Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant

Microsoft Power Platform empowers organizations to automate business processes, develop their own rich app experiences, and connect with customers better and faster. In this course, students will learn to perform discovery, capture requirements, engage subject matter experts and stakeholders, translate requirements, and configure Microsoft Power Platform solutions and apps. They will supplement their learnings with hands-on labs to create application enhancements, custom user experiences, system integrations, data conversions, custom process automation, and custom visualizations. Microsoft Power Platform is comprised of four key products: Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents. In this course, we will cover these four applications in depth, with additional focus on Microsoft Dataverse, AI Builder, connectors, and portals.

Audience Profile

A Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant is responsible for creating and configuring apps, automations, and solutions. They act as the liaison between users and the implementation team. The functional consultant promotes utilization of solutions within an organization. The functional consultant may perform discovery, engage subject matter experts and stakeholders, capture requirements, and map requirements to features. They implement components of a solution including application enhancements, custom user experiences, system integrations, data conversions, custom process automation, and simple visualizations.

Prerequisites

• Experience as an IT professional or student
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform and its key components
• Knowledge of Microsoft Dataverse (or general data modeling) and security concepts

At Course Completion

• Work with an organization to gather requirements and implement Microsoft Power Platform solutions
• Build model-driven, canvas, and portal apps
• Create Power Automate flows
• Design a simple chatbot using Power Virtual Agents
• Analyze data using Power BI visualizations and dashboards

Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft Power Platform

This module will provide the learner with background about Microsoft Power Platform and its 4 key components: Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents.

Lesson

• Microsoft Power Platform overview
• Lab : Validate lab environment

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Identify the key components of Microsoft Power Platform

Module 2: Work with Dataverse

In this module, students will learn about creating a data model in Microsoft Dataverse, including importing data, using tabular reporting options, and configuring security. They will also learn about creating easy AI with AI Builder.

Lesson

• Work with tables
• Understand data types and behavior
• Configure security settings
• Lab : Create an app
• Lab : Create tables and columns
• Lab : Create relationships
• Lab : Additional table settings

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Understand tables, columns, rows, and relationships
• Configure a data model in Dataverse
• Work in an environment within the Microsoft Power Platform admin center

Module 3: Make model-driven apps with Power Apps

In this module, students will learn the business value of Power Apps model-driven apps. They will then learn to how to configure and design them, including user experience considerations.

Lesson

• Building blocks of model-driven apps
• Design model-driven apps
• Forms and views
• Lab : App designer
• Lab : Modify forms
• Lab : Modify views

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Connect to data in Power Apps
• Build a Power Apps model-driven app
• Design an application user experience

Module 4: Make canvas apps with Power Apps

In this module, students will learn the business value of Power Apps canvas apps. They will then learn to how to configure and design them, including user experience considerations.

Lesson

• Power Apps studio
• Canvas apps capabilities
• User experience
• Lab : Build a canvas app
• Lab : Work with data and services
• Lab : User experience

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Build a Power Apps canvas app
• Configure user experience in a canvas app
• Understand the building blocks of a canvas app

Module 5: Make portals with Power Apps

In this module, students will learn the business value of Power Apps portals. They will then learn to how to access Dataverse data in a portal and how portal authentication works.

Lesson

• Power Apps portals architecture
• Access Microsoft Dataverse in your portal
• Authentication and user management

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Understand how to use Dataverse data in a portal
• Recognize types of Power Apps portals for different audiences
• Register users for portal access

Module 6: Introduction to automation

In this module, students will learn about business rules and when they can be used. Students will also get an overview of Power Automate.

Lesson

• Business rules
• Power Automate overview
• Lab : Create users
• Lab : Create security roles
• Lab : Configure a new business rule
• Lab : Advanced business rules

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create users and grant security roles
• Create and configure security roles
• Create and configure advanced business rules

Module 7: Build Power Automate cloud flows

In this module, students will learn the fundamentals of cloud flows, including triggers and flows. They will create two flows, including an approval flow.

Lesson

• Fundamentals of cloud flows
• Triggers
• Actions
• Lab : Create a flow
• Lab : Build an approval flow

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create cloud flows
• Understand the fundamentals of cloud flows
• Use triggers and actions

Module 8: Build Power Automate desktop flows

In this module, students will learn what desktop flows are and how they are created. Students will also learn how desktop flows are used and how to use process advisor to better understand places to streamline workflows.

Lesson

• Build desktop flows
• Use desktop flows
• Process advisor

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Understand the value of desktop flows
• Identify when to use desktop flows and how process advisor can help

Module 9: Build business process flows

In this module, students will learn the value of business process flows and how to use the business process flow designer. They will also practice building business process flows and learn how they can be automated.

Lesson

• Why use business process flows
• Using business process flow designer
• Automating your business process flow
• Lab : Build a business process flow
• Lab : Build a branching business process flow

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create business process flows
• Use the business process flow designer
• Know how to add automation to a business process flow

Module 10: Build chatbots with Power Virtual Agents

In this module, students will learn how to automate customer interactions with a chatbot using Power Virtual Agents.

Lesson

• Create a chatbot
• Configure topics
• Automate and integrate
• Configure entities
• Test and publish chatbots
• Lab : Build a chatbot

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create a chatbot
• Include a flow in a chatbot
• Create topics and entities

Module 11: Analyze data with Power Bi

In this module, students will learn how to work with Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service to analyze data and create visualizations.

Lesson

• Use tabular reporting options in Dataverse
• Use charts and dashboards in Dataverse
• Get started with Power BI
• Model data in Power BI
• Create visualizations and dashboards
• Publish and share in Power BI

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create visualizations
• Consume data in Power BI
• Export data visualizations for stakeholders

Module 12: Putting it all together

In this module, students will learn how the concepts of this course pull together and how to use functional consultant skills on Microsoft Power Platform engagements. They will also learn how solutions are used in Microsoft Power Platform and will be introduced to AI Builder.

Lesson

• Using solutions
• AI Builder
• Consultant skills
• Lab : Build charts
• Lab : Build dashboards
• Lab : Build delete data
• Lab : Build a Word template
• Lab : Build an Excel template
• Lab : Duplicate detection
• Lab : Import data
• Lab : Export data

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Understand how the concepts of this course work together
• Manage solutions in Microsoft Power Platform
• Use AI Builder to create and manage models
• Apply functional consultant skills