Herrera Microsoft Power Platform Solutions Architect's Handbook

Architect future-ready solutions by extending Power Platform with Azure, AI, and Copilot
2. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-83508-801-2
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 632 Seiten

Struggling to architect secure, scalable Power Platform solutions that keep up with AI and enterprise demands? Microsoft Power Platform Solutions Architect's Handbook is your expert guide to building intelligent, future-ready applications with Microsoft's low-code platform. This updated second edition brings you the latest on Copilot, Azure OpenAI, AI Builder, and Power Platform AI patterns.
Through a hands-on enterprise case study, you'll work through every stage of solution architecture, from requirements analysis and envisioning to secure data modeling, integration, governance, and DevOps implementation. You'll tackle real-world challenges such as licensing constraints, ALM pipeline design, multi-cloud integration, and establishing a Center of Excellence. A refreshed PL-600 certification prep chapter with current questions and exam tips will help you gear up for the exam.
By the end of this book, you'll have the mindset, tools, and strategies to design scalable, AI-enhanced Power Platform solutions while using the latest in LLM and GPT technologies. Whether modernizing legacy systems or architecting cloud-native applications, this book equips you to lead digital transformation initiatives with enterprise-grade excellence.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Herrera, Hugo

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik EDV & Informatik Allgemein

Leseproben

Preface

If you’ve been looking for a way to unlock the potential of Microsoft Power Platform and take your career as a solutions architect to the next level, then look no further—this practical guide covers it all.

This second edition of the is fully updated to cover the modern demands of the role. Its comprehensive coverage ranges from foundational best practices such as fit gap analysis and leading design processes to architecting the next generation of intelligent business applications with AI and Copilot. You’ll also master the critical skills of enterprise governance, including application lifecycle management (ALM), defining robust security models, and establishing a Center of Excellence (CoE) to ensure long-term success and adoption.

The book takes a hands-on approach by guiding you through a fictional case study throughout, allowing you to apply what you learn as you learn it. At the end of the handbook, you’ll discover a set of mock exam questions for you to embed your progress and prepare for the PL-600 Microsoft certification.

Whether you want to learn how to work with Power Platform or want to take your skills from the intermediate to advanced level, this book will help you achieve that and ensure that you’re able to add value to your organization as an expert solutions architect.

Who this book is for

This book is for solutions architects, enterprise architects, technical consultants, and business and system analysts who implement, optimize, and architect Power Platform and Dataverse solutions. It will also help anyone who needs a detailed playbook for architecting and delivering successful digital transformation projects that leverage the Microsoft business applications ecosystem.

A solid understanding of core Power Platform components and their administration is expected. You should be familiar with Dataverse, Power Automate, Power Pages, and both canvas and model-driven apps.

What this book covers

, , introduces the crucial role of the Power Platform solutions architect, providing an overview of the platform’s components and the broader Microsoft cloud ecosystem.

, , introduces Skyline Harbor, the security-focused financial services organization that serves as the book’s central case study. We’ll explore its current infrastructure and digital transformation requirements, which provide the foundation for the hands-on scenarios in the chapters ahead.

, , focuses on the discovery and initial planning phase. You will learn to analyze business processes, map a digital transformation vision to Power Platform and third-party solutions, and estimate the effort required to create a successful implementation blueprint.

, , teaches you how to identify high-level business processes and opportunities for automation while assessing key risk factors. You will also learn to define and formalize the critical success criteria that will guide the implementation and measure its success.

, , focuses on understanding the starting point of a digital transformation. You will learn to assess and document an organization’s existing architectural landscape, evaluate its data sources and data models, and establish a clear “as-is” state to inform the project’s requirements.

, , details a systematic approach to requirements engineering. You will learn how to capture and document detailed functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring that the final solution architecture aligns with the organization’s strategic digital transformation goals.

, , details the fit gap analysis process, teaching you how to map requirements against the full Microsoft cloud stack. You’ll also learn how to factor in crucial constraints such as licensing and API limits and use proofs of concept (POCs) to validate and define the final solution scope.

, , covers the creation of the solution blueprint. You will learn how to design and visualize the core architecture, define user prototypes, and create comprehensive strategies for automation, data migration, and supportable customizations.

, , focuses on creating an effective data model, which is the foundation of your Power Platform solution. You’ll learn how to translate business requirements into a visual model and make critical design decisions.

, , focuses on designing a robust integration strategy. You will learn how to securely connect Power Platform to internal systems using gateways, Microsoft 365, and third-party APIs. The chapter covers defining secure authentication methods, planning for business continuity, and leveraging Microsoft Azure to extend the solution’s capabilities.

, , teaches you how to design a comprehensive, multi-layered security model for Power Platform.

, , explores how to embed AI into your Power Platform solutions. You will start with the low-code capabilities of AI Builder, using it to automate invoice processing. Then, you’ll advance to integrating Azure OpenAI Service, learning about the retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pattern to architect secure, enterprise-grade generative AI solutions.

, , provides a comprehensive guide to planning and designing copilot experiences in Power Platform. You will explore the full spectrum of capabilities, including the copilots that enhance productivity in Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, and conversational AI with Copilot Studio.

, , focuses on validating the solution design and its implementation. You will learn how to review the project for compliance with Microsoft best practices, alignment with business requirements, and adherence to security concepts and API limits. Additionally, the chapter provides a systematic approach to troubleshooting and resolving integration conflicts.

, , covers key strategies for a successful Power Platform implementation. You will learn how to select the optimal environment and deployment strategies, organize development teams for maximum efficiency, and define robust testing frameworks to ensure quality control throughout the project lifecycle.

, , covers ALM for Power Platform. You will learn how to select the right tool for your project, whether it’s the simple, in-product Power Platform pipelines for straightforward deployments or the robust, enterprise-grade capabilities of Azure DevOps for more complex scenarios.

, , covers the critical final steps of a project: go-live and support. You will learn how to plan and execute a phased go-live strategy, prepare the production environment, and proactively identify and resolve common issues such as performance bottlenecks, data migration problems, and last-minute deployment conflicts.

, , teaches you how to establish a Power Platform CoE to drive governance and successful low-code adoption. The chapter covers how to define a vision for your CoE and then install and leverage the Starter Kit to bring that vision to life.

, , helps you leverage the book’s practical knowledge to achieve your certification. It serves as a focused preparation guide for the PL-600 exam, providing study resources, exam day tips, and mock questions to test your readiness and solidify your learning.

To get the most out of this book

To ensure that you gain the maximum value from the concepts and scenarios discussed, we assume you already have a baseline knowledge of the core Power Platform components. This handbook is not an introduction to the platform itself, but rather...