Set up your lab environment

In this exercise, you activate your Power Platform trial and verify that your environment is ready for the hands-on labs in this course.

This exercise should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

About Contoso Field Services

Throughout this course, all labs follow a single, connected scenario based on a fictional company called Contoso Field Services.

Contoso Field Services installs and repairs industrial equipment for business customers across the region. When a customer's equipment fails � a conveyor belt stops mid-shift, a hydraulic press loses pressure, a cooling system goes offline � they need help fast.

Today, Contoso's process is entirely manual:

  • Customers call or email to report issues
  • Agents record requests in spreadsheets
  • Managers assign technicians by phone
  • Technicians receive job details verbally or by text
  • Customers have no way to check their request status without calling back

Over the course of these labs, you'll build a complete Power Platform solution that transforms this process. By the end of Day 3, Contoso will have:

  • A Dataverse data model to store and manage Work Orders
  • A canvas app for field technicians to view and update their jobs on mobile
  • A model-driven app for service managers to track and prioritize all open requests
  • A customer portal built with Power Pages where customers can submit requests and check status online
  • Automated flows that notify technicians when they're assigned and route critical requests through a manager approval
  • An AI-powered assistant that lets agents query Contoso's service history in natural language

Every table, app, flow, and automation you build will be part of this single solution � so what you create in one lab is used in the next.

Before you start

You will be provided with a Microsoft 365 license by your Authorized Lab Host (ALH). This gives you a work email address in the format username@domain.onmicrosoft.com. You will use this account as your identity for all Power Platform services throughout the course.

[!NOTE] Do not use a personal Microsoft account for these labs. The Microsoft 365 account provided by your ALH includes the organizational permissions required to create Dataverse environments and access Power Platform features.

Task 1: Sign in to Power Apps and start your trial

  1. Open a browser and go to Power Apps at https://make.powerapps.com.

  2. Sign in using the Microsoft 365 credentials provided by your Authorized Lab Host.

  3. If prompted to choose an account type, select Work or school account.

  4. Once signed in, look for the Build apps with Dataverse section on the home screen. Under that header, find the environment selector and select Dev One from the list.

  5. If prompted to Start a free trial or Try Power Apps for free, select it. This activates a 30-day Power Apps Premium trial on your account.

  6. When prompted, select your country/region and select Get started.

  7. Confirm that the environment picker in the top-right corner now shows Dev One. This is the environment you will use throughout all labs in this course.

[!NOTE] Dev One includes Microsoft Dataverse, which is required for all labs in this course. If you don't see Dev One in the environment list, let your instructor know.

Task 2: Verify your Power Automate access

  1. Open a new browser tab and go to Power Automate at https://make.powerautomate.com.

  2. Sign in with the same Microsoft 365 credentials.

  3. Confirm you are in the Dev One environment (check the environment picker in the top-right). If it shows a different environment, select it and switch to Dev One.

  4. In the left navigation, select + Create. Confirm you can see Automated cloud flow as an option.

[!NOTE] Labs 8 and 9 use the Dataverse connector in Power Automate, which is a premium connector. Your Power Apps trial includes premium Power Automate capabilities. If you see a message about upgrading your plan when building flows, let your instructor know.

Task 3: Start your Power Pages trial

Power Pages is a separate product from Power Apps and requires its own trial activation. You will need this for Lab 7 (Day 3).

  1. Open a new browser tab and go to Power Pages at https://make.powerpages.microsoft.com.

  2. Sign in with the same Microsoft 365 credentials.

  3. If prompted to start a trial, select Get started and follow the prompts.

  4. Confirm that the Power Pages home screen loads and shows the option to create a new site.

[!NOTE] You don't need to create a site now � just confirm that your trial is active. You'll build the Contoso customer portal in Lab 7.

Task 4: Verify AI Builder access

AI Builder is used in Lab 10 to create a grounded prompt that queries Contoso's service history. AI Builder requires credits, which are included with your Power Platform trial.

  1. Return to Power Apps at https://make.powerapps.com and confirm you are in the Dev One environment.

  2. In the left navigation, select AI hub.

  3. Confirm that the AI hub loads and you can see options for Prompts, AIModels, and other AI Builder features.

  4. If you see a message about AI Builder credits or a prompt to start a trial, select Try AI Builder or Start trial to activate your AI Builder credits.

[!NOTE] AI Builder credits are consumed each time a prompt is run or a model is used. Use the Test feature thoughtfully during Lab 10 to avoid depleting your trial credits before completing the exercise.

You're ready

Once you've completed all four tasks, you are ready to begin Lab 1. Keep your browser open with Power Apps and Power Automate tabs active � you'll use them throughout the course.

Your instructor will confirm that everyone's environment is set up before the first lab begins.