PL‑200 Checklist: Your Complete Preparation Guide

1. Understand the Power Platform Structure

The first step to passing the PL‑200 exam is having a clear view of the Power Platform architecture and its main components: Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Pages, and Dataverse. Each component plays a specific role in integrating business processes and managing data.

According to the architectural best practices described in Microsoft Power Platform Enterprise Architecture, it’s important to understand the difference between development, test, and production environments, as well as authentication and authorization principles based on Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).

In this phase:

• Review the official Microsoft Power Platform documentation.
• Analyze the differences between Model-driven Apps and Canvas Apps.
• Understand the role of Dataverse as the central repository and of Power BI for reporting.
• Study relationships between Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure.

2. Configuration and Development Tools

For the PL‑200 exam, mastering the Power Platform configuration and development tools is essential. The Power Apps Maker Portal is the main entry point for creating and managing apps and Dataverse components. The key tools include:

• Power Apps Maker Portal – to configure tables, relationships, and model-driven apps.
• Power Automate Maker Portal – to build cloud flows and automations.
• Power Pages Studio – to create external websites connected to Dataverse.
• Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service – to build effective reports and dashboards.
• Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code – for developing custom components and plug‑ins.
• XrmToolBox – for advanced customization and administration tasks.

For each of these tools, spend time experimenting with practical scenarios: create tables, define flows, and automate approval or data synchronization processes. These exercises are often included in the practical questions of the exam.

3. Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and Testing Environments

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is a key topic in the PL‑200 checklist. Organizations like Contoso Inc., highlighted in case studies, adopt strategies based on Azure DevOps with automated pipelines for deploying Power Platform solutions.

To prepare properly:

• Set up separate environments for development, testing (UAT), and production.
• Learn to export and import managed and unmanaged solutions.
• Use Power Platform Build Tools to automate versioning and publishing.
• Understand the differences between managed and unmanaged solutions and when to use them.

4. Security, Roles, and Governance

Security is a fundamental pillar: the PL‑200 exam assesses your ability to correctly implement authentication, authorization, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP). Understanding how to manage roles, teams, and business units in Dataverse is essential.

Focus on:

• Setting up security roles and Business Units.
• Record sharing and column-level access control.
• Managing Data Loss Prevention Policies for connectors.
• Authentication through Azure AD and external providers on Power Pages.

For practical guidance, refer to the Microsoft Power Platform security guide.

5. Extensibility and Automation

The Power Platform enables both client‑side and server‑side extensibility. The PL‑200 checklist includes understanding how to use JavaScript, Power Apps Component Framework (PCF), and Power Automate to extend standard functionalities.

• Know the role of web resources (HTML, CSS, JS, XML) in enhancing the user interface.
• Understand how PCF controls provide high-performance custom controls.
• Use Power Automate to orchestrate flows between Dataverse, Outlook, and Teams.
• Integrate AI Builder to add recognition and intelligent automation capabilities.

Practice creating a flow that sends automatic notifications when a Dataverse record is updated. This is a typical test scenario during the exam.

6. Final PL‑200 Exam Preparation

Once you’ve completed the technical modules, spend time reviewing and practicing. The final checklist includes consolidation activities:

• Review ALM, security, and governance concepts.
• Revise business use cases and architectural best practices.
• Simulate real scenarios using PL‑200 exam simulators.
• Consult the PL‑200 study plan to organize your final weeks.
• Check availability for the official PL‑200T00 course.

Achieving the PL‑200 certification demonstrates advanced skills in designing and implementing solutions on Microsoft Power Platform with attention to business dynamics and governance.