2024-03-22
Do you love using Microsoft Power Platform to analyze data, build solutions, automate processes, and more? Have you considered earning your certification to validate your ability to support your team and organization with this technology? To help you plan your career journey, we're kicking off a new series of blog posts to explore the value and benefits of Microsoft Power Platform certifications.
In this post, we'll focus on some of the highlights of our certification portfolio, which spans from fundamentals to role-based certifications that validate essential Microsoft Power Platform skills.
Whether you're just starting out with Microsoft Power Platform, looking to advance, or wanting to change to a new focus — we're here to help you discover the career path that's right for you.
When you pass an exam and earn your Microsoft Certification, that's a validation of your skills and experience. Combining these and a globally recognized, industry-endorsed Microsoft Certification sends a career-building message to employers. Your certification can even give you a boost of confidence and recognition as you advance your career.
In this series, we'll dive deeper into each of the certifications we're highlighting to help you further explore and choose the certifications that are right for you and your career journey.
The Benefits of Certification
Let your skills guide you as you investigate the different Microsoft Power Platform certifications available to you. A Microsoft Certification validates that you have the skills that organizations are looking for when they hire and advance employees. These certifications provide a pathway to success by starting with the foundations and then providing multiple avenues that validate greater technical skills. Plus, Microsoft keeps certifications up to date based on market and industry demands.
Just as you use certifications to prove your skills, they can even help you achieve promotions and raises. For example, 61% of respondents in the 2020–2021 Microsoft Dynamics Salary Survey from Nigel Frank believe that certifications give you an edge in the job market. Many respondents reported a salary increase after they achieved a certification—an average of 22%. Certification, combined with your drive and abilities, can give you career flexibility, promise earning options, and help open career doors.
Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals
This fundamentals certification is a good fit if:
- You're a business analyst, business professional, or IT professional.
- You want to understand the capabilities of Microsoft Power Platform and how to build basic solutions.
Consider a fundamentals certification as the first milepost on your certification journey. A great way to call attention to the breadth of your Microsoft Power Platform abilities is to earn the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals certification (pass Exam PL-900). This baseline certification proves your flexibility in using Microsoft Power Platform skills to improve your team's productivity.
If you're new to the workforce, having a fundamentals certification on your résumé can set you apart. If you're already working in your chosen career, you know organizations need to keep pace with digital transformation. You can use a fundamentals certification to help you prepare for role-based certifications, but it isn't a prerequisite for any of them. To start exploring your journey to certification, check out the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals journey map.
Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate
This functional consultant certification is a good fit if:
- You have broad applied knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform, including practical understanding of capabilities, boundaries, and constraints.
- You have experience using Microsoft Power Platform maker tools to create solutions that use Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365.
- You have proficiency in data modeling, user experience design, requirements analysis, and process analysis.
Functional consultants understand the value of collaborative work between business and technology. There are many possible paths to this role. These professionals perform various tasks, such as gathering requirements for a Power Apps project and collaborating with solution architects, designers, and business stakeholders to understand and flesh out those requirements.
Does this sound like you? To qualify for the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate certification (pass Exam PL-200), you could be a functional consultant, a data analyst, a developer looking to hone your consulting and configuration skills, a solution architect on a path to the solution architect certification, or an IT professional with knowledge and experience configuring Microsoft Power Platform. To start exploring your journey to certification, check out the Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate journey map.
Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate
This developer certification is a good fit if:
- You're a developer.
- You have strong applied knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform services, including an in-depth understanding of capabilities, boundaries, and constraints.
- You have a basic understanding of DevOps practices for Microsoft Power Platform.
If you're a traditional developer who customizes Microsoft Power Platform apps, you fit the profile for the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate certification (pass Exam PL-400). You're driven by solving problems and creating automated solutions. You have successfully built, customized, and extended Microsoft Power Platform apps. In addition, you're passionate about designing, developing, securing, and extending solutions with this technology. To start exploring your journey to certification, check out the Microsoft Power Platform Developer Associate journey map.
Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert
This solution architect certification is a good fit for:
- Current solution architects, senior consultants (both functional and technical), or developers who aspire to be solution architects.
- Professionals with strong applied knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform services, including an in-depth understanding of capabilities, boundaries, and constraints.
This expert certification is for highly qualified professionals with years of experience. You fit the profile for the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert certification (complete a prerequisite and pass Exam PL-600) if you're a solution architect, a developer, or a senior functional consultant ready to take the next step to become a solution architect. Professionals who qualify for this exam are leaders with functional and technical knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform who work with all project team members, including functional consultants, project managers, developers, and business analysts. To start exploring your journey to certification, check out the Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect Expert journey map.
Ready to discover your career path?
Training is available for every Microsoft Power Platform certification, whether you want to review before an exam or brush up on your skills to prepare. Visit our Microsoft Power Platform Certifications to decide the best place to start!
This piece was originally posted on Aug 1, 2022, was updated to remove retired courses and has been refreshed with updated styling.
