takes to produce new
content and ensure our quality procedure is followed
■■ Configure a Power BI report to capture and analyze data from Twitter, allowing you to beter under-
stand why certain posts elicit more responses
Explanation
Power BI allows you to create visuals and better understand your data. Once you understand trends in what
followers like, you can post more of that content and increase engagement.
Multiple choice
Your team has become frustrated with number of times they have to perform basic data entry on project
startup. There are many divisions who need the information and sometimes human error results in
mistakes, making it more difficult to make sense of your information. Which program would be the most
help in this situation?
Power Apps
■■ Power Automate
Power BI
Explanation
Power Automate can create automated information workflows so that data entry only has to occur once.
Multiple choice
Someone has added an item in SharePoint which prompts a workflow to run in Power Automate. What
type of operation have you used to start your workflow?
■■ Trigger
Action
Function-based
Explanation
A trigger is an operation that tells a workflow to begin or prompts some type of action.
Multiple choice
A client likes the idea of implementing a Power Platform solution, but is concerned about the ability to
interact with a custom API. How should you respond?
■■ The Power Platform offers the ability to create custom connectors for this purpose, which allow you to
connect to Power Apps and Power Automate.
The Power Platform has over 270 connectors to use in these situations.
The Power Platform uses connectors that hold a series of functions available for developers.
Explanation
You can build out a custom connector to bridge your app or workflow to the API.
Module 2 Introduction to Common Data Ser-
vice
As you can see, Common Data Service offers a great deal of functionality. Below is a brief explanation of
each category of features.
Security: Common Data Service handles authentication with Azure Active Directory (AAD) to allow for
conditional access and multi-factor authentication. It supports authorization down to the row and field
level and provides rich auditing capabilities.
Logic: Common Data Service allows you to easily apply business logic at the data level. Regardless of
how a user is interacting with the data, the same rules apply. These rules could be related to duplicate
detection, business rules, workflows, or more.
Data: Common Data Service offers you the control to shape your data, allowing you to discover, model,
validate, and report on your data. This control ensures your data looks the way you want regardless of
how it is used.
Storage: Common Data Service stores your physical data in the Azure cloud. This cloud-based storage
removes the burden of worrying about where your data lives or how it scales. These concerns are all
handled for you.
Integration: Common Data Service connects in different ways to support your business needs. APIs,
webhooks, eventing, and data exports give you flexibility to get data in and out.
As you can see, Common Data Service is a very powerful cloud-based solution for storing and working
with your business data. In the following sections, you will look at Common Data Service from the lens of
data storage for the Power Platform, where you will start your journey. Keep in mind the additional rich
capabilities discussed above which you can explore further as your usage increases.
To get started, Common Data Service lets you create one or many cloud-based instances of a standard-
ized database. The database includes predefined tables and fields which store data commonly found
across nearly all organizations and businesses. You can customize and extend what is stored by adding
new fields or tables (called entities in Common Data Service). The ease of setting up a Common Data
Service database and standardized data model under it simplifies your ability to concentrate your efforts
on building solutions without worrying about infrastructure, storage, and data integration.
Common Data Service overview 17
With your data stored in Common Data Service, there are many different ways to access it. You can work
with the data natively with tools such as Power Apps or Power Automate. Or through connectors and APIs
you can connect to the Common Data Service from any business solution. With the power of features
such as role-based security and business rules you can trust your data is safe no matter how it is ac-
cessed.
Scalability
A Common Data Service database supports large data sets and complex data models. Entities can hold
millions of items, and you can extend the storage in each instance of a Common Data Service database to
four (4) terabytes per instance. The amount of data that is available in your instance of Common Data
Service is based upon the number and type of licenses that are associated with it. Data storage is pooled
between all licensed users, so you can allocate storage as needed for each solution that you build.
Additional storage can be purchased if you need more storage than what is offered within standard
licensing.
Tip: Common Data Service supports transactional multi-user applications, where quick response to user
demand is the priority. It is not intended to be a platform for long running or batch processing.
Service database is simplified integration of any solutions that use a Common Data Model schema,
because the standard entities of the solution are the same. You will also be able to take advantage of a
rich ecosystem of solutions that vendors have built from using Common Data Model. Best of all, there is
practically no limit to how far you can extend a Common Data Service database.
Types of entities
The two types of entities are:
●● Standard - The base set of entities that are created for every instance of a Common Data Service
database. You can add more fields to any entity, but you can only delete fields from a custom entity.
●● Complex - Entities that contain complex, server-side business logic, including real-time workflows or
plug-ins. Some of the entities that are used in Dynamics 365 applications are complex. Care must be
taken if you add server-side logic to ensure that users have the proper license to use the complex
entity. Additional information about complex entities can be accessed by following the link within the
summary unit of this module.
Fields
Fields are a way to store a discrete piece of information within a record in an entity. You might think of
them as a column in Excel. Fields have types, meaning that you can store data of a certain type in a field
that matches that data type. For example, if you have a solution that requires dates, then you would store
the date in a field with the type of Date. Similarly, if you want to store a number, then you store the
number in a field with the type of Number.
Common Data Service overview 19
The number of fields within an entity varies from a few fields to a hundred or more. If you need more
than a few hundred fields in an entity, you might want to reconsider how you are structuring data storage
for your solution because, likely, there is a better way.
Every database in Common Data Service starts with a standard set of entities and each standard entity
has a standard set of fields.
Tip: Always use standard entities and fields when possible. You can rename an entity if that makes the
entity more understandable in the context of your solution. Always review the list of standard entities and
make sure a standard entity will not meet your needs before you create a new entity.
Understand relationships
To make an efficient and scalable solution for most of the solutions that you build, you will need to split
up data into different containers (entities). Trying to store everything into a single container would likely
be inefficient and difficult to work with and understand.
The following example helps illustrate this concept.
Imagine that you need to create a system to manage sales orders. You will need a product list along with
the inventory on hand, cost of the item, and the selling price. You also need a master list of customers
with their addresses and credit ratings. Finally, you will need to manage invoices of sales that you make
so you will want a way to store invoice data. The invoice should include information such as date, invoice
number, and salesperson, customer information including address and credit rating, and a line item for
each item on the invoice. Line items should include a reference to the product that you sold and be able
to provide the proper cost and price for each product and decrease the quantity on hand based upon the
quantity that you sold in that line item.
Trying to create a single entity to support the functionality that was previously described would be
inefficient. A better way to approach this business scenario is to create the following four entities:
●● Customers
●● Products
●● Invoices
●● Line Items
Creating an entity for each of these items and relating them to one another will allow you to build an effi-
cient solution that can scale while maintaining high performance. Splitting the data into multiple entities
also means that you will not have to store repetitive data or support huge records with large amounts of
blank data. Additionally, reporting will be much easier if you split the data into separate entities.
Entities that relate to one another have a relational connection. Relationships between entities exist in
many forms, but the two most common are one-to-many and many-to-many, both of which are support-
ed by Common Data Service.
One-to-many relationships are also known as parent-child relationships. In the previous invoice example,
the invoice entity would be the parent and the line items would be a child entity. An invoice can have
zero, one, or many line items (child records), but the line item will always be related to just one invoice
(parent record). Typically, the child records will not exist without a parent record.
A field that only allows unique values, such as invoice number, is used to identify the parent record. This
unique field is called a key. The same value (the parent key) is stored in the related child records. This
field is called a foreign key when the child record is used to store the parent key value. Ingeniously,
filtering is used to display child records with a value in the foreign key that matches the key value in the
parent record. This allows applications to display the child records (line items in the previous example)
20 Module 2 Introduction to Common Data Service
that belong to a particular parent record (invoice in the previous example). This concept underlies many
business software applications.
Splitting data into different entities makes for an efficient solution design that can scale, but knowing
how to split up the data into entities can be difficult. Thankfully, Common Data Service already contains
many of the entities that most organizations will need. Using standard entities and extending them will
ensure that you are building solutions around a proven, scalable way of storing the data that is used by
your solutions.
You can create more than one environment to manage solution development and data storage by setting
up one environment for development, another for testing, and another for production use. Also, you can
set up an environment based on a geographical location. For example, you might set up an environment
for Europe and another for Asia. Each of these environments will have zero or only one instance of
Common Data Service.
Business rules
In Common Data Service you can define business rules. Business rules allow you to apply and maintain
business logic at the data layer instead of the app layer. Put more simply, if you create business rules in
Common Data Service, they are in affect regardless of how you interact with the data.
An example business rule usage is when they are in canvas or model-driven apps to set or clear values in
one or many fields in an entity. They can also be used to validate stored data or show error messages.
Model-driven apps can use business rules to show or hide fields, enable or disable fields, and create
recommendations based on business intelligence.
Tip: Business rules are usually defined for an entity and apply to all forms, but you can define a business
rule for a specific model-driven form. Canvas apps cannot have a business rule applied to a specific form,
but they are still enforced when interacting with the data.
Common Data Service overview 21
Business rules give you a powerful way to enforce rules, set values, or validate data regardless of the form
that is used to input data. Additionally, business rules are effective in helping to increase the accuracy of
data, simplify application development, and streamline the forms presented to end users.
Business rules can be used by canvas apps or model-driven apps to do the following:
●● Set field values
●● Clear field values
●● Validate data and show error messages
Model-driven apps can also use business rules to:
●● Show or hide fields (model-driven apps only)
●● Enable or disable fields (model-driven apps only)
●● Create business recommendations based on business intelligence (model-driven apps only)
Below is an example of a simple, yet powerful use of business rules. The business rule is configured to
change the field Credit Limit VP Approver to be a required field if the Credit limit is set to greater than
$1,000,000. If the credit limit is less than $1,000,000 then the field is optional.
By applying this business rule at the data level instead of the app level, you have better control of your
data and it can confirm it follows your business logic whether it is being accessed directly from Power
Apps or Power Automate or even via an API. The rules are tied to the data, not the app.
Administer
Common Data Service has a rich set of administrative options that you can use
to create new instances of a database or tailor access and features
that are available for users of each Common Data Service database instance.
Several administrative portals are available for you to use to
administer Common Data Service settings.
The Power Apps Admin center is discussed in this unit because it will satisfy most of
your administrative needs. However, a few other administrative options are available,
22 Module 2 Introduction to Common Data Service
which are covered in the Manage permissions and administration for Common Data Service
learning path.
Take a few moments to explore the options by going to the Admin center
and opening each section on the left-hand side of the portal:
1. Go to Power Apps1 and sign in.
2. Select Admin center under the gear, as shown.
Tip: You can go directly to the Power Apps Admin center at https://admin.powerplatform.micro-
soft.com and then sign in.
1 https://www.powerapps.com
Common Data Service overview 23
3. Select the options on the left-hand side of the admin center portal.
The Power Apps Admin center lets you manage the tasks of setting up users, permissions, and many
other important features and
capabilities of Common Data Service.
24 Module 2 Introduction to Common Data Service
Module summary
Questions
Multiple choice
How can business rules be used in a canvas or model-driven app?
To validate data and show error messages.
Show or hide fields.
Manage solution development and data storage.
Multiple choice
Your manager has built a solution using the Common Data Service using a few of the standard Entities
included out of the box. He wants to capture the date that new records are added to the Entity, but he isn't
sure how. He notices that a "Date" field is already inside his Entity, but he wants the field to have a custom
name of "Date Confirmed". What would you recommend he do?
Create a new Entity with the name "Date Confirmed"
Use the built-in Date field within the Entity to store the date values, but rename the field to "Date
Confirmed"
Create a new Environment with the name "Date Confirmed"
Multiple choice
One of your co-workers has set up a Model-driven application using the Common Data Service. The app
captures information about computer hardware assets, including their price. Your co-worker is concerned
that users of the application are going to put incorrect values into fields - for instance, they might put in the
wrong cost center when submitting a new record. How could this be prevented?
Use Power Automate to validate that the field value matches what the table is expecting.
Use Business Rules to automatically validate the cost center for the currently-logged in user.
Use a Canvas App instead of a Model-driven app.
●● Create environments
●● Define business rules
Key takeaways
Here are the three key takeaways:
1. The Common Data Service uses standard entities, fields, and relationships to help you build powerful,
scalable data solutions.
2. Make your data work for you so that you can get the most of it by splitting it up into logical chunks.
3. Using the Common Data Service, you can break your data into various environments to better
manage and secure important information.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
2 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/intro-common-data-service/
3 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/common-data-service/data-platform-intro
4 https://docs.microsoft.com/business-applications-release-notes/april19/cdm-data-integration/common-data-model-cdm
5 https://download.microsoft.com/download/9/5/6/9568EFD0-403D-4AE4-95F0-7FACA2CCB2E4/Power%20Apps%20and%20Power%20
Automate%20Licensing%20Guide%20-%20Nov%202019.pdf
6 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/create-manage-entities/
7 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/common-data-service/data-platform-complex-entities
8 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/common-data-service/data-platform-restricted-entities
9 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/create-manage-fields-within-entity/
10 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/create-relationship-between-cds-entities/
11 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/create-manage-environments/1-intro
26 Module 2 Introduction to Common Data Service
12 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/define-create-business-rules/
Module summary 27
Answers
Multiple choice
How can business rules be used in a canvas or model-driven app?
■■ To validate data and show error messages.
Show or hide fields.
Manage solution development and data storage.
Explanation
Validating data and showing error messages are one of the functionalities available in both canvas and
model-driven apps via a business rule.
Multiple choice
Your manager has built a solution using the Common Data Service using a few of the standard Entities
included out of the box. He wants to capture the date that new records are added to the Entity, but he
isn't sure how. He notices that a "Date" field is already inside his Entity, but he wants the field to have a
custom name of "Date Confirmed". What would you recommend he do?
Create a new Entity with the name "Date Confirmed"
■■ Use the built-in Date field within the Entity to store the date values, but rename the field to "Date
Confirmed"
Create a new Environment with the name "Date Confirmed"
Explanation
Whenever possible, if an entity has an existing field in the type you need, reuse that field before creating a
new one.
Multiple choice
One of your co-workers has set up a Model-driven application using the Common Data Service. The app
captures information about computer hardware assets, including their price. Your co-worker is concerned
that users of the application are going to put incorrect values into fields - for instance, they might put in
the wrong cost center when submitting a new record. How could this be prevented?
Use Power Automate to validate that the field value matches what the table is expecting.
■■ Use Business Rules to automatically validate the cost center for the currently-logged in user.
Use a Canvas App instead of a Model-driven app.
Explanation
Business rules can be used to validate field data on a form.
Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Canvas apps
Canvas apps are a great option when you want to build an app from a blank canvas. You start by choos-
ing the screen size: tablet or mobile, then you have a blank screen from which to build. You can interact
with data in your app by adding data sources. Drag and drop various controls and add the desired
functionality by writing Excel style formulas. Canvas apps provide you complete flexibility when building
your apps.
Below are a couple of examples of a mobile canvas app built by Heathrow Airport.
Model-driven apps
Model-driven apps build from data in the Common Data Service. Power Apps will build you a great
looking, fully functional app to act upon and interact with this data. With model-driven apps, there is no
need to worry about choosing the app size; it is responsive, meaning it works on mobile or tablet with no
extra work by you. You define the relationships, forms, views, business rules, and more at the data layer,
Introduction to Power Apps 31
inside of the Common Data Service, giving you enough control to get your business result without
writing all of the formulas yourself.
Below is an example of a fundraiser donations tracking Model-driven app.
Portals
Portals bring the power of no-code solutions to building externally facing websites. Through the Power
Apps interface, you can build an anonymous or authenticated website that allows users to interact with
data held in Common Data Service. The same drag and drop experience you enjoy when building apps is
available to build these rich, interactive websites.
lot of complicated logic. Power Apps has “democratized” artificial intelligence by providing a wiz-
ard-based interface for building and training your model. This unlocks the power of Azure Machine
Learning and Cognitive services without writing a single line of code or creating complex machine
learning models.
A ready to use AI component is the Business card reader. This component reviews an uploaded photo or
picture taken to determine if it is a business card and subsequently extracts the relevant information. No
configuration required.
The business card reader is simply one ready-made example which builds off of the underlying AI
components which you can deploy in other ways by first building a model. From https://make.Power-
Apps.com, a wizard guides you through building and training the model. Currently, there are four
available AI models in Power Apps:
●● Prediction - This model predicts whether something will happen or not based on previous data
history. More details in the following section.
●● Form processor - This model extracts text from an image like the business card reader.
●● Object detector - This model identifies objects from an uploaded image or taken photo and then
provides a count of the number of objects present.
●● Text classification - This model categorizes text by its meaning, making it is easier to analyze.
In addition, in the Power Automate learn module, you will see that Power Automate has the ability to
automate these tasks. You can download the Center of Excellence1 starter kit, a collection of compo-
nents or tools that are designed to help get started with developing a strategy for adopting and support-
ing the Power Platform, with a focus on Power Apps and Power Automate.
1 https://aka.ms/CoEStarterKitDownload
2 https://customers.microsoft.com/story/766053-heathrow-airport-travel-transportation-power-apps
34 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Questions
Multiple choice
You want to build a mobile app that allows you complete control over the user experience and design. What
type of Power Apps app should you build?
A Model-driven app
A Portal app
A Canvas app
Multiple choice
Your project requirements call for the ability to take a picture of a part and identify which model it is. You
are not a data scientist or developer. How can you add this to your app?
Train and use an Object Detection model in your app with AI Builder.
This is not possible.
Add a camera control to your app.
Multiple choice
How can data sources be used with Power Apps Canvas apps?
Power Apps can only use its internal data sources.
Power Apps uses only external data sources and does not have an internal data source.
Power Apps can use multiple internal and external data sources in the same app.
3 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4mPeJ
Introduction to Power Apps 35
Key takeaways
Here are the four key takeaways:
1. Power Apps is a no-code/low-code platform that allows you to build apps with your business knowl-
edge and existing skills.
2. Power Apps has different offerings to meet your needs. Canvas apps, Model-driven apps, and Portals
each have their own unique properties.
3. Power Apps helps you build and deploy customized apps that work across web and mobile, embed-
ded or standalone, on any device.
4. You can build apps that follow your business processes instead of making your business process
follow the software.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
Power Apps
●● Power Apps4
●● Power Apps Resources5
4 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/
5 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-powerapps-learning-resources/
6 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder/
7 https://docs.microsoft.com/ai-builder/overview
8 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/portals/
9 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/portals/overview
36 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
App format
The first step in creating your app is to choose the format of your app: Mobile or Tablet. While both
formats can be used interchangeably on a mobile device, a tablet, or a computer, each has different
defaults around sizing of the screens and controls. Once you choose the format for an app, you cannot
change it.
Galleries
The Gallery control is used to display records from a table of data. The display of a record is then defined
by a template, which you can customize to meet your needs. This allows you to control which fields are
shown and how they are formatted. Power Apps will then apply this template automatically to every
record in your data.
Forms
Forms are focused on working with a specific record, often based on a selection from a gallery. In this
experience, a user browses a gallery to find and select the desired record displaying the details on the
form. Forms enable a user to not only view detailed information, but to save new records and edit
existing ones. The various actions performed with forms are controlled by form modes allowing the form
to serve many purposes.
10 https://make.powerapps.com
How to build a canvas app 37
Input Controls
To allow you maximum flexibility in customizing your apps, Power Apps has a large selection of Input
controls. Text inputs, buttons, dropdowns, toggles, date pickers, and sliders are a few examples. You can
add these controls to galleries, forms, and screens to build a functional and aesthetic experience for your
app. All inputs have a multitude of settings for default data, formatting, and actions which allow you to
build an app that has the right user experience for your business process.
Intelligent Controls
In addition to common inputs as covered above, Power Apps also provides a rich set of controls for more
advanced operations. There are hardware-based controls which allow access to the camera, bar code
scanner, GPS, and more hardware features. There are also service backed controls like the business card
reader or object detector which allow you to add artificial intelligence to your app without writing code.
Functions
Functions are the glue that binds all these controls, inputs, and data sources together. You can use one or
more functions to create formulas in your apps. These formulas are similar to the language you use in
Excel and can be used for actions such as sending data to a data source, formatting information, creating
animations, and more. No complicated code is necessary, simply powerful functions with straightforward
inputs to enhance your app.
Now that you have an overview of some of the rich functionality you can achieve with Power Apps, the
next section will walk you down the path of building your first app.
●● Design the app using controls, buttons, and an easy to use interface for your end user to interact with
the data to accomplish the business need
●● Save and publish the app and test functionality
●● Once satisfied, share the app with end users to give them a better business process
11 https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mslearn-build-app-solution/raw/master/downloads/Contoso-Site-Tracking.zip
12 https://make.powerapps.com/
How to build a canvas app 39
Power Apps generates the app by inspecting your data and matching it with Power
Apps capabilities, so that you get a working app as a starting point. Generated
apps are always based on a single list or table, but you can add more data to
the app later.
Select Play in the upper-right corner to practice using the app. Notice that it includes all the data from
the table and provides a good default experience.
All apps that are generated from data have the same set of screens that you can view from the Screens
pane:
●● Browse screen - This screen appears by default. In it, you can browse, sort, search, and refresh the
data from the data source. In the browse screen, you can add items to the data source by selecting
the plus sign (+).
●● Details screen - The details screen shows all information about a single item. In this screen, you can
open an item to edit or delete it.
●● Edit/create screen - In this screen, you can edit an existing item or create a new one.
Close out of preview mode by selecting the “X” in the upper-right corner.
To make your app visible on the phone, it needs to be saved. Select File, Save as. Replace the current title
“App” with Contoso Site Tracking app, and then select Save. You will see a green check mark when all
changes are successfully saved. You can now open the app on your phone.
●● IconEdit1 - When this control is selected, it opens the edit/create screen so that the user can edit the
current item.
●● Address_DataCard2 - This is a card control that shows the address from the Site Inspector table, as
shown in the previous unit.
●● IconAccept1 - When this control is selected, it saves the user's changes.
The following sections cover basic changes for each screen in the app. You can do a lot more to custom-
ize an app, but the best way to start learning is to take a generated app and make common customiza-
tions. This will allow you to become familiar with the controls, layouts, and functions.
Browse screen
The Contoso Site Tracking app already shows an image and some text for each product, but the layout
could be better.
To improve the layout, use the following procedure:
1. On the Screens pane on the left, select BrowseGallery1.
The selection box around the gallery confirms your choice.
46 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
2. On the right pane, open the Data pane by selecting the drop-down menu next to Layout.
How to build a canvas app 47
3. Select the layout Image, title, and subtitle for a cleaner look.
4. Select the Address of the item at the top of the gallery.
6. Repeat the previous two steps but change the other Label control to show the description of each
item by setting it to ThisItem.Description.
Changing the layout of a gallery and the types of data that it shows is that simple, and you might find
that it's fun, too.
How to build a canvas app 49
3. Select Connect, and if prompted to sign in, enter your work account.
The Office 365 Outlook connection has been created and added to your app. Now,
it is ready to be used.
See this documentation for the types of commands you can do with the Office 365 Outlook connector:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/office365/
Details screen
On the details screen, you want to change the order of the fields. The controls on this screen differ from
the controls on the browse screen, so the process for changing them is also slightly different.
1. On the Tree view on the left, select DetailScreen1 > DetailForm1. This will change the screen shown
in the studio.
2. On the right pane, select Edit fields.
50 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
3. Click the + Add field button at the top of the Fields section.
4. Here you can add any of the data source fields that were not added by default. Check the box next to
Title and SubTitle and click Add.
5. Now you can rearrange the order by clicking and holding on Title and then dragging it to the top
of the screen.
6. You can also remove fields that you don't want to display to the users like the ID column. From the list
of Fields click ID to expand it, click the …, and choose X Remove.
How to build a canvas app 51
Edit/create screen
On the screen where your users edit and create entries, you want to make it easier for them to enter
information in a text box.
1. On the Tree view on the left, select EditScreen1 > EditForm1.
2. On the right pane, select Edit fields.
52 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
3. Expand Description. Select the drop-down arrow for the Control type and then select Edit mul-
ti-line text.
4. A multi-line edit control will simplify your user's ability to add more than a few words in this field. You
could also reorder the fields to match the order from the Details screen to give the user a more
consistent experience.
A few basic steps can greatly improve the appearance and experience of using an app, and Power Apps
Studio provides many options for customizing those apps.
A few controls that can add interest and impact to your apps include:
●● Galleries - These controls are layout containers that hold a set of controls that show records from a
data source.
●● Forms - These controls show details about your data and let you create and edit records.
●● Media - These controls let you add background images, include a camera button (so that users can
take pictures from the app), a barcode reader for quickly capturing identification information, and
more.
How to build a canvas app 53
●● Charts - These controls let you add charts so that users can perform instant analysis while they're on
the road.
To see what controls are available, select the Insert tab, and then select each option in turn.
Share an app
Now that you've created an app, you can share it with specific users, groups, or your whole organization.
When you share an app with other people, they can run it in a browser, or in the players for Apple iOS
and Google Android.
Even better, you can give someone permission to update the app.
Sharing your app your final steps as an app creator. You will want to share the
app to test the full functionality with some stakeholders. This will give them a
chance to provide feedback and help you become a better app creator.
13 https://docs.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/formula-reference#s
14 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/paths/use-basic-formulas-powerapps-canvas-app/
54 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Specifically, those users must belong to a security role that can perform tasks such as creating,
reading, writing, and deleting relevant records.
●● In many cases, you'll want to create one or more custom security roles with the exact permissions that
users need to run the app. You can then assign a role to each user as appropriate.
Sharing an app is simple, and it's a great way to make an app that you find useful available to people
across your organization.
Questions
Multiple choice
Your sales team is in desperate need of a mobile application that can display records living in a SharePoint
list. When displaying the records, multiple pieces of information about each record need to be visible to the
user. Which of the following Power Apps tools would you use when designing your app to achieve this
functionality?
Create a gallery to display the sales records.
Create a form to display the sales records.
Create an input control to display the sales records.
Multiple choice
You have been tasked with creating a Power App that can scan barcodes that will display the scanned item's
information on the screen. Out of the following control options, which one would the barcode scanner fall
under?
Galleries
Media
Forms
Multiple choice
You have a gallery control in your app for displaying all customer orders. Your manager says she would like
to see orders from the last 90 days in addition. How would you reduce the amount of data she sees?
You would modify the data source to purge out all orders older than 90 days.
Use the data filtering wizard.
Create a forumula for your gallery that uses Filter function.
Now that you have reviewed this module, you should be able to:
●● Understand basic elements of Power Apps
●● Build a canvas app
●● Customize elements of your app
●● Share the app you have created
Key takeaways
Here are the three key takeaways:
1. Power Apps can reference elements within the app to create dynamic solutions and a friendly inter-
face.
2. With endless customization options, Power Apps can be used to enhance any business process.
3. Creating and managing apps are simple and easy to learn, even for those without a computer pro-
gramming background.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
Power Apps
●● Power Apps15
●● Power Apps Resources16
Further Learning
●● Navigation in a canvas app in Power Apps17
●● Customize a canvas app in Power Apps18
●● Manage Apps in Power Apps19
15 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/
16 https://powerapps.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-powerapps-learning-resources/
17 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/navigation-canvas-app/
18 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/customize-apps-in-powerapps/
19 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/manage-apps-in-powerapps/index
How to build a model-driven app 57
Model-driven apps
Model-driven app design is a component-focused approach to app development.
Model-driven app design does not require code, and the apps you make can be
simple or very complex. Unlike canvas app development, where the designer has
complete control over app layout, much of the layout is determined for you with
model-driven apps and largely designated by the components you add to the app.
58 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Data
The table below shows the different data components that can make up a model-driven app which can
determine what data the app will be based upon. It also shows what designer is used to create or edit the
data component.
DATA
Component Description Designer
Entity Entities are items with properties Entity designer
that you track. Examples include
contacts and accounts. Many
standard entities are available.
You can customize a non-system
standard entity (or production
entity). You can also create a
custom entity from scratch.
Field Fields are properties that are Entity designer
associated with an entity and
help define that entity. A field is
defined by a data type, which
determines the type of data that
can be entered or selected.
Examples of data types include
text, number, date and time,
currency, and lookup (which
creates a relationship with
another entity). Fields are
typically used in forms, views,
and searches.
Relationship Relationships define how entities Entity designer
can be related to each other.
There are 1:N (one-to-many), N:1
(many-to-one), and N:N (many-
to-many) relationships. For
example, adding a lookup field
to an entity creates a new 1:N
relationship between the two
entities and lets you add that
lookup field to a form.
Option set field This type of field shows a control Entity designer
that lets the user select among
predefined options. Each option
has a number value and a label.
Option set fields can require
either a single value or multiple
values.
User interface
The table below shows the user interface components which determine how users will interact with the
app and what designer is used to create or edit the component.
60 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
USER INTERFACE
Component Description Designer
App Apps determine the app funda- App designer
mentals, like components,
properties, the client type, and
the URL.
Site map A site map specifies the naviga- Site map designer
tion for your app.
Form Forms include a set of data entry Form designer
fields for a given entity. This set
of data entry fields matches the
items that your organization
tracks for the entity. One
example is a set of data entry
fields where users enter relevant
information to track a customer's
previous orders together with
specific requested reorder dates.
View Views define how a list of View designer
records for a specific entity
appears in your app. A view
defines the columns shown, the
width of each column, the
sorting behavior, and the default
filters.
How to build a model-driven app 61
Logic
The logic components determine what business processes, rules, and automation
the app will have. Microsoft Power Apps makers use a designer that is specific
to the type of process or rule.
LOGIC
Type of logic Description Designer
Business process flow Business process flows walk Business process flow designer
users through a standard
business process. Use a business
process flow if you want every-
one to handle customer service
requests the same way. Or you
can use a business process flow
to require staff to gain approval
for an invoice before submitting
an order.
Workflow Workflows automate business Workflow designer
processes without a user inter-
face. Designers use workflows to
initiate automation that does not
require any user interaction.
Actions Actions are a type of process Process designer
that lets you manually invoke
behaviors, including custom
actions, directly from a workflow.
Business rule Business rules apply rules or Business rule designer
recommendation logic to a form
to set field requirements, hide or
show fields, validate data, and
more. App designers use a
simple interface to implement
and maintain fast-changing and
commonly used rules.
Flows Power Automate is a cloud- Power Automate
based service that lets you create
automated workflows between
apps and services to get notifica-
tions, sync files, collect data, and
more.
Visualization
The visualization components determine what type of data and reporting the app will show and have
available and which designer is used to create or edit that component.
VISUALIZATION
Component Description Designer
62 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
VISUALIZATION
Chart Charts are individual graphical Chart designer
visualizations that can appear in
a view or a form or that can be
added to a dashboard.
Dashboard Dashboards show one or more Dashboard designer
graphical visualizations in one
place that provide an overview
of actionable business data.
Embedded Microsoft Power BI Power BI adds embedded Power A combination of chart designer,
BI tiles and dashboards to your dashboard designer, and Power
app. Power BI is a cloud-based BI
service that provides business
intelligence (BI) insight.
Some examples of visualizations in a model-driven app:
By selecting the Play button in the top right, the app is put into Play mode.
You can see it then looks completely different and shows the data based
on the choices made in the design process.
you want to make available in your app, and then the app will be created for
you. This means you will need to spend more time understanding what your user
needs than how it is going to look.
Data Model
As you begin the data modeling process, there are a couple of important
questions to ask yourself:
●● What type of data will your solution be storing and or collecting?
●● How will this data relate or coincide with the other data you are working with?
These questions are important when designing a model-driven application because
of how model-driven applications function. Remember, model-driven applications
use a metadata-driven architecture. This means a large portion of the
model-driven app is based on how your data is modeled, and there is no need to
write custom code to alter the app design.
You can view the app metadata by reviewing the Entity in the Common Data
Service.
You can also view the app Play mode to see a preview of what the app will
look like.
In the example above, for the Fundraiser Entity, there are several pieces of
data being collected, such as:
●● Name
●● Fundraiser Goal
●● Owner
●● Total Donations
●● Created On
How to build a model-driven app 65
As you think about your data model, also think about field types. When adding
fields to your entity in the Common Data Service, the field type you choose will
determine how users enter and view that in your model-driven app. Option sets
show as dropdowns, currency shows with currency symbols, while decimal numbers
don’t. These little changes in the entity can have a profound effect on how your
user experiences your app.
The screenshot below shows examples of Fields and the different data types they
could have using the Fundraiser example again.
Important: If a field type needs to be changed to a different field type, (i.e. text field
to an option set), then you will need to delete that field and recreate with the
correct field type. This will cause you to lose any data associated with that
field.
Business Logic
When incorporating business logic in your app, there are two primary options
available. You can set Business Rules on your Common Data Service entities
or you can build Business Process Flows.
With Business Rules, you will define behaviors at the data layer. This is
great for setting conditions for when a field is required, setting a default
value, or even showing or hiding a field based on criteria. An example could be
an entity for tracking expenses. You could have a field for type of travel and
then build a business rule that dictates that if a user chooses automobile then
the mileage field is required, else it is optional. This gives you the power to
make sure you maintain data consistency in all scenarios.
Business process flows are used to guide users through using your app. These
workflows can provide visuals on next steps based on the status of the data and
facilitate other actions that you want to occur as the user uses the app.
Business Process Flows let you bring automation to your app and make it more of
a guided experience than just a place to enter data. If you would like to go more in-depth
with Business Process Flows check out this additional Microsoft Learn module:
66 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/work-with-business-process-flows-dynam-
ics-365/
Dashboards
A common output need for apps is to visualize the data. For this requirement,
you can implement Dashboards with custom filters and visual graphics to tie all
this data together right in your app. When creating your Dashboards, make sure
it’s simple for your users to consume without overwhelming them with all the
data. Provide high-level snapshots of your data and allow them to use filters to
dive deeper into the data if needed.
20 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/common-data-model/industry-accelerators?azureportal=true
21 https://make.powerapps.com/
22 https://admin.powerapps.com/
How to build a model-driven app 67
5. On the Create a New App page, enter a name and description for the app.
6. Select Done. Your new app appears in the App Designer, and you can now
add components to it.
2. In the site map designer, select New Subarea, and then, in the right
pane on the Properties tab, select the following properties:
●● Type: Entity
●● Entity: Account
68 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
5. In the App Designer, select Views, then select the following properties:
●● Active Accounts
●● All Accounts
●● My Active Accounts
6. In the App Designer, select Charts, then select the Accounts by Industry chart.
How to build a model-driven app 69
Create a form
1. On the left navigation pane, expand Data, and then select Entities.
2. Select an entity, such as the account entity, and then select the Forms tab.
3. Select Add form, and then select one of the following
●● Main form
The contents of the new form are filled using the existing main form definition. If multiple main
forms exist, the form at the top of the list in the form order is used to fill the new form.
●● Quick create form
●● Quick view form
4. When you are done making changes to the form, select Save to save the form.
Edit a form
1. On the left navigation pane, expand Data, and then select Entities.
2. Select an entity, such as the account entity, and then select the Forms tab.
3. Select the form name that you want to edit.
●● You can also select the row for a form, and then in the command bar, select Edit form
●● Another alternative is to select ... next to the form name, and then in the menu, select Edit form.
4. When you are done making changes to the form, select Save to save the form.
2. To add a view, select it by using view types such as Public, Advanced Find, Associated, and Lookup.
The view is automatically added to the Views list.
Note: Views are displayed based on the entity that you have selected. For example, when you select
Account, views that are related to the Account entity are displayed.
For more information about the app designer visit Design custom business apps by using the app
designer23
23 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/model-driven-apps/design-custom-business-apps-using-app-designer
How to build a model-driven app 71
3. From the list, select the attribute you want and drag it to the column heading. You can also add the
attribute by double-clicking it.
4. Repeat step 3 until you have added all the attributes you want to display in your view.
As you add attributes, you can drag them to any position among existing column headings. You can also
move columns around after you add them to your view.
For more detailed options on creating and editing views visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/
powerapps/maker/model-driven-apps/create-edit-views-app-designer
To share an app, you must have the Environment Admin or System Admin role.
24 https://make.powerapps.com/
74 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
6. Click Share.
7. Share the link to your app by following the steps below.
Note: Unlike sharing canvas apps, sharing model-driven apps does not currently send an email with a
link to the app.
How to build a model-driven app 75
Questions
Multiple choice
When building model-driven apps, which designer is used to define the navigation of your app?
App designer
View designer
Site map designer
Dashboard designer
76 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Multiple choice
If you wanted to create a standard procedure or process for handling service requests, what type of logic
would be best to implement?
Business process flow
Business rule
Workflow
Flow
Multiple choice
When sharing a model-driven app, which of the following statements is true?
Users just need to be added to a predefined security role
Users just need to be added to a custom security role.
Model-driven apps do not need to be shared, they are accessible to anyone with the app link.
Users need to be added to a predefined or custom security role and one or more security roles need
to be associated with the app.
Summary
Model-driven app design is a component-focused approach to app development. Model-driven app
design does not require code, and the apps you make can be simple or very complex. Unlike canvas app
development, where the designer has complete control over app layout, with model-driven apps much of
the layout is determined for you and largely designated by the components you add to the app.
This module covered the following concepts:
●● What model-driven apps are and their differences from canvas apps
●● The building blocks of model-driven apps
●● How to design and create model-driven apps
●● How to change security and share model-driven apps
Introduction to Power Apps portals 77
Modern audience
Portal capabilities empower online consumers who prefer to find answers on their
own through self-service and community options. By using Power Apps portals, you
can provide them with a branded, personalized, self-service experience. Portals
help you provide an organized, searchable knowledge base to deliver consistent,
up-to-date answers and community experience for peer-to-peer support and direct
interaction with your subject matter experts. Additionally, portals provide
simple navigation with seamless transitions between self and assisted support.
Out-of-the-box mobile optimizations for portal and knowledge articles ensure
that customers can get the help that they need, any time and from any device.
●● The majority of global consumers now expect brands and organizations to
offer a self-service portal.
●● Nearly one-third of consumers keep in touch with brands they've done
business with to make sure that they are getting the most out of their
purchase.
78 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Modern business
Consider a scenario where your business is already using Power Apps. The
following are additional capabilities that Power Apps portals can deliver:
●● Provide self-service support - When your business is growing, rather
than having to employ extra staff in call centers, you could use Power Apps
portals to add self-service capabilities to your website so that your
customers can search knowledge articles, engage with other customers, find
answers, and create support cases when needed (that go directly into
Dynamics 365 Customer Service), all without a single interaction from your
resources.
●● Build a sales pipeline - When a lead fills out a Contact Us form on
your company website, this information is recorded in Dynamics 365 Sales
where the record can become part of your sales pipeline automatically.
●● Empower employees - When an employee needs a new computer, they can fill
out an online form, where the information will be recorded in Common Data
Service so the helpdesk staff can immediately access and process this
information.
●● Engage mobile workforce - Empower agents on any device, wherever they
work. Field technicians can process and complete work orders in the field,
instantly updating Dynamics 365 Field Service.
●● Audit
Power Apps portals deliver a complete content management system out of the box,
with all content stored in Common Data Service. As a result, content can be
edited through the Portals Studio and also directly by using the Portal
Management app. Additionally, the robust Common Data Service security model can
help secure the content.
Portal templates
When provisioning a Power Apps portal, the most important choices to consider
are the audience, workload, and choosing a specific portal template that would
best align with the business requirements.
Several portal templates are available that can be provisioned. These templates
will accelerate the configuration of portals based on the intended audience and
workload.
80 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
If you are building a custom business application by using Common Data Service
without Dynamics 365 apps enabled, your only choice is the Portal from
blank option.
If you are using Microsoft Dynamics 365 apps such as Dynamics 365 Sales or
Dynamics 365 Service, you have a choice of five additional portal templates:
●● Community portal
●● Customer self-service portal
●● Employee self-service portal
●● Partner portal
●● Customer portal (Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management)
Note: Specific features and components from a specific starter portal can be added to another starter
portal, as required.
Make sure that you define the type of audience who will visit the new portal.
The audience will determine which options of portal you will be given.
PORTAL TEMPLATES
Portal template Audience Workload
Community Partner, Customer Choose this option to provision a
portal that is focused on an
online community. This portal
will contain features such as
forums, ideas, blogs, and case
management.
Customer self-service Partner, Customer This option provides the ability
for portal users to search
knowledge articles, submit cases,
and participate in discussion
forums to resolve issues.
Employee self-service Employee This portal allows employees to
access a centralized knowledge
article and to also submit cases.
Partner Partner Choose this option to build a
portal where external partners
can manage and collaborate on
accounts and opportunities.
Add-ons are available for
Dynamics 365 Field Service or
Dynamics 365 Project Service.
Customer portal Enterprise B2B The Dynamics 365 Supply Chain
Management Customer portal is
a template that provides portal
access to Dynamics 365 Supply
Chain Management data by
using dual-write Common Data
Service entities.
Introduction to Power Apps portals 81
PORTAL TEMPLATES
Portal from blank Other The Portal from blank option is
meant for unique line-of-busi-
ness scenarios where the other
templates are not a good fit. The
portal can be configured to
address a variety of require-
ments. If Portal from blank is
provisioned within a Common
Data Service environment with
Dynamics 365 apps enabled,
specific features from the other
portals can be incorporated into
the portal later.
Provision a portal
Only one Power Apps portals can be provisioned for each Common Data Service
environment.
The high-level steps to provision a starter portal are:
1. Go to https://make.powerapps.com25.
2. Select a target environment by using the environment selector in the upper-right corner.
3. On the left menu, select + Create.
4. Select Portal from blank. If you have Dynamics 365 apps deployed in your Common Data Service
environment, additional portal templates, such as Customer self-service, will be available.
5. Provide a name for the portal.
6. Provide a unique address (URL) for the portal.
7. Select the language.
8. Select Create to start the portal provisioning process. After portal provisioning has completed, the
portal will appear in the list as an app of type Portal.
9. Select the ellipsis (...) next to the portal app name and then select Browse to open the portal website.
25 https://make.powerapps.com/
82 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Webpages
Most of a portal's content is represented by webpages. A webpage is a document
that is identified by a unique URL in a website. Through parent and child relationships
to other webpages, webpages form the hierarchy of a website, that is, its site map.
Introduction to Power Apps portals 83
Webpages can be added and edited by using the Portal Studio, the portal front-side editor,
or directly in Common Data Service by using the Portal Management app.
Page templates
A webpage record does not define how the page looks when it is rendered on the
portal. Instead, it is linked to the Page template record that defines the
layout and the behavior. Think of the webpage as the exact URL and the Page
template as the blueprint for displaying the content.
Content snippets
Content snippets are reusable fragments of editable content that can be placed
within a web template. Using snippets allows for targeted editing of parts of a
page without affecting the overall content.
Content snippets can include plain text, HTML layout, or template processing
instructions, which helps enable dynamic content. In the example below, Mobile Header
is a content snippet that can be updated with your company’s logo to quickly and easily tailor the portal
to your needs.
Snippets can be edited by using Portal Studio and Common Data Service records by
using the Portal Management app. Here is where you would replace the image source in the Value field
with your company's logo.
84 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
A webpage record can be linked to an entity list or an entity form. The linked
list or form will be used by the template to render the page layout with data
Introduction to Power Apps portals 85
from Common Data Service, such as a list of all Active Contacts to form the above
Member Directory list. In the Properties pane on the right of the above example, you
see that this entity list was created to display the Active Contacts view
from the contacts entity.
Entity lists can include functionality like filtering and sorting and can also have
actions associated with them to enable Create/Edit/Read abilities and to trigger
workflows. With this, App Makers can determine what will happen when a user
opens a record from a list, such as taking them to a form displaying the details
of the selected record.
In the above example, the App Maker has dictated that the user will be taken to
the Entity Form if they want to create or view details for a specific record
from a list.
4. Select Themes from the left navigation pane, and then turn on the Enable
basic theme toggle.
Introduction to Power Apps portals 87
5. Select any default theme from the available presets (in this example, we
selected Green).
88 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
6. Edit theme details such as name, description, and color for different areas.
7. Save and publish the changes.
All interactions and actions that a portal user takes (for example, leaving a
comment on a page) are tied to their contact record in Common Data Service.
Authentication
Portal users can authenticate by using the following methods:
●● Local authentication - Basic authentication with usernames and passwords
are stored in the Common Data Service contact record internally.
●● External authentication - Credentials and password management are
handled by other identity providers. Supported authentication providers
include:
●● OAuth2 (Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo)
●● Open ID (Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory B2C)
●● WS-Federation and SAML 2.0 (used for integration
with on-premises Active Directory and other identity services)
Portal administrators can choose to enable or disable any combination of
authentication options through portal Authentication Settings.
92 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Important: Azure Active Directory B2C is the recommended identity provider for
authentication. If another provider support is required, then it can be
configured in Azure Active Directory B2C.
Authorization
After the user is authenticated and associated with a contact, Power Apps
portals use numerous entities to define authorization, that is, what a user is
allowed to do. Selecting Share from the portal app options will provide
information on how to share the portal app with internal and external users.
Introduction to Power Apps portals 93
access rules to all portal users based on whether they are signed in.
If a user is not signed in, they will view the portal with the Anonymous web role permissions,
which should be the most restrictive permissions.
Questions
Multiple choice
Which one of the following selections is a valid target audience for Power Apps portals?
Family members
Employees
Competitors
Multiple choice
What role is required to be able to provision Power Apps portals for an organization?
System Administrator
Office 365 Global administrator
System Customizer
Power Apps portal administrator
Multiple choice
Which of the following is the recommended authentication mechanism in Power Apps portals?
Social providers
Azure Active Directory B2C
Local authentication with username and password
Microsoft account
Summary
Power Apps portals extend Common Data Service access to external audiences such
as customers, employees, or partners. This access allows businesses to extend
and scale their operations as they reduce call center costs, manual processing,
and resolution times while simultaneously improving user satisfaction,
transparency, and scale of operations.
This module covered the following concepts:
●● How Power Apps portals can add value to customer Power Platform and Dynamics 365 solutions.
●● Core components for configuring a portal: webpages, templates, entity forms, content snippets, and
entity lists.
●● Using and creating themes in Power Apps portals
●● Fundamentals of portals security and which methods are used to control access to the content and
data.
Introduction to Power Apps portals 95
Answers
Multiple choice
You want to build a mobile app that allows you complete control over the user experience and design.
What type of Power Apps app should you build?
A Model-driven app
A Portal app
■■ A Canvas app
Explanation
With Canvas apps, you start with a blank canvas choosing your type of mobile or tablet. Then you can
design the app to meet your "pixel perfect" design.
Multiple choice
Your project requirements call for the ability to take a picture of a part and identify which model it is. You
are not a data scientist or developer. How can you add this to your app?
■■ Train and use an Object Detection model in your app with AI Builder.
This is not possible.
Add a camera control to your app.
Explanation
Power Apps makes available to you the ability to use artificial intelligence without writing code. This allows
you to do Form Processing, Object Detection, Prediction, and Text Classification all powered by Azure
services.
Multiple choice
How can data sources be used with Power Apps Canvas apps?
Power Apps can only use its internal data sources.
Power Apps uses only external data sources and does not have an internal data source.
■■ Power Apps can use multiple internal and external data sources in the same app.
Explanation
Power Apps allows you complete control of which data sources you use in your app. There are over 270 data
connectors available, and the ability to build a customer connector if one does not exist.
Multiple choice
Your sales team is in desperate need of a mobile application that can display records living in a Share-
Point list. When displaying the records, multiple pieces of information about each record need to be
visible to the user. Which of the following Power Apps tools would you use when designing your app to
achieve this functionality?
■■ Create a gallery to display the sales records.
Create a form to display the sales records.
Create an input control to display the sales records.
Explanation
Galleries are used to display tables of data from your data source. They are highly customizable, so you can
show whatever information about a particular record that is necessary. You could then use a Form to edit
individual records, if desired.
96 Module 3 Get Started with Power Apps
Multiple choice
You have been tasked with creating a Power App that can scan barcodes that will display the scanned
item's information on the screen. Out of the following control options, which one would the barcode
scanner fall under?
Galleries
■■ Media
Forms
Explanation
The barcode scanner control is a part of the Media category of controls. This control can be used to scan
barcodes of various types and pass information about the barcode to the Power App. Then, additional
Functions can use that barcode information to perform additional tasks.
Multiple choice
You have a gallery control in your app for displaying all customer orders. Your manager says she would
like to see orders from the last 90 days in addition. How would you reduce the amount of data she sees?
You would modify the data source to purge out all orders older than 90 days.
■■ Use the data filtering wizard.
Create a forumula for your gallery that uses Filter function.
Explanation
The Filter function allows you to apply logic tests to one or more columns in your data source. For this
scenario you could filter out data where the Order Date is less than 90 days ago.
Multiple choice
When building model-driven apps, which designer is used to define the navigation of your app?
App designer
View designer
■■ Site map designer
Dashboard designer
Explanation
The site map designer is used to define the navigation of your app by dragging components onto the design
canvas, previewing your work, and instantly publishing the site map. Administrators and any user with the
required privileges can quickly create site maps for apps.
Multiple choice
If you wanted to create a standard procedure or process for handling service requests, what type of logic
would be best to implement?
■■ Business process flow
Business rule
Workflow
Flow
Explanation
Business process flows can be used to define a set of steps for people to follow to take them to a desired
outcome.
Introduction to Power Apps portals 97
Multiple choice
When sharing a model-driven app, which of the following statements is true?
Users just need to be added to a predefined security role
Users just need to be added to a custom security role.
Model-driven apps do not need to be shared, they are accessible to anyone with the app link.
■■ Users need to be added to a predefined or custom security role and one or more security roles need
to be associated with the app.
Explanation
Users must have a security role that grants them the right to access the app for you to successfully share the
app.
Multiple choice
Which one of the following selections is a valid target audience for Power Apps portals?
Family members
■■ Employees
Competitors
Explanation
The target audience for Power Apps portals can be customers, employees, or donors.
Multiple choice
What role is required to be able to provision Power Apps portals for an organization?
■■ System Administrator
Office 365 Global administrator
System Customizer
Power Apps portal administrator
Explanation
A user must have System Administrator role to create a Power Apps portal.
Multiple choice
Which of the following is the recommended authentication mechanism in Power Apps portals?
Social providers
■■ Azure Active Directory B2C
Local authentication with username and password
Microsoft account
Explanation
Azure Active Directory B2C is the recommended identity provider for authentication.
Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
After the manager receives the approval and approves, the flow can then provide conditional logic.
Typically, this might be something like: if the purchase order request is greater than $10,000, send it to
VP; if not, then automatically approve the purchase order.
Here is an example of what this flow may look like.
Power Automate overview 101
As you can see, even the business process has many decision points. Your flow easily handles the deci-
sions without you writing any code.
The three types of flows you can create with Power Auto-
mate
Power Automate works by creating flows, of which there are three types:
●● Event driven flows - These are flows that you build with a trigger and then one or more actions. There
are a multitude of triggers and actions available, thanks to the existing connectors. You will see these
as My flows and Team flows in Power Automate. The only difference between a My flow and a Team
flow is ownership. With a My flow you are the sole owner, while a Team flow has more than one
owner.
102 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
●● Business process flows - These flows are built to augment the experience when using Model-driven
apps and the Common Data Service. Use these to create a guided experience in your Model-driven
apps.
●● UI flows - These robotic process automation (RPA) flows allow you to record yourself performing
actions on your desktop or within a web browser. You can then trigger a flow to perform that process
for you. You can also pass data in or get data out of the process, letting you automate even “manual”
business processes.
Power Automate also offers a full set of PowerShell cmdlets. These cmdlets allow you deeper controls and
to work better in large-scale scenarios. Using the cmdlets for auditing gives you more control and insight
on Power Automate's usage throughout your tenant.
In addition, because Power Automate is all about automation, there are built in flow actions for managing
both Power Automate and Power Apps. An example of a helpful flow is you could create one that runs
everyday at 8 AM to discover all of the flows and Power Apps that have been created and then add
someone from IT as a co-owner of each. That way IT has access and awareness of the solutions within the
organization. Just another way that Power Automate is helping to automate common business processes.
To provide better services, they built a new artificial intelligence enabled virtual agent bot. The virtual
agent was built without writing any code and instead used Power Virtual Agents to facilitate handling
routine customer requests and to take action based on customer intent. To expose and interact with the
back-end data required they used Power Automate.
TruGreen used some of the hundreds of connectors available for the Power Platform to connect to
traditional data sources. Using these capabilities they had their first protype running in two days, once
again without a single line of code.
In addition, they had systems that didn't have APIs to be used by the connectors. For these systems, they
leveraged UI flows. With UI flows they were able to mimic onscreen actions that customer service associ-
ates used to perform manually via robotic process automation (RPA).
Now they have a fully functional virtual agent for interacting with their customers that can take action on
the customers' intent in a meaningful way. This is just the first step as they continue to drive better
customer experiences and more business value using these tools.
To read more about the virtual agents TruGreen has built and what they have planned next, see the full
case study here1.
In the next unit, you will get an overview of some of these solutions in Power Automate and learn how
you can get started with building your own flows.
1 https://customers.microsoft.com/en-us/story/759484-trugreen-partner-professional-services-power-virtual-agents
2 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4mERh
Power Automate overview 105
Questions
Multiple choice
To secure and administer Power Automate you can use what resources?
Download the Power Automate administrator application.
Power Automate is only administered via the web portal.
Power Automate can be administered on the web, via PowerShell, or even by building flows.
Multiple choice
Where do you find flow templates?
Directly from the Power Automate builder website.
You have to build and save templates yourself; there are no pre-built templates.
You need to download the template pack from the Microsoft Learn website.
Multiple choice
How can data sources be used with Power Automate?
Power Automate can only connect to Microsoft data sources such as Office 365 and Azure.
Power Automate requires you to build custom connectors to access external data.
Power Automate can connect to data sources using one of the 275+ plus prebuilt connectors or by
building your own custom connector.
Key takeaways
Here are the four key takeaways:
1. Power Automate is a web-based service for automating your business processes.
2. Power Automate has different offerings to meet your needs. Event-driven flows, business process
flows, and UI flows each have their own unique properties.
3. Power Automate can connect to hundreds of data sources with the built-in connectors or you can
build your own custom connectors.
106 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
4. If you know your business process, you can bring automation to it with Power Automate and without
writing any traditional code.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
3 https://flow.microsoft.com/
4 https://docs.microsoft.com/flow/
How to Build an Automated Solution 107
From here, you can search by a specific word or phrase like “Common Data Service” or you can browse
based on category.
If you click on a specific template, you will see details about the template including the data sources it
will connect to.
5 https://ms.flow.microsoft.com/en-us/
108 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
Templates are great for getting started and support being customized. So you can take a template and
extend it to meet your business needs.
Save Office 365 email attachments to OneDrive for Business is one of the one-click templates, in
which you can answer questions that are necessary to build the flow, so that you don't have to write a
line of code.
On the template graphic, there's a description of what the template does and what it needs to succeed.
You'll be asked to provide credentials for the Microsoft Office 365 Outlook and Microsoft OneDrive for
Business services. If you regularly use both services, you'll already be signed in.
●● The flow connects to your work email to get any attachments.
●● The flow will then create a folder on your OneDrive for Business account to automatically put every
attachment that's sent to your work email address in that folder.
Now that the flow is created, you can click Edit to see the details of what was created for you.
From the flow builder, you can now click through the trigger and the actions to see how this flow was
built for you. As you can see, there is no code and everything is accessible to customize or extend to
better meet your business needs.
For example, maybe try configuring the flow to only process for emails from your boss. Here is a hint:
Click on Show advanced options for the On new email trigger.
110 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
Now that you have seen how easy it is to start from a template, let's talk about a couple of key concepts.
Power Apps. This gives you and/or the users control to “run” a flow on
demand.
6 https://flow.microsoft.com/
112 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
2. Enter the array into the Inputs box you want to reference later:
Tip: For easier reference later, rename the Compose card by clicking on the text “Compose” on the
title bar of the Compose card.
When you need to access the contents of the compose action, do so via the Output token on the
Add dynamic content from the apps and connectors used in this flow list by following these
steps:
3. Add an action such as Data Operation – Join.
4. Select the control to which you would like to add the contents you saved in
the compose action.
The Add dynamic content from the apps and connectors used in this
flow opens.
5. On the Add dynamic content from the apps and connectors used in this
flow, select the Outputs token that’s under the Compose category
of the Dynamic content tab.
114 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
7. Then select the back arrow in the top left corner next to the name of the
Flow
8. Finally, you can Run the flow from the command bar at the top
4. Copy the URL of the SharePoint list. You'll use it when you create the flow.
7 https://ms.flow.microsoft.com/en-us/
How to Build an Automated Solution 119
3. Make sure that your account credentials for SharePoint, Approvals, and Twitter are correct, and then
select Continue.
4. Back in Microsoft Flow, in the When a new item is created action, enter the following values:
●● Site Address: Enter the URL of your team's SharePoint site.
●● List Name: Select ContosoTweets.
5. In the Start an approval action, select Edit to show all the fields.
120 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
6. In the Title field, enter New tweet for, and then select Title in the dynamic content list.
7. In the Assigned to field, enter and select either your name or the name of a test user.
8. In the Details field, remove the default items, and add TweetContent, TweetDate, and Created by
DisplayName from the dynamic content list. Add the words on and by to make the content more
readable, as shown here.
How to Build an Automated Solution 121
9. In the Item Link field, paste the URL of your SharePoint list, which you copied in the previous proce-
dure. In the Item Link Description field, enter Contoso Tweet List.
10. In the Condition action, hover over the IF YES box, select the plus sign (+), and then select Add an
action.
11. Search for update item, select the SharePoint connector, and then select the SharePoint – Update
item action.
122 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
12. In the Site Address, enter the URL of the team's SharePoint site again. In the List Name field, select
ContosoTweets again. In the Id field, add ID from the dynamic content list. The Id field is used to
match the actual tweet request in the SharePoint list.
13. Select the Title field, and then, in the dynamic content list, search for title. Add Title from the When a
new item is created action.
How to Build an Automated Solution 123
14. In the ApprovalStatus field, select Yes. Then select the ApproverComments field, and add Com-
ments from the dynamic content list.
15. Near the bottom of the IF NO, DO NOTHING box, select Add an action.
16. Repeat steps 11 through 14 to create a SharePoint – Update item action. Set the same values that
you set for the IF YES condition. The only difference is that you set the ApprovalStatus field to No
this time.
124 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
17. Select the Post a tweet action, and select Edit. Then select the Tweet text field, and add TweetCon-
tent from the dynamic content list. This step will create the actual tweet and then post it to Twitter
when it's approved.
7. Add stages, so that users can proceed from one business stage to another in the process:
●● Drag the Stage component from the Components tab to the plus sign (+) in the designer.
●● Select the stage, and then, on the Properties tab on the right, set the properties:
●● Enter a display name.
●● Optional: Select a category for the stage (for example, Identify or Research). This category
appears as a chevron on the process bar.
●● Select the step, and then, on the Properties tab, set the properties:
●● Enter a display name for the step.
●● If users should be able to enter data to finish a step, select the appropriate field in the
drop-down list.
●● If users must fill in the selected field to finish the step before they can proceed to the next
stage of the process, select Required.
●● When you've finished, select Apply.
9. Add a branch (condition) to the process:
●● Drag the Condition component from the Components tab to the plus sign (+) between two
stages.
●● Select the condition, and then, on the Properties tab, set the properties. When you've finished,
select Apply.
10. Add a workflow to the process:
●● Drag the Workflow component from the Components tab to either a specific stage or the Global
Workflow item:
●● Drag the Workflow component to a specific stage if the workflow should be triggered when
the process enters or exits that stage. The Workflow component must be based on the same
primary entity as the stage.
●● Drag the Workflow component to the Global Workflow item if the workflow should be
triggered when the process is activated or archived (that is, when the status changes to
Completed or Abandoned). The Workflow component must be based on the same primary
entity as the process.
●● Select the condition, and then, on the Properties tab, set the properties:
●● Enter a display name.
●● Select when the workflow should be triggered.
●● Search for an existing on-demand active workflow that matches the stage entity, or create a
workflow by selecting New.
●● When you've finished, select Apply.
11. To validate the business process flow, select Validate on the action bar.
12. To save the process as a draft while you continue to work on it, select Save on the action bar.
128 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
13. To activate the process and make it available to your team, select Activate on the action bar.
14. To define who has privileges to create, read, update, or delete the business process flow instance,
select Edit Security Roles on the action bar. For example, for service-related processes, you might
give customer service reps full access to change the business process flow instance. But you might
give sales reps just read-only access to the instance, so that they can monitor post-sales activities for
their customers.
●● In the Security Roles pane, select the name of a role to open the details page for that role.
●● On the Business Process Flows tab, select options to assign the role appropriate privileges for the
business process flow.
●● Select Save.
the relationship that should be used when the flow moves between the two stages. We recom-
mend that you specify relationships, because they provide the following benefits:
●● Attribute maps are often defined for relationships. These attribute maps automatically carry
over data between records. Therefore, they help minimize the amount data entry that's re-
quired.
●● When you select Next Stage on the process bar for a record, any records that use the relation-
ship are listed in the process flow. Therefore, the reuse of records in the process is promoted.
In addition, you can use workflows to automate the creation of records. Users then just have to
select the workflow instead of creating a record. Therefore, the process is streamlined.
●● Set Process Flow Order: If you have more than one business process flow for an entity (record
type), you must specify which process is automatically assigned to new records. On the action bar,
select Order Process Flow. For new records or records that don't already have a process flow
associated with them, the first business process flow that a user has access to will be used.
●● Enable Security Roles: A user's access to a business process flow depends on the privileges that
are defined for the business process flow in the security role that's assigned to the user. By default,
only the System Administrator and System Customizer security roles can view a new business
process flow.
Now you have seen firsthand the process and options for creating a business process flow. You can now
apply these lessons to your own business process flow and continue to refine your flow by adding
conditions, for example. Business process flows offer multiple levels of customizations to help facilitate
working with your business data.
Questions
Multiple choice
One of your colleagues would like to set up a Flow to write an item to a SharePoint list when they receive an
email from their boss. Which of the following would get them started?
Create an "Instant" Flow and set the trigger to be "When an email is received", then add an action for
creating the SharePoint item.
Create an "Automated" Flow with only one action: create an item in SharePoint.
See if any templates are available for this scenario. If one exists, use that, otherwise create a blank
Flow with a "When an email is received" trigger.
Multiple choice
Your department would like to set up an approval system for items that are being written to a SharePoint
list. You have been assigned the task of creating the system. Using Flow, what's the best approach?
Create an Automated Flow from Blank and add a trigger for "When a new item is created" in Share-
Point, and actions for the approvals.
Set up a blank Flow to send approval emails to the department manager when a new item is created
in the SharePoint List.
Generate an Approval Flow from the built-in SharePoint Approvals functionality on your SharePoint
list.
130 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
Multiple choice
Your organization has started using lots of Approval Flows, and users are complaining that they have too
many approvals to keep track of. They don’t know what is approved and what is still pending their approval.
What is the easiest way for them to check?
Have the users navigate to the Approval Center in Power Automate.
Have the users set up Outlook rules to catch approvals so they are more visible.
Send the users to the SharePoint list, which holds the records being approved to review which ones
are approved and which ones are not.
Multiple choice
One of your colleagues would like to post information about SharePoint items that have been approved to
Twitter. Is this possible? If so, how would he do it?
No, it's not possible. SharePoint lists don't connect to Twitter directly, so there's no way to Tweet
about approved items.
Yes, it's possible. He can create a Flow to monitor his SharePoint list for approved items, then notify
him so he can Tweet the details manually.
Yes, it's possible. He can create a Flow to monitor his SharePoint list for approved items, then Tweet
the details.
Key takeaways
Here are the four key takeaways:
1. Power Automate has hundreds of connectors to ensure you can create useful solutions that integrate
with all your business programs.
2. Power Automate has hundreds of templates that combine actions and triggers from connectors to
create workflows useful for any business scenario.
3. Automation can save your business time and energy spent on repetitive tasks and make your business
run more smoothly.
How to Build an Automated Solution 131
4. Power Automate's approval center allows users to easily see and manage approvals from a variety of
flows to ensure ease of use and efficiency.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
8 https://docs.microsoft.com/flow/
9 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/get-started-with-flow/
10 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/build-more-flows/
132 Module 4 Get Started with Power Automate
Answers
Multiple choice
To secure and administer Power Automate you can use what resources?
Download the Power Automate administrator application.
Power Automate is only administered via the web portal.
■■ Power Automate can be administered on the web, via PowerShell, or even by building flows.
Explanation
Power Automate provides the online admin portal, PowerShell cmdlets, and flow actions for managing
Power Automate. This give you complete flexibilty for your Power Platform administration.
Multiple choice
Where do you find flow templates?
■■ Directly from the Power Automate builder website.
You have to build and save templates yourself; there are no pre-built templates.
You need to download the template pack from the Microsoft Learn website.
Explanation
When you create a flow, you can choose to start from a template. There you can browse for templates or
use search to find just the right template to begin your project.
Multiple choice
How can data sources be used with Power Automate?
Power Automate can only connect to Microsoft data sources such as Office 365 and Azure.
Power Automate requires you to build custom connectors to access external data.
■■ Power Automate can connect to data sources using one of the 275+ plus prebuilt connectors or by
building your own custom connector.
Explanation
Power Automate allows you to automate business processes wherever your data lives.
Multiple choice
One of your colleagues would like to set up a Flow to write an item to a SharePoint list when they receive
an email from their boss. Which of the following would get them started?
Create an "Instant" Flow and set the trigger to be "When an email is received", then add an action for
creating the SharePoint item.
Create an "Automated" Flow with only one action: create an item in SharePoint.
■■ See if any templates are available for this scenario. If one exists, use that, otherwise create a blank
Flow with a "When an email is received" trigger.
Explanation
Don't discount the template store in Power Automate; more often than not, someone has already solved this
problem before. However, if they haven't, you can just create a new Flow and use the appropriate Trigger to
achieve your goal.
How to Build an Automated Solution 133
Multiple choice
Your department would like to set up an approval system for items that are being written to a SharePoint
list. You have been assigned the task of creating the system. Using Flow, what's the best approach?
Create an Automated Flow from Blank and add a trigger for "When a new item is created" in Share-
Point, and actions for the approvals.
Set up a blank Flow to send approval emails to the department manager when a new item is created
in the SharePoint List.
■■ Generate an Approval Flow from the built-in SharePoint Approvals functionality on your SharePoint
list.
Explanation
Why re-invent the wheel? SharePoint's built-in Approvals Flows are great, and using the information in this
module you can set them up quickly and easily.
Multiple choice
Your organization has started using lots of Approval Flows, and users are complaining that they have too
many approvals to keep track of. They don’t know what is approved and what is still pending their
approval. What is the easiest way for them to check?
■■ Have the users navigate to the Approval Center in Power Automate.
Have the users set up Outlook rules to catch approvals so they are more visible.
Send the users to the SharePoint list, which holds the records being approved to review which ones
are approved and which ones are not.
Explanation
In the Approval Center, users will be able to view their outstanding approvals as well as their approval
history in a much easier-to-read platform. All of the approvals that require that user's interaction will be
available through the Approval Center.
Multiple choice
One of your colleagues would like to post information about SharePoint items that have been approved
to Twitter. Is this possible? If so, how would he do it?
No, it's not possible. SharePoint lists don't connect to Twitter directly, so there's no way to Tweet
about approved items.
Yes, it's possible. He can create a Flow to monitor his SharePoint list for approved items, then notify
him so he can Tweet the details manually.
■■ Yes, it's possible. He can create a Flow to monitor his SharePoint list for approved items, then Tweet
the details.
Explanation
It's definitely possible! This was covered in this module, so you can refer back to earlier in the module to see
how he could achieve it.
Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Power BI overview
Introduction to Power BI
The business world is increasingly data driven. Small and large businesses alike use data to make deci-
sions about sales, hiring, goals, and all areas for which they have data. While most businesses have access
to data of one type or another, it can be intimidating to try to understand without a background in data
analytics or statistics. Even if you do understand the data, a challenge may arise in displaying the data in
an easy to understand way and communicating it to other relevant people. Power BI takes the intimida-
tion and hassle out of data analysis and visualization. By connecting to one or more of the hundreds of
existing data sources and using a secure, easy to understand interface, you can quickly and simply
interact with and understand your data to influence all business systems.
In this lesson, you will:
●● Describe the business value and features of Power BI
●● See how Power BI works and looks from the user’s perspective
What is Power BI
From customer and employee data, metrics for company goals, to sales and acquisitions, business are
drowning in data, but this data is only as good as your ability to interpret and communicate its meaning.
That's where Power BI (Business Intelligence) comes into play.
Microsoft Power BI is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn
your unrelated sources of data into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights. Whether your
data is a simple Microsoft Excel workbook, or a collection of cloud-based and on-premises hybrid data
warehouses, Power BI lets you easily connect to your data sources, clean, and model your data without
affecting the underlying source, visualize (or discover) what's important, and share that with anyone or
everyone you want.
136 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
These three elements — Desktop, the service, and Mobile apps—are designed to let people create, share,
and consume business insights in the way that serves them, or their role, most effectively.
Power BI concepts
The major building blocks of Power BI are: datasets, reports, and dashboards.
They are all organized into workspaces, and they are created on capacities.
Capacities
Capacities are a core Power BI concept representing a set of resources used to host and deliver your
Power BI content.
Capacities are either shared or dedicated. A shared capacity is shared with
other Microsoft customers, while a dedicated capacity is fully committed to a
Power BI overview 137
Workspaces
Workspaces are containers for dashboards, reports, datasets, and
dataflows in Power BI. There are two types of workspaces: My
workspace and workspaces.
●● My workspace is the personal workspace for any Power BI customer to work
with your own content. Only you have access to your My workspace. You can
share dashboards and reports from your My Workspace. If you want to
collaborate on dashboards and reports, or create an app, then you want to
work in a workspace.
●● Workspaces are used to collaborate and share content with colleagues. You
can add colleagues to your workspaces and collaborate on dashboards,
reports, and datasets. With one exception, all workspace members
need Power BI Pro licenses.
Workspaces are also the places where you create, publish, and
manage apps for your organization. Think of workspaces as staging areas
and containers for the content that will make up a Power BI app. So what is
an app? An app is a collection of dashboards and reports built to deliver
key metrics to the Power BI consumers in your organization. Apps are
interactive, but consumers cannot edit them. App consumers, the colleagues
who have access to the apps, do not necessarily need Pro licenses.
Datasets
A dataset is a collection of data that you import or connect to. Power BI
lets you connect to and import all sorts of datasets and bring all of it
together in one place. Datasets can also source data from dataflows.
Datasets are associated with workspaces and a single dataset can be part of
many workspaces. When you open a workspace, the associated datasets are listed
under the Datasets tab. Each listed dataset represents a single source of
data, for example, an Excel workbook on OneDrive, or an on-premises SSAS tabular
dataset, or a Salesforce dataset. There are many different data sources
supported. Datasets added by one
workspace member are available to the other workspace members with
an admin, member, or contributor role.
Shared Datasets
Business intelligence is a collaborative activity. It's important to establish
standardized datasets that can be the ‘one source of truth.’ Discovering
and reusing those standardized datasets is key. When expert data modelers in
your organization create and share optimized datasets, report creators can start
with those datasets to build accurate reports. Your organization can have
consistent data for making decisions, and a healthy data culture.
To consume these shared datasets just
choose Power BI datasets when creating your Power BI report.
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Reports
A Power BI report is one or more pages of visualizations such as line charts,
maps, and treemaps. Visualizations are also called visuals. You can create
reports from scratch within Power BI, import them with dashboards that
colleagues share with you, or Power BI can create them when you connect to
datasets from Excel, Power BI Desktop, databases, and SaaS applications. For
example, when you connect to an Excel workbook that contains Power View sheets,
Power BI creates a report based on those sheets. And when you connect to a SaaS
application, Power BI imports a pre-built report.
There are two modes to view and interact with reports: Reading view and Editing view. When you open
a report, it opens in Reading view. If
you have edit permissions, then you see Edit report in the upper-left
corner, and you can view the report in Editing view. If a report is in a
workspace, everyone with an admin, member, or contributor role can edit it.
They have access to all the exploring, designing, building, and sharing
capabilities of Editing view for that report. The people they share the report
with can explore and interact with the report in Reading view.
When you open a workspace, the associated reports are listed under
the Reports tab. Each listed report represents one or more pages of
visualizations based on only one of the underlying datasets. To open a report,
select it.
When you open an app, you are presented with a dashboard. To access an
underlying report, select a dashboard tile (more on tiles later) that was pinned
from a report. Keep in mind that not all tiles are pinned from reports, so you
may have to click a few tiles to find a report.
By default, the report opens in Reading view. Just select Edit report to
open it in Editing view (if you have the necessary permissions).
Power BI overview 139
Dashboards
A dashboard is something you create in the Power BI service or something a
colleague creates in the Power BI service and shares with you. It is a
single canvas that contains zero or more tiles and widgets. Each tile pinned
from a report or from Q&A displays a single visualization that was created from
a dataset and pinned to the dashboard. Entire report pages can also be pinned to
a dashboard as a single tile. There are many ways to add tiles to your
dashboard; too many to be covered in this overview topic.
Why do people create dashboards? Here are just some of the reasons:
●● to see, in one glance, all the information needed to make decisions.
●● to monitor the most-important information about your business.
●● to ensure all colleagues are on the same page, viewing and using the same
information.
●● to monitor the health of a business or product or business unit or marketing
campaign, etc.
●● to create a personalized view of a larger dashboard and show all the metrics
that matter to them.
When you open a workspace, the associated dashboards are listed under
the Dashboards tab. To open a dashboard, select it. When you open an app,
you will be presented with a dashboard. If you own the dashboard, you will also
have edit access to the underlying dataset(s) and reports. If the dashboard was
shared with you, you will be able to interact with the dashboard and any
underlying reports but will not be able to save any changes.
Template Apps
The new Power BI template apps enable Power BI partners to build Power BI apps
with little or no coding and deploy them to any Power BI customer. As a Power BI
partner, you create a set of out-of-the-box content for your customers and
publish it yourself.
140 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
You can build template apps that allow your customers to connect within their own accounts.
As domain experts, they can unlock the data in a way that is easy for their business users to consume.
Template apps are submitted to the Partner center to become publicly available in the Power BI Apps
marketplace1 and on Microsoft
AppSource2. If you're
interested in creating template apps yourself for distribution outside your
organization, see Create a template app in Power
BI3.
2. In the Power BI apps marketplace that appears, select Template apps. All
the template apps available in AppSource will be shown. Browse to find the
template app you're looking for, or get a filtered selection by using the
search box.
1 https://app.powerbi.com/getdata/services
2 https://appsource.microsoft.com/?product=power-bi
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Power BI overview 141
3. When you find the template app you're looking for, click it. The template app offer will display. Click
GET IT NOW.
The app is installed, along with a workspace of the same name that has all
the artifacts needed for
further customization4.
Note: If you use an installation link for an app that isn't listed on AppSource, a
validation dialog box will ask you to confirm your choice.
To be able to install a template app that is not listed on AppSource, you
need to request the relevant permissions from your admin. See the Template
app settings5 in
Power BI admin portal for details.
When the installation finishes successfully, a notification tells you that
your new app is ready.
4 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-template-apps-install-distribute#customize-and-share-the-app
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Power BI overview 143
1. Ribbon - Displays common tasks that are associated with reports and
visualizations.
2. Report view, or canvas - Where visualizations are created and arranged.
1. The Data view allows you to view all of your data available in your
report. This is an easy way to quickly check data types and validate
data.
2. The Model view allows you to visually set the relationship between
tables or elements. A relationship is where two or more tables are
linked together because they contain related data. This enables users to
run queries for related data across multiple tables.
3. Pages tab - Located along the bottom of the page, this area is where you
would select or add a report page.
4. Visualizations pane - Where you can change visualizations, customize
colors or axes, apply filters, drag fields, and more.
5. Fields pane - Where query elements and filters can be dragged onto
the Report view or dragged to the Filters area of the Visualizations
pane.
Donut charts
Donut charts are similar to pie charts. They show the relationship of parts
to a whole.
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Gauge charts
Displays current status in the context of a goal.
KPIs
Displays progress toward a measurable goal.
Power BI overview 147
Line charts
Emphasize the overall shape of an entire series of values, usually over time.
Matrix
A table supports two dimensions, but a matrix makes it easier to display
data meaningfully across multiple dimensions – it supports a stepped layout.
The matrix automatically aggregates the data and enables drill down.
148 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Pie charts
Pie charts show the relationship of parts to a whole.
Q&A visual
The Q&A visual lets you ask questions about your data using natural language.
Tables
Work well with quantitative comparisons among items where there are many
categories.
Treemaps
Are charts of colored rectangles, with size representing value. They can be
hierarchical, with rectangles nested within the main rectangles.
Power BI overview 149
Waterfall charts
Waterfall charts show a running total as values are added or subtracted.
These are some of the out-of-the-box Power BI visuals available from the
visualization pane in Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service. However, sometimes
you need a more custom visual and these can be found in AppSource for Power BI.
Custom visuals
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What is AppSource?
AppSource7 is
the place for apps, add-ins, and extensions for your Microsoft software.
AppSource connects millions of users of products such as Microsoft 365, Azure,
Dynamics 365, Cortana, and Power BI, to solutions that help them get work done
more efficiently and insightfully than before.
Note: When you filter a visual like a bar chart, you are just changing the view of the data in that visual.
You are not modifying the source data in any way.
Slicers
A simple type of filtering that you can use directly on the report page is
called a slicer. Slicers provide cues to ways you can filter the results in
7 https://appsource.microsoft.com/marketplace/apps?product=power-bi-visuals
8 https://nam06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fappsource.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fmarketplace%2Fapps%3Fpa
ge%3D1%26product%3Dpower-bi-visuals&data=02%7C01%7CKesem.Sharabi%40microsoft.com%7C6d9286afacb3468d4cde08d740b7669
4%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C637049028749147718&sdata=igWm0e1vXdgGcbyvngQBrHQVAkahPnxPC1ZhU
PntGI8%3D&reserved=0
Power BI overview 151
the visuals on a report page. There are several different types of slicers:
numeric, categorical, and date. Slicers make it easy to filter all the visuals
on the page at once.
If you want to select more than one field, hold the Ctrl key and click
additional fields.
Transform data
Sometimes, your data might contain extra data or have data in the wrong format.
Power BI Desktop includes the Power Query Editor tool, which can help you
shape and transform data so that it's ready for your models and visualizations.
After loading your data into Power Query Editor, you'll see the following
screen:
1. In the ribbon, the active buttons enable you to interact with the data in
the query.
2. On the left pane, queries (one for each table, or entity) are listed and
available for selecting, viewing, and shaping.
3. On the center pane, data from the selected query is displayed and available
for shaping.
4. The Query Settings window lists the query’s properties and applied
steps.
The Power Query Editor ribbon contains additional tools that can help you change
the data type of columns, add scientific notation, or extract elements from
dates, such as day of the week.
Tip: If you make a mistake, you can undo any step from the Applied Steps list.
As you apply transformations, each step appears in the Applied Steps list on
the Query Settings pane. You can use this list to undo or review specific
changes, or even change the name of a step. To save your transformations,
select Close & Apply on the Home tab.
After you select Close & Apply, Power Query Editor applies the query changes
and applies them to Power BI Desktop.
For more information, see Quickstart: Using Power Query in Power BI Desktop9.
Clean data
While Power BI can import your data from almost any source, its visualization
and modeling tools work best with columnar data. Sometimes, your data won't be
formatted in simple columns, which is often the case with Excel spreadsheets.
In this unit, you will clean columnar data with Power Query Editor.
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Power BI overview 155
A table layout that looks good to the human eye might not be optimal for
automated queries. For example, the following spreadsheet has headers that span
multiple columns.
Transpose data
By using Transpose in Power Query Editor, you can swap rows into columns to
better format the data.
156 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Format data
You might need to format data so that Power BI can properly categorize and
identify that data. With some transformations, you'll cleanse data into a
dataset that you can use in Power BI. Examples of powerful transformations
include promoting rows into headers, using Fill to replace null values,
and Unpivot Columns.
With Power BI, you can experiment with transformations and determine which will
transform your data into the most usable columnar format. Remember,
the Applied Steps section of Power Query Editor records all your actions. If
a transformation doesn't work the way that you intended, select the X next
to the step, and then undo it.
After you've cleaned your data into a usable format, you can begin to create
powerful visuals in Power BI.
For more information, see Tutorial: Combine sales data from Excel and an OData
feed 10.
What is an aggregate?
Sometimes you want to mathematically combine values in your data. The
mathematical operation could be sum, average, maximum, count, and so on. When
you combine values in your data, it's called aggregating. The result of that
mathematical operation is an aggregate.
When Power BI service and Power BI Desktop create visualizations, they may
aggregate your data. Often the aggregate is just what you need, but other times
you may want to aggregate the values in a different way. For example, a sum
versus an average. There are several different ways to manage and change the
aggregate Power BI uses in a visualization.
First, let's take a look at data types because the type of data determines
how, and whether, Power BI can aggregate it.
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Power BI overview 157
Types of data
Most datasets have more than one type of data. At the most basic level, the data
is either numeric or it isn't. Power BI can aggregate numeric data using a sum,
average, count, minimum, variance, and much more. The service can even aggregate
textual data, often called categorical data. If you try to aggregate a
categorical field by placing it in a numeric-only bucket
like Values or Tooltips, Power BI will count the occurrences of each
category or count the distinct occurrences of each category. Special types of
data, like dates, have a few of their own aggregate options: earliest, latest,
first, and last.
In the example below:
●● Units Sold and Manufacturing Price are columns that contain numeric
data
●● Segment, Country, Product, Month, and Month Name contain
categorical data
When creating a visualization in Power BI, the service will aggregate numeric
fields (the default is sum) over some categorical field. For example, "Units
Sold by Product", “Units Sold by Month” and "Manufacturing Price by
Segment". Power BI refers to some numeric fields as measures. It's easy to
identify measures in the Power BI report editor – The Fields list shows
measures with the ∑ symbol next to them. See The report editor… take a
tour11 for
more info.
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Power BI overview 159
Note: The options available in the drop-down list will vary depending on 1) the
field selected and 2) the way the dataset owner categorized that field.
3. Your visualization is now using aggregated by average.
160 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Security
Similar to many Microsoft services, Power BI is built on Azure. This is Microsoft's cloud computing
infrastructure and platform, which ensures the same level of security for Power BI as other Microsoft
services. Users sign in with their credentials held in Azure Active Directory and control the level of sharing
for every report, data or dashboard, determining whether recipients can edit or only view items.
Power BI overview 161
It's important to note that users are responsible for the data they share. If a user connects to data sources
using their credentials, they can share a report (or dashboard, or dataset) based on that data. Users with
whom the dashboard is shared aren't authenticated against the original data source and will be granted
access to the report. This is beneficial to allow users to share reports and dashboards they have created
but does require responsibility on the user's part.
For more in-depth information on Power BI security, be sure to check out the resources of this module in
the last unit.
Administration
Power BI administration is the management of a Power BI tenant, including the configuration of govern-
ance policies, usage monitoring, and provisioning of licenses, capacities, and organizational resources.
Power BI is designed for self-service business intelligence. The administrator is the guardian of data,
processes, and policies in the Power BI tenant. A Power BI administrator is a key member of a team that
includes BI developers, analysts, and other roles. The administrator can help support an organization to
make sure that critical goals are met.
You can find more information on Power BI administration including roles, tasks and tools by accessing
the links in the resources unit at the end of this module.
better understand the family of customers that enter their arena or interact with their many online
platforms. But how does one truly understand a customer when there are so many of them? This is where
Microsoft technologies come into play, Power BI chief among them.
Watch this video to see how Miami Heat leveraged Power BI to transform their business.13
By analyzing their data in Power BI, the Miami Heat operations team has been able to increase revenue,
but also improve the allocation of resources by predicting customer behavior.
“Using Power BI and the entire Azure data platform, we can predict attendance for all 44 games of the
season within hours of the schedule being released,” says Edson Crevecoeur, Vice President of Strategy
and Data Analytics for the Miami Heat. “Last season, we got within 4 percent of the actual numbers for
the whole season, two months before any games had been played. This puts us in a better position to
identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and manage our resources in a more efficient fashion. Ultimately
helping all areas of our business focus on enhancing the fan experience.”
As Miami heat effectively demonstrates, leveraging Power BI and other Microsoft technologies can lead
to significant returns for not only revenue, but your business users' ability to make beneficial decisions.
Power BI in action
Now that you have an overview of Power BI and seen how the Miami Heat has leveraged this powerful
service, this video will showcase a simple product walkthrough. The video demo a couple of reports and
then shows you how to get started with Power BI.
Watch this video to see how to get started with Power BI.14
Questions
Multiple choice
Power BI helps with which of the following business processes?
Notifying users when a SharePoint list item has changed.
Generating an approval.
Analyzing and displaying data.
Multiple choice
Which of the below is a way in which Power BI can help you effectively leverage your data?
Analyze sales data to better allocate resources and place orders, optimizing operations.
Analyze customer data to better target and promote specific items to specific customers.
All of the above.
13 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4miHj
14 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4mERi
Power BI overview 163
Multiple choice
What are the three elements of Power BI designed to let people create, share, and consume business insights
in the way that serves them, or their role, most effectively?
Desktop, service, and Mobile apps.
Tiles, visualizations, and dashboards.
Reports, dashboards, and tiles.
Key takeaways
Here are the three key takeaways:
1. Microsoft Power BI is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to
turn your unrelated sources of data into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights.
2. Leveraging Power BI and other Microsoft technologies can lead to significant returns in terms of not
only revenue, but your business users' ability to make beneficial decisions.
3. Power BI is built on Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing infrastructure and platform, ensuring your
data is secure and only accessible by authenticated users.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module tab to unlock your achievement when done.
15 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/service-admin-power-bi-security
16 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/whitepaper-powerbi-security
17 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/service-admin-administering-power-bi-in-your-organization
164 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Case Study
●● More on Miami Heat Case Study18
More on Power BI
●● Power BI Documentation19
18 https://customers.microsoft.com/story/761660-miami-heat-media-and-entertainment-dynamics-365
19 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 165
Connect to data
Power BI Desktop connects to many types of data sources, including local databases, worksheets, and
data on cloud services. Sometimes when you gather data, it's not quite as structured, or clean, as you
want it to be. To structure data, you can transform it, meaning that you can split and rename columns,
change data types, and create relationships between columns.
You can connect Power BI Desktop to many types of data sources, including on-premises databases,
Microsoft Excel workbooks, and cloud services. Currently, there are over 110 Power BI-specific connectors
to cloud services such as GitHub and Marketo. You can also connect to generic sources through XML,
CSV, text, and ODBC. Power BI will even extract tabular data directly from a website URL.
In this module, we will build out a dashboard for Contoso Manufacturing displaying their sales data for
various products. To follow along with the next steps, visit https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/
sample-financial-download and download the financial sample workbook to your local files or One
Drive. If this is your first time using Power BI Desktop, please visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/
power-bi/fundamentals/desktop-get-the-desktop for download instructions.
1. Start Power BI Desktop, and choose Get Data from the ribbon on the Home tab.
2. Choose Excel and press Connect.
3. Find the financial sample workbook which you downloaded and saved locally or to your OneDrive.
Select the file and click Open.
4. A dialogue box with the tables in your data should open. Click the box next to the financials table. You
will see a preview of the data displayed. Select Load.
You can now see that the fields have populated on the farthest right pane. You are currently in the report
building tab. Select the data tab to see a preview of your data.
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Now you have loaded your data and will shortly be ready to build visuals, but first, let's transform our
data into exactly what we want.
Transform data
Data doesn't always come into your report clean, or ready to use. You may need additional columns or to
rename or hide existing columns. You may have multiple data sources and need to define a relationship
between them. All of these tasks are known as data transformation. While we will go over a couple of
tasks here, you can explore this topic further Model Data in Power BI20.
Calculated Columns
Although we are working with clean data already, let's make a new calculated column so you know how
to in the future.
1. Click on the Edit Queries button on the Home tab of the editing pane.
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How to Build a Simple Dashboard 167
3. A dialogue box will open. Rename your column “Test Column” and double click on Units Sold in the
available columns.
4. Type an asterisk (*), and then click the column Manufacturing Price and the Insert button.
5. Click OK.
6. On the Home tab of the Edit Queries dialogue box, click Close & Apply.
168 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
You have successfully created a calculated column. Although we won't be using this test column for
visuals, you will need this skill to transform your data in the future.
Note: For more information on calculated columns, including the use of IF statements, see Tutorial:
Create calculated columns in Power BI Desktop21.
Model Data
Now we that we have created a column that we don't need, let's hide it so that it doesn't get in the way
of creating our visuals. There are many actions you can perform to transform your data in the Report
building tab without going into Edit Queries.
1. On the fields pane, right click the newly created Test Column.
2. The callout displays many actions you can perform. Select Hide in report view.
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How to Build a Simple Dashboard 169
We've explored Edit Queries and the Report building tab, but there are many ways to transform and
model your data. The Data tab allows you to see a preview of your data and perform simple functions
without entering the Edit Queries dialogue.
170 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
The Relationships tab is used for defining relationships between multiple tables or data sources. Relation-
ships allow visuals to understand how data from multiple tables work together.
Visualize data
Now that you have connected and cleaned up your data, it's time to create visuals. Visuals allow you to
present data in a compelling and insightful way and help you to highlight the important components.
Power BI has many compelling visuals and many more are released frequently.
1. Navigate back to the Reports tab and click on the Key Influencers in the Visualizations pane.
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 171
2. Click and drag Profit from the Fields pane to Analyze By in the Visualizations pane.
3. Click on the box beside the following columns to add them to your visual: Product, Discounts,
Segment, and Units Sold.
4. Drag the corner of your visual to make it larger and click on the first item “Discounts is more than
55387.5”
The visual you just built, key influencers, works to analyze a set of data to explain variations in a field
against others. It automatically builds out charts and graphs to demonstrate these variations. You can see
here what influences Profit to increase or decrease by changing the selection in the top of the visual. Take
a moment to play around with the options in this visual and learn from the data.
Now let's build a more classic visual.
5. Select the yellow + at the bottom of your report to create a new page.
6. Select the Line and clustered column chart visual from the Visualizations pane.
172 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
7. Click on the box beside the following columns in the following order to select them: Product, Manu-
facturing Price, Sales Prices, Profit.
8. Note that Power BI automatically assigns each column to an appropriate field of the visual. In this
case, however, we want to click and drag Profit from Column Values to Line Values.
9. Lastly, drag out the corner of your visual so you can better see the information being displayed.
Build a dashboard
Up to this point we have been working in Power BI Desktop. Dashboards in Power BI are one-page
collections of visualizations that are created from within the Power BI service (online). You can create
dashboards by pinning visuals from reports.
If you clicked on the link from publishing your report, your report should now be open in your browser.
Let's use this report to create a dashboard.
1. Visit Page 2 of your report. Hover over the clustered column chart and a small push pin will appear in
the upper right corner of your visual.
2. Press the pin.
3. In the dialogue box, make sure New Dashboard is selected. For the dashboard name, type “Contoso
Manufacturing Sales”. Select PIN.
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6. In the dialogue box, make sure Existing Dashboard is selected. Ensure the dropdown shows “Conto-
so Manufacturing Sales”. Select Pin Live.
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 175
8. You should now see the tile and live page you pinned. You can think of a dashboard like a cork board.
All of your pinned visuals exist in a one-page scrollable platform from which you can collaborate.
Hover over the column chart tile and select the ellipses in the upper right corner.
9. Select Add a Comment. From here you can type specific comments and even call out individuals in
your company by using the @ symbol.
176 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
10. Type a comment and then close the comments pane. You will notice that a small text bubble symbol
has appeared by the title of the visual. Press it to see your comment appear.
11. Close the comment pane again and select Add Tile.
12. Select Text Box.
13. Select Next.
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 177
14. Scroll down and add text. You can increase the font size or format the style. Select Apply.
178 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
15. The tile you just added is at the bottom of the report. Click and drag it to the top beside the column
chart.
16. Hover over the visual and you will see two small lines at the bottom right corner. Click and drag them
to resize the tile to be smaller (About a quarter the size of the column chart tile).
17. Click on the section Ask a question about your data.
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 179
18. A new pane will open over your dashboard where you can ask questions in real language of your data.
Type “What is the largest gross sale”. The resulting visual is known as a data card.
19. Select Pin Visual, and click Pin.
20. Exit Q&A.
21. The visual you created from the Q&A is at the bottom of your dashboard. Drag it up and resize it as
you did with the text tile.
22. Select Web View in the top right and switch to Phone View.
180 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
23. Here you can change the size and order of tiles to view them better on mobile. Pin the text tile and
data card tile to the mobile view and drag them to the top.
24. Unpin the live page tile and drag the column chart tile to be longer.
Now you have your very first dashboard with both web and mobile view. The only remaining step is
sharing your dashboard with others.
simultaneously on the same dashboards and reports. And, while you and your colleagues explore the
data and make changes to the reports and dashboards, the underlying data is not affected.
1. Click My Workspace on the left side Navigation pane. If you have multiple workspaces, you can click
on Workspaces and make the appropriate selection from the dropdown.
2. Click the share button by the Contoso Manufacturing Sales dashboard.
3. Type in the names or emails of those you wish to share your dashboard with and set the options to
determine the user permissions.
4. Select Share.
Tip: If you are unable to share with a colleague, it might be because of the type of Power BI license that
you or your colleague have. Check with your Power BI administrator for help.
Questions
Multiple choice
What is a dashboard?
One-page collection of visualizations that is created from within the Power BI service (online).
Data which is ready to be used for building visuals.
An application for PCs that lets you gather, transform, and visualize your data.
Multiple choice
Which statement is true regarding adding comments to a dashboard?
You can use the “@” symbol to mention a colleague in a comment.
Comments can be added to an entire dashboard but not to individual visualizations on that dash-
board.
Before a comment is published, it must be approved by the dashboard designer.
182 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Multiple choice
What is one method for creating a visual?
Drag a field from the Fields list onto the Model view canvas.
Drag a field from the Fields list onto the Visualizations pane.
Drag a field from the Fields list onto the Report view canvas.
Key takeaways
Here are the 3 key takeaways:
1. Power BI Desktop is a free application for PCs that lets you gather, transform, and visualize your data.
2. Power BI Desktop connects to many types of data sources, including local databases, worksheets, and
data on cloud services.
3. Power BI simplifies collaboration and improves the outcome by allowing you and your colleagues to
work simultaneously on the same dashboards and reports.
Resources
Use these resources to discover more.
Tip: To open a resource link, right-click and select “Open in a new tab or window”. That way, you can
check out the resource and easily return to the module.
22 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/desktop-tutorial-create-calculated-columns?
23 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/desktop-sort-by-column?
24 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/model-data-power-bi/
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 183
25 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-bi/
26 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/explore-power-bi-service/
27 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/visuals-in-power-bi/
28 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/get-data-power-bi/
29 https://docs.microsoft.com/learn/modules/get-started-with-power-bi/
184 Module 5 Get Started with Power BI
Answers
Multiple choice
Power BI helps with which of the following business processes?
Notifying users when a SharePoint list item has changed.
Generating an approval.
■■ Analyzing and displaying data.
Explanation
By analyzing and displaying your data, Power BI empowers business users to make beneficial decisions.
Multiple choice
Which of the below is a way in which Power BI can help you effectively leverage your data?
Analyze sales data to better allocate resources and place orders, optimizing operations.
Analyze customer data to better target and promote specific items to specific customers.
■■ All of the above.
Explanation
Power BI can analyze all types of data you may have to assist in your business efficiency and decision
making efficacy.
Multiple choice
What are the three elements of Power BI designed to let people create, share, and consume business
insights in the way that serves them, or their role, most effectively?
■■ Desktop, service, and Mobile apps.
Tiles, visualizations, and dashboards.
Reports, dashboards, and tiles.
Explanation
Power BI consists of a Microsoft Windows desktop application called Power BI Desktop, an online SaaS
service called the Power BI service, and mobile Power BI apps that are available on phones and tablets.
Multiple choice
What is a dashboard?
■■ One-page collection of visualizations that is created from within the Power BI service (online).
Data which is ready to be used for building visuals.
An application for PCs that lets you gather, transform, and visualize your data.
Explanation
A dashboard is a collection of data displays. Power BI makes creating dashboards simple and easy so you
can view all your important data on one page.
How to Build a Simple Dashboard 185
Multiple choice
Which statement is true regarding adding comments to a dashboard?
■■ You can use the “@” symbol to mention a colleague in a comment.
Comments can be added to an entire dashboard but not to individual visualizations on that dash-
board.
Before a comment is published, it must be approved by the dashboard designer.
Explanation
Comments can be added to an entire dashboard or to individual visualizations on a dashboard. Add a
general comment or a comment targeted at specific colleagues. Also, comments can be added to a dash-
board using Power BI or Power BI Mobile apps.
Multiple choice
What is one method for creating a visual?
Drag a field from the Fields list onto the Model view canvas.
Drag a field from the Fields list onto the Visualizations pane.
■■ Drag a field from the Fields list onto the Report view canvas.
Explanation
Dragging any field from the Fields list onto the open white space of the canvas will automatically create a
default visual for that data type.
Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual
Agents
the need to write complex code. Also, it minimizes the IT effort required to
deploy and maintain a custom conversational solution.
Check out this video for a brief overview of Power Virtual Agents:
https://youtu.be/J5i7h4Uzju4
Using Power Virtual Agents, you can:
●● Empower your teams by allowing them to easily build chatbots themselves
without needing intermediaries, coding, or AI expertise.
●● Reduce costs by easily automating common inquiries and freeing human
agent time to deal with more complex issues.
●● Improve customer satisfaction by allowing customers to self-help and
resolve issues quickly, 24/7 using rich personalized bot conversations.
conversation using the graphical editor, and your chatbot is ready to handle
customer requests. You can even try out your changes in real-time in the
test pane!
4. Enable chatbots to take action. Chatbots that can chat with your users
are great, but chatbots that can act on their behalf are even better. With
Power Virtual Agents, you can easily integrate with services and back-end
systems out-of-the-box or through hundreds of easy-to-add custom connectors
using Power Automate. This makes it simple to create a chatbot that not only
responds to the user, but also acts on their behalf.
190 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
5. Monitor and improve chatbot performance. Power Virtual Agents lets you
keep an eye on how your chatbots are performing using powerful metrics and
AI-driven dashboards. Easily see which topics are doing well and where the
chatbot can improve, and quickly make adjustments to improve performance.
6. Better together. Power Virtual Agents works hand-in-hand with Dynamics 365
Customer Service Insights to provide a holistic view of your customer service
operations. You can use Customer Service Insights and Power Virtual Agents
together to determine which topics are trending or consuming support resources,
and then easily automate them.
Topics
In Power Virtual Agents, a topic defines how a chatbot conversation plays out.
You can author topics by customizing provided templates, create new topics from
scratch, or get suggestions from existing help sites.
Power Virtual Agents overview 191
These are:
●● Four prepopulated User Topics that are titled as lessons. These lesson
topics can be used to help understand simple to complex ways of using nodes
to create chatbot conversations.
●● A number of System Topics. These are prepopulated topics that you are
likely to need during a chatbot conversation. We recommend you keep these
and use them until you are comfortable with creating an end-to-end chatbot
conversation.
You can edit both of these topic types in the same manner as for topics you
create; however, you cannot delete them.
Entities
A big part of chatbot conversations in Power Virtual Agents is natural language
understanding, which is the ability for the AI to understand a user's intent.
For example, natural language understanding is involved when a user might say “I
tried to use my gift card but it doesn't work” and the chatbot is able to route
the user to the topic related to gift cards not working—even if that exact
phrase isn't listed as a trigger phrase.
One fundamental aspect of natural language understanding is to
identify entities in a user dialog. An entity can be viewed as an information
unit that represents a certain type of a real-world subject, like a phone
number, zip code, city, or even a person's name.
Prebuilt entities
Out of the box, Power Virtual Agents comes with a set of prebuilt entities,
which represent the most commonly used information in real-world dialogs, such
as age, colors, numbers, and names.
With the knowledge granted by entities, a chatbot can smartly recognize the
relevant information from a user input and save it for later use.
Custom entities
The prebuilt entities cover commonly used information types, but on some
occasions, such as when building a chatbot that serves a specific purpose, you
will need to teach the chatbot's language understanding model some
domain-specific knowledge.
Actions
You can enable your chatbot to perform an action by calling a Microsoft Power
Automate flow. Flows can help you automate activities or call backend systems.
For example, you can use flows with end-user authentication to retrieve
information about a user after they sign in.
You can call flows from within topics, as a discrete Call an action node.
You can utilize flows that have already been created in your Power Apps
Power Virtual Agents overview 193
environment, or you can create a flow from within the Power Virtual
Agents authoring canvas.
Note: A flow can only be called from a topic located in the same Common Data Service environment
as your chatbot. Flows must also be in a solution in Power Automate. You can move flows into solu-
tions, so they are listed in the authoring canvas.
Flows typically use variables to input and output information. The variables can
then be used in other nodes within the topic.
Publishing
With Power Virtual Agents, you can publish chatbots to engage with your
customers on multiple platforms or channels. These include live websites, mobile
apps, and messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams and Facebook.
After you have published at least once, you can connect your chatbot to
additional channels.
Each time you want to update your chatbot, you publish it again from within the
Power Virtual Agents app itself. This will update the chatbot across all the
channels where you've inserted or connected your chatbot.
You can also configure a Power Virtual Agents chatbot to provide authentication
capabilities, so users can sign in with any OAuth2 identity provider, such as
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), a Microsoft account, or Facebook.
Questions
Multiple choice
What is a benefit to using Power Virtual Agents?
Improve customer satisfaction
Requires more time than regular customer chat
Doesn't use AI to understand user's intent
Multiple choice
What defines how a chatbot conversation plays out?
Publishing
Topics
Entities
Common Data services
194 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
Multiple choice
Where can you NOT publish a chatbot?
Microsoft Teams
Facebook
Mobile Apps
YouTube
Summary
Power Virtual Agents empowers teams to easily create powerful chatbots using a
guided, no-code graphical interface without the need for data scientists or
developers. It eliminates the gap between the subject matter experts and the
development teams building the chatbots, and the long latency between teams
recognizing an issue and updating the chatbot to address it. It removes the
complexity of exposing teams to the nuances of conversational AI and the need to
write complex code. And, it minimizes the IT effort required to deploy and
maintain a custom conversational solution.
This module covered the following concepts:
●● How Power Virtual Agents provides value to your company
●● What essential components make up Power Virtual Agents and chatbots
●● Where you can publish Power Virtual Agents chatbots
How to build a basic chatbot 195
Create a chatbot
If you do not have a Power Virtual Agents set up already, go
to https://aka.ms/TryPVA in your browser to begin. Supported browsers include
Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox. On the website, select Start Free, and
then sign in with your work email address. Note that personal Microsoft accounts
are not currently supported.
1. Next, you’ll choose a name for your chatbot. This can be something generic
to your company or specific to the scenario you are tailoring your chatbot
to.
Your chatbot is created in the default Power Apps environment that was
created for you when you signed up. For most users, this is sufficient.
However, if you want to specify a custom Power Apps environment for your
Power Virtual Agents, you can do so by expanding the More options menu
and selecting a different environment.
Note: Power Virtual Agents is supported only in the locations listed in the supported data locations1
topic, with data stored in respective data centers. If your company is located outside of the supported
data locations, you need to create a custom environment with Region set to a supported data
location before you can create your chatbot.
1 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/data-location
196 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
2. Once you select Create, the process of creating the first chatbot within
a new environment can take up to 15 minutes. Subsequent bots will be created
much faster.
3. After a few minutes, you’ll land on the home page and have an opportunity to
play around with the chatbot in read-only mode. You can't save any edits
during this time, but you can explore the overall user interface, look at
the topics, experiment with the preloaded User Topics and System Topics, and
interact with your chatbot using the Test Canvas.
4. When the chatbot creation process completes, the banner changes. You now
have full functionality in the chatbot and can modify any User or System
topic, test out your content changes, or deploy your bot.
Delete a chatbot
You can delete chatbots to remove them from your environment.
1. Select the chatbot icon on the top menu bar, and then select the chatbot you
want to delete.
2. Select the Settings icon on the top menu bar, then select General settings.
Create a topic
1. Go to the Topics tab on the side navigation pane to open the Topics
page.
2. Power Virtual Agents opens the topic in the authoring canvas and displays
the topic's trigger phrases. The authoring canvas is where you define the
conversation path between a customer and the bot.
3. For existing or system topics, a number of nodes will automatically be
created. You can edit these nodes just as you can for other nodes.
4. When you create a new topic, the Trigger phrases node and a
blank Message node are inserted for you.
5. You can add additional nodes by selecting the Plus (+) icon on the
line or branch between or after a node.
Insert nodes
When adding a node, you can choose from five options. Each option has a specific
node or nodes that will be inserted into the conversation path.
You can:
●● Ask a question
●● Call an action
●● Show a message
200 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
●● Go to another topic
●● End the conversation
Ask a question:
1. To have the chatbot ask a question and get a response from the user,
select + to add a node, and then Ask a question to add a
new Question node.
How to build a basic chatbot 201
2. Enter the question phrase in the first text box, Ask a question.
3. You can choose from several options for the user’s response in
the Identify field.
These options determine what the chatbot should be listening for in the
user's response.
For example, they could be multiple choice options, a number, or a specific
string.
Choose Multiple choice options.
4. Depending on what you choose in the Identify field, you can enter what
options the user should have.
For example, since you selected Multiple choice options, you can then enter
the options the user can specify in the Options for user field. Each
option is presented as a multiple choice button to the user, but users can
also type in their answer in the bot.
The conversation editor creates separate paths in the conversation,
depending on the customer's response. The conversation path leads the
customer to the appropriate resolution for each user response. You can add
additional nodes to create branching logic and specify what the chatbot
should respond with for each variable.
5. You can save the user response in a variable to be used later.
202 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
Call an action
You can call Power Automate flows by selecting Call an action.
Note: Power Virtual Agents also enables you to extend your chatbot using Azure Bot Framework Skills. If
you have already built and deployed bots in your organization (using Bot Framework pro-code tools) for
specific scenarios, you can convert bots to a Skill and embed the Skill within a Power Virtual Agents bot.
Show a message
1. To specify a response from the bot, select + to add a node, and
then Show a message to add a new Message node.
2. Enter what you want the chatbot to say in the text box. You can apply some
basic formatting, such as bold, italics, and numbering.
You can also use variables that you have defined elsewhere in your chatbot
conversation.
Go to another topic
1. To automatically have the chatbot move to a separate topic, select + to
add a node, and then Go to another topic.
2. In the flyout menu, select the topic the chatbot should divert to. For
example, you might want to send the user to a specific topic about the
closure of a store if they ask about store hours for that store.
You can also have the conversation handed over to a live agent if you're using a
suitable customer service portal, such as Omnichannel for Customer Service.
1. At the end of a response that resolves the user's issue or answers the
question, select End the conversation.
3. Select Transfer To Agent to insert a hand-off node that will link with
your configured hand-off
product2.
You can also enter a private message to the agent.
2 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/configuration-hand-off-omnichannel
3 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/authoring-variables
4 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/advanced-end-user-authentication
204 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
then you might want to specify a different message if the user is signed on
(which may have happened earlier in the conversation).
Delete nodes
1. Select the menu icon on the top of the node's title.
2. Select Delete.
Testing a chatbot
As you design your chatbot in Power Virtual Agents for Customer Service, you can
use the Test bot pane to see how the chatbot leads a customer through the
chatbot conversation.
To help you find and fix unexpected behavior, you can enable tracking between
topics to take you through the chatbot conversation step-by-step, and go to the
corresponding node in the authoring canvas.
2. It's a good idea to select Reset at the top of the Test bot pane to
clear previous conversations. Clearing previous conversations makes it
easier to see the flow of the topic you want to see without getting confused
by previous conversations.
3. At the Type your message prompt at the bottom of the Test bot pane,
enter a trigger phrase for the topic.
The trigger phrase starts the topic's conversation and the Test bot pane
displays the chatbot responses and user response choices you specified.
4. Continue the conversation, testing that it flows as designed in the topic.
5. Select a response in the Test bot pane, which will take you to the
response in the conversation editor for that topic. The authoring canvas
displays highlighted nodes in green.
206 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
You can return to the authoring canvas for the topic at any time to revise its
conversation path. The Test chat pane will automatically refresh itself when
you save changes to a topic.
2. At the top of the Test bot pane, set Track between topics to On.
3. Enter a trigger phrase for the topic you want to check, and then continue
testing the conversation.
4. As you move through the conversation in the Test bot pane, the authoring
canvas highlights the current place in the conversation path. The authoring
canvas displays highlighted nodes in green.
5. To navigate to an earlier place in the conversation path in the authoring
canvas, select it in the Test bot pane.
If the conversation path in the Test your bot pane moves from one topic to
another topic, the authoring canvas refreshes and moves between topics to the
appropriate highlighted nodes.
Publish a chatbot
With Power Virtual Agents, you can publish chatbots to engage with your
customers on multiple platforms or channels. These include live websites, mobile
apps, and messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams and Facebook.
After you have published at least once, you can connect your chatbot to
additional channels.
208 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
Each time you want to update your chatbot, you publish it again from within the
Power Virtual Agents app itself. This will update the chatbot across all the
channels where you have inserted or connected your chatbot.
Publication should take less than a few minutes and, when successful, you can
view the bot in action and share it with your team by selecting the demo
website link. This is useful to gather feedback from stakeholders involved in
the bot. The link will open a new tab and display a prebuilt demo website where
you and your team can interact with the bot.
Tip:What's the difference between the test chat and the demo website? The demo website lets you share a
URL with other members of your team, or other stakeholders who want to try out the bot. It's not
intended for production uses (for example, you shouldn't use it directly with customers). The test chat is
intended for bot authors to test how conversation nodes flow and if there are errors when they are
creating and testing their bot.
Configure channels
After publishing your bot at least once, you can add channels to make the bot
reachable by your customers. You can see what channels we currently support by
How to build a basic chatbot 209
selecting Manage and going to the Channels tab in the side navigation
pane.
CHANNEL EXPERIENCE
REFERENCE TABLE
Experience Website Microsoft Teams Facebook
Customer satisfaction Adaptive card Text-only Text-only
survey (https://docs.
microsoft.com/en-us/
power-virtual-agents/
authoring-create-ed-
it-topics#insert-nodes)
Multiple-choice Supported Supported up to 6 Supported up to 13
options (https://docs. (https://docs.microsoft. (https://developers.
microsoft.com/en-us/ com/en-us/microsoft- facebook.com/docs/
power-virtual-agents/ teams/platform/ messenger-platform/
authoring-create-ed- concepts/cards/ send-messages/quick-re-
it-topics#insert-nodes) cards-reference#he- plies/)
ro-card)
Markdown (https:// Supported Supported Partially supported
daringfireball.net/ (https://www.facebook.
projects/markdown/)
210 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
CHANNEL EXPERIENCE
REFERENCE TABLE
Welcome message Supported Supported Not supported
(https://docs.microsoft.
com/en-us/power-virtu-
al-agents/authoring-cre-
ate-edit-topics#in-
sert-nodes)
Analyzing a chatbot
Power Virtual Agents has a comprehensive set of analytics that show you the key
performance indicators for your bot.
Multiple charts show you trends and usage for your chatbot's topics. These charts
use AI to highlight the topics that have the greatest impact on your chatbot's
performance.
View analytics
●● In Power Virtual Agents, select Analytics on the side navigation pane.
The Summary page gives you a broad overview of your bot's performance. It uses
artificial intelligence (AI) technology to show you which topics are having the
greatest impact on escalation rate, abandon rate, and resolution rate (see the
table under Summary charts for more information on these metrics).
How to build a basic chatbot 211
The Summary page includes a variety of charts with graphical views of your bot's
key performance indicators. For information about each chart, see:
●● Summary charts5
●● Engagement over time chart6
●● Session outcomes over time chart7
●● Resolution rate drivers chart8
●● Escalation rate drivers chart9
●● Abandon rate drivers chart10
The Engagement Rate Drivers, Abandon Rate Drivers, and Resolution Rate Drivers
charts use natural language understanding to group issues as topics. These
charts show you the topics that are having the most impact on the performance of
your bot.
By default, the page shows you key performance indicators for the last seven
days. To change the time period to the last 30 days, select Last 30
days from the drop-down list at the top of the page.
5 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary#summary-charts
6 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary#engagement-over-time-chart
7 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary#session-outcomes-over-time-chart
8 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary#resolution-rate-drivers-chart
9 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary#escalation-rate-drivers-chart
10 https://docs.microsoft.com/power-virtual-agents/analytics-summary#abandon-rate-drivers-chart
212 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
You can change the date range to filter the Total billed sessions over time chart. You can also see the
total billed sessions and trend percentage next to the chart.
11 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-virtual-agents/teams/authoring-create-edit-topics-teams
How to build a basic chatbot 213
Questions
Multiple choice
You can have up to how many topics in a chatbot?
100
500
1000
2000
Multiple choice
When testing your chatbot, what would best help you find and fix unexpected behavior?
Selecting the same response
Enabling tracking between topics
Creating new topics
Resetting the bot
Multiple choice
Which of the following is a valid reason for a chatbot session to end?
The session has more than 100 turns
The session is longer than 90 minutes
The session has more than 50 turns
Summary
Power Virtual Agents empowers teams to quickly and easily create powerful
chatbots using a guided no-code graphical experience—all without the need for
data scientists or developers.
This module covered the following concepts:
●● How to create a chatbot for the first time
●● How to add topics to your chatbot
●● How to test content changes in real time
●● How to publish your chatbot
●● How to analyze the performance of your chatbot
214 Module 6 Get Started with Power Virtual Agents
Answers
Multiple choice
What is a benefit to using Power Virtual Agents?
■■ Improve customer satisfaction
Requires more time than regular customer chat
Doesn't use AI to understand user's intent
Explanation
Power Virtual Agents can improve customer satisfaction by allowing customers to self-help and resolve
issues quickly, 24/7 using rich personalized chatbot conversations.
Multiple choice
What defines how a chatbot conversation plays out?
Publishing
■■ Topics
Entities
Common Data services
Explanation
In Power Virtual Agents, topics have trigger phrases and conversation nodes to define how a chatbot should
respond and what it should do.
Multiple choice
Where can you NOT publish a chatbot?
Microsoft Teams
Facebook
Mobile Apps
■■ YouTube
Explanation
You can publish chatbots to engage with your customers on Microsoft Teams, Facebook, and Mobile Apps.
Multiple choice
You can have up to how many topics in a chatbot?
100
500
■■ 1000
2000
Explanation
You can have up to 1000 topics in a chatbot.
How to build a basic chatbot 215
Multiple choice
When testing your chatbot, what would best help you find and fix unexpected behavior?
Selecting the same response
■■ Enabling tracking between topics
Creating new topics
Resetting the bot
Explanation
As you fine-tune your chatbot, it can be useful to enable tracking between topics so you can follow through
the conversation path step by step.
Multiple choice
Which of the following is a valid reason for a chatbot session to end?
■■ The session has more than 100 turns
The session is longer than 90 minutes
The session has more than 50 turns
Explanation
Chatbot sessions can end if a session has more than 100 turns.