If you’ve been following my journey on LinkedIn, you’ll know I recently enrolled in the Microsoft Power Up Programme—a two-month course designed to take you from zero knowledge of the Power Platform to a solid grasp of its fundamentals.
Who Is It For?
The course is open to everyone, regardless of prior experience—whether you’re a seasoned pro, business analyst, nurse, or anyone with a willingness to learn. Once your cohort begins, you have two months to complete all modules and submit your final challenge. At the start, you choose between two learning tracks: Power Platform or Copilot Studio (these tracks may have been renamed recently).
Why Should You Take Part?
If you want to learn something new or validate your existing skills, this is your opportunity (and it’s free!). Graduate from the course, earn your exam voucher, pass, and showcase your certification to current or prospective employers. You don’t have to take the exam to benefit—joining the programme also connects you with a friendly, supportive Power Platform community. Unlike many other courses, this one is self-paced and provides your own environment, giving you valuable ‘on the job’ experience.
What’s Included?
Upon joining, you receive access to:
- Six core modules: Introduction to Power Platform, Dataverse, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and the Power Up Challenge.
- Interactive learning: Each module features concise video content and hands-on labs. You’re provided with your own learning/developer environment and resources to follow along, making the experience highly interactive. I did not utilise the provided developer environment as I used my own, keep an eye out on Power Pulse Solutions soon for how to do that!
- Support: Microsoft recommends dedicating around six hours per week. Weekly Teams check-in calls let you connect with Microsoft Champs and fellow learners to discuss progress and ask questions. The Champs are also available via email throughout the week.
The Final Challenge
Graduation requires completing a final challenge: you’re given a business use case and a set of requirements to build a comprehensive solution. This includes:
- Creating Dataverse tables
- Building both Model-Driven and Canvas Apps
- Developing a Power Automate flow
- Designing a Power BI report to visualize data
You must then record a 10-minute video walkthrough of your solution. Submissions are scored out of 100.
My Results
I’m pleased to share that I graduated with a score of 100/100, along with valuable feedback for future improvement. Completing the programme also earned me a voucher for the PL-900 (Power Platform Fundamentals) exam, saving approximately £64. I’ll share more about the exam in due course so stay turne
Did I Face Any Issues?
Of course! If you ever get stuck, read the requirements—then read them again. I faced one issue with importing data; this was due to the Microsoft guidance not being entirely correct, so I had to improvise (You can read more about that here)
What’s Next?
I plan to take the PL-900 exam soon (I’ll share my experience and tips in a future post), continue expanding my Power Platform knowledge, and work towards becoming a Power Platform Functional Consultant. I’m excited to keep contributing to the Power Platform community and sharing insights here on Platform Pulse Solutions.
If you’d like to discuss the Microsoft Power Up Programme further or want to talk about a project you’re working on, please get in touch and lets add a pulse to your Power Platform!
