What is a solution architect? What does an architect do? Could I be an architect one day? Should I have a go at the PL600 solution architect exam? If you have asked yourself any of those questions, this post is for you.

I found myself in recent months asking myself the same thing. Officially (i.e. as far as ‘job titles’ are concerned) I was a principal consultant but I found my role mostly focused on the solution architecture side of things. In fact I would argue any consultant at any level will have touched on solution architecture without knowing it. Why? Because all the configuration/development we do, any design decisions we make are ultimately based on the project’s overall solution architecture. We do it all the time and we don’t even think about it. But we should…

What is a Solution Architect?

I used to think of solution architects as individuals who have all the certifications under the sun, are highly technical (i.e. are master developers/coders), integration wizards and could answer any question about absolutely anything you throw at them. Someone even once said to me that if you come from a functional background (as I do) you can’t call yourself a solution architect. Absolute Nonsence. Here is Microsoft’s definition of a solution architect:

‘A Solution Architect is responsible for the successful design, implementation, deployment, and adoption of an overall solution. A Solution Architect ensures that the solution meets the customer’s needs now and in the future. While the Solution Architect may not “click the buttons” during a deployment, they are ultimately responsible for the solution and work closely with the deployment team.’

So I call myself a solution architect because that is exactly what I do (also love clicking all the buttons)! Your background does not define what you can and can’t call yourself or do in the future.

But what do I not know?

My love for the Power Platform/Dynamics 365 runs deep and we’ve been in a relationship for over a decade now. It was time to make things official and start the prep for the PL600 Solution Architect exam. But did I know everything? Nope. Until 5 minutes ago (metaphorically) I didn’t even know I was doing it. It was time to read a book – and what better place to start than the Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect’s Handbook by Hugo Herrera. It is what it says on the tin: An expert’s guide to becoming a Power Platform solution architect and preparing for the PL-600 exam.

Why buy/read a book?

I knew of Hugo/his book as we happened to work for the same consultancy but in different teams and he had a reputation for being a great architect and had done some quite complex projects so I was interested to see what another solution architect had to say about the topic and to find out what I didn’t know about solution architecture. I am also going through the Microsoft Learn online modules for the exam itself and I learn a lot from the online modules but nothing beats hands on experience.

Most of the book mentions things I knew already but every now and again something would get mentioned that I didn’t know (or thought I knew but didn’t) or was a better way of doing something. If you are already a solution architect you will still gain a lot from it and having a reference guide on your desk for areas you don’t often deal with is super handy. The index is also helpful for ‘dropping in’ on a topic and chapters can be consumed independently of each other.

You will gain even more if you are not a solution architect as having an understanding of solution architecture will make you a better consultant/system manager/user. Almost a third of the book is about discovery (workshops to gather requirements) and if you have never done that, it is valuable information on how to go about it (and what to look out for). I wish it had been around when I was starting out as a consultant and I recommend it to anyone in that position.

To exam or not to exam?

At the end of the book there are 35 sample questions for the PL600 exam/certification – you don’t have to be a solution architect to take the exam, equally you don’t have to take the exam at all. Having an understanding of what solution architecture is all about will always help you make better design decisions, whether you decide to get certified on the topic or not.

But remember…

The problem with books on any technology topic is that with each release information in them becomes more and more out of date. Always check the latest Microsoft guidance and also check out the book’s official list of errata (mistakes) – there is a particular section in chapter 14 that checks if you are actually paying attention as the screenshots don’t correspond to the topic which I actually did find rather amusing. There will always be a part of the project that doesn’t quite go to plan and that’s OK – as in projects, so in books!

Happy reading and, for the overachievers, good luck with the exam!