MB-400: Power Apps + Dynamics 365 Developer – Preparation Guide

So, I was able to clear one more certification last week.
After completing MB-400 exam last week, I would like to share my experience on how I prepared for this exam, and whats the impact of revised course update on the certification. I will talk about what to study and why hands-on is important.

Do you know, all these new Roles-Based Certificates has 2 years of validity as per the Microsoft Certification Official Transcript? 🧐
It means that our Microsoft Certification Official Transcript will now show the certificate (not the exam badges) valid till date along with the achievement date.

Microsoft has decided to revise the certification courses every few months to coincide with the release wave of Power Platform. Hence, on 22nd May 2020, the certification course has been revised, and everyone needs to prepare for the exam by checking the latest exam skill outline accordingly.

So, here is the basic information about the exam:

Link to schedule for the exam: MB-400: Microsoft Power Apps + Dynamics 365 Developer
No. of Questions: 41 (this is how many I got)
Duration of Exam: 180 mins (210 mins including everything like a survey)

I was really happy with the amount of time they have allocated for this exam as some of us might need it to evaluate all the options before selecting correct answers.
Remember, there are a variety of questions like Yes/No, Multi-choice, Drag & Drop and so on, but as a few of them are grouped together, we can’t navigate back once we answer them. Hence, we need to give those groups enough time before moving on to the rest of the questions.

Prerequisites:

• A trial environment of Dynamics 365
• Visual Studio Community or Visual Studio Code

So let’s go through exam skill outline and study materials I will recommend for MB-400 in the following sequence:

1. Overview of creating apps in Power Apps (MS Docs)

This might seems quite vague, but so far, for MB-400 we don’t have any dedicated free source which covers everything. Hence, I would recommend to start form above link and on the landing page you will get links for

• Canvas apps: This is the entry point for Canvas Apps. It will cover “Create Canvas Apps” under “Create and Configure Power Apps“.
• Model-driven apps: This is the entry point for Model-Driven Apps. It will cover “Create model-driven apps” under “Create and Configure Power Apps“.
• Common Data Service: This is the entry point for CDS and provides information on features of Power Platform like Entities, Business Logic, Solutions and so on. It will cover topics under “Configure Common Data Service (CDS)“.

2. Common Data Service Developer Guide (MS Docs)

This section of MS Docs will help you to learn about the features and methods used for extending platform, user experience and integration.

• Apply business logic using code: This section will cover the Plugins and Custom Workflows which are the topics under “Extend the platform“.
• Create a custom connector from scratch: This section will cover the details on the “Create a custom connector from scratch” such as how to create and utilize the custom connector in Power Apps and Power Automate as this topic also falls under “Extend the platform“.
• Use the Common Data Service Web API: This section will cover the details on “Use platform APIs” under “Extend the platform“.
• Azure Integration: This section will cover the introduction on how to establish a connection between Azure and CDS for integration and sharing data on CDS events. This topic falls under “Publish and consume events” which is part of “Develop Integrations“.
• Use webhooks: This section will cover the introduction on how to utilize the webhook feature using the Plugin Registration Tool. This topic falls under “Publish and consume events” which is part of “Develop Integrations“.
• Data Export Service: This section explains how to configure the data export service to integrate with Azure SQL Database. This topic falls under “Implement data synchronization” which is part of “Develop Integrations“.
• Data Synchronization: This section covers the entity change tracking and alternative keys, and their role in data sync with other systems. This topic falls under “Implement data synchronization” which is part of “Develop Integrations“.

When it comes to MS Docs, although it’s best to learn as much as possible about each topic, I would recommend covering at least up to intermediate level on each topic. Similar to MB-200, MB-400 cover a lot of topics and hence you can expect to get unique questions from a vast pool of developer-related questions.

3. Last but most important, Practice!

This a developer exam and hence you should try as much hands-on as possible. You might not be able to test few things like Azure Integration, but you should try to cover as much possible because when you will get the questions in the exam, your hand-on experience will help you to answer most of your questions.

Again, please check the skill outline as the course has been revised on 22nd May 2020. Always check the timeline of revision for the certification before scheduling the exam to avoid any surprises.

I hope people who are planning to pursue this exam, my journey and advice will help them to clear this exam with a high score.
Best of luck to all and until next time… 😉