I. Overview:

The Solution Architect is responsible for the successful design, implementation, deployment and adoption of an overall solution. The Solution Architect ensures that the solution meets the customer's needs now and in the future. In this course, students will learn about decisions a Solution Architect makes during an implementation, covering security, integrations, Power Apps architecture, Power Automate architecture, and more. This course is designed to give you an introduction to the Solution Architect role.

II. Duration: 32 hours (4 days)

III. Intended Audience:

Senior Consultants (both functional and technical) that aspire to be Solution Architects, or current Solution Architects that are new to the role.

IV. Prerequisites:

• Deep business acumen with Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform.
• Functional consultant experience with Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform.
• Familiarity with developer role activities for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform.

V. Course outlines:

1. Architect solutions for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform

• 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.
• 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.
• Propose a solution as a Solution Architect for Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365: Learn how to propose 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.
• 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.

2. Solution Architect: Design Microsoft Power Platform solutions

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

3. Validate your Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect skills

• 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.
• 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.