Becoming a solution architect for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform

The Solution Architect leads successful implementations and focuses on how solutions address the broader business and technical needs of organizations.  This module covers what it takes to get started as a Solution Architect and as key member of the overall project team.

• Introduction to becoming a solution architect
• Existing product and platform skills
• Expectations of a solution architect
• Solution architect role during project phases
• Pillars of a great architecture

Discover customer needs as a Solution Architect for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform

Learn how to ask customers questions about their business processes and feature requirements to create a viable solution.

• Introduction and discovery overview
• Initial customer discovery
• Customer discovery meetings
• Customer communication strategy

Propose a solution as a Solution Architect for Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365

Learn how to propose a solution.

• Introduction and overview to proposing a solution
• Identify solution components
• Develop and validate a demo
• Identify potential third-party components
• Recognize strengths and weaknesses in a solution

Work with requirements for Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365

It's important to capture the customer’s needs accurately. This module explains how to capture requirements and identify functional and non-functional items.

• Introduction
• Lead requirement capture sessions
• Identify functional requirements
• Identify non-functional requirements
• Confirm and finalize requirements

Perform fit gap analysis

A fit gap analysis identifies the difference between the known requirements and the proposed or current solution. This module covers performing a fit gap analysis.

• Introduction to fit gap analysis
• Determine feasibility of requirements
• Refine requirements from proof of concept insights
• Categorize business requirements and perform gap fit analysis
• Evaluate Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform apps

Solution Architect series: Implement project governance for Power Platform and Dynamics 365

The solution architect for Microsoft Power Platform has a key role on a project. Typically, the solution architect will implement governance, change processes, and monitor the project progress. This module explains the role of the solution architect in implementing project governance.

• Introduction to project governance
• Project governance
• Solution architect’s role in project governance
• Techniques for keeping a project on track
• Work as a team

Solution Architect series: Power Platform architecture

Solution architects are responsible for overall design of the solution. Understanding the architecture of Microsoft Power Platform control is imperative when designing solutions based on Power Platform. This module describes the components and capabilities of Power Platform and how they control the design of your solutions.

• Environments
• Environment data location
• Work with data
• Custom logic
• Platform limits
• High availability and disaster recovery considerations

Solution Architect series: Explore Power Apps architecture

Solution architects are responsible for a solution’s overall design. Understanding the capabilities of Power Apps is imperative when designing apps for a solution. This module explains the different types of apps, the differences between apps, and when and which type(s) of apps to use.

• Common app patterns
• App composition
• Components
• Optimize canvas apps
• Microsoft Teams and Power Apps
• Portal apps

Explore Power Automate architecture

Solution architects are responsible for a solution’s overall design. Understanding the capabilities of Power Automate is imperative when designing the automation for the solution. This module focuses on Power Automate and its capabilities.

• Triggers
• Common actions
• Error handling
• Best practice
• Business process flows

Solution architect series: Explore Microsoft Copilot Studio

Increasingly, copilots are becoming an important component of business applications. Solution architects need to understand the capabilities of Microsoft Copilot Studio when designing a Microsoft Power Platform solution. This module provides an in-depth description of Microsoft Copilot Studio and its capabilities.

• Agent building options
• Agent concepts
• Best practices
• Integrate agents
• Microsoft Copilot Studio in Teams

Solution architect series: Explore robotic process automation

Robotic process automation helps with the automation of legacy applications. Solution architects are required to know the capabilities of Power Automate for desktop when they are integrating a Microsoft Power Platform solution. This module will explain Power Automate Desktop and its capabilities.

• Power Automate for desktop
• Record and edit tasks
• Run desktop flows
• Process mining

Solution architect series: Model data for Power Platform solutions

This module explains the solution architect's role in data modeling for Power Platform and the tradeoffs for modeling data in Power Platform solutions.

• Common Data Model
• Data modeling
• Choose a data store
• Data modeling for Dataverse
• Best practices for Dataverse
• Exercise - Model data
• Architecture of Fabrikam data model and devices
• Report data and handle primary visitors
• Handle visitors, waivers, and photos
• Example data model solution

Solution architect series: Model security for Power Platform solutions

This module explains the solution architect's role in security modeling for Microsoft Power Platform, security options for your tenant and environments, and access to data and functionality within Dataverse.

• Environment security
• Data loss prevention
• Access to Dataverse
• Security in apps
• Exercise - Security modeling

Solution Architect series: Evaluate Power Platform analytics and AI

A solution architect for Microsoft Power Platform evaluates the needs for reporting and then identifies the best approach. This module examines the available reporting and analytics options for Power Platform.

• Power Platform reporting capabilities
• Power BI overview
• Data requirements
• Power BI and Power Platform
• Dataflows
• AI

Solution Architect series: Implement integrations with Power Platform

Solution architects for Microsoft Power Platform lead the design of integrations. This module explores the issues that occur during integration with Power Platform solutions.

• Integration challenges
• Inbound data integration
• Outbound data integration

Solution Architect series: Plan application lifecycle management for Power Platform

Solution architects for Microsoft Power Platform need to define the environment strategy and application lifecycle management (ALM) for transporting work from development to test to production.

• Key considerations for ALM
• Solutions
• Configuration and reference data
• Release process
• ALM with Azure DevOps

Solution Architect series: Testing and go-live

Proper testing is important to help ensure the project's success. The solution architect plays a key role in ensuring a project is properly tested.

• Plan for go-live
• Data migration
• Plan for go-live

Becoming a solution architect for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform

The Solution Architect leads successful implementations and focuses on how solutions address the broader business and technical needs of organizations.  This module covers what it takes to get started as a Solution Architect and as key member of the overall project team.

• Introduction to becoming a solution architect
• Existing product and platform skills
• Expectations of a solution architect
• Solution architect role during project phases
• Pillars of a great architecture

Challenge project - Create Microsoft Power Platform solutions

In this challenge project, you are creating your own solutions to the stated problems for a customer. You are analyzing and architecting solutions based on a series of sheets in a planning workbook.

• Prepare
• Exercise - Create solutions for customers using Power Platform