MS-900 Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services Practice Question
A company wants to automatically send an email notification to a manager when a new request is submitted in a SharePoint list. The process should require no custom code. Which Microsoft 365 tool should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse Microsoft Lists (a data storage tool) with Power Automate (the automation engine), or mistakenly think SharePoint Designer is still the standard for no-code workflows, when in fact Power Automate is the modern, recommended solution for this scenario.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Power Automate
Power Automate is the correct choice because it provides a no-code, trigger-based workflow engine that can automatically send an email when a new item is added to a SharePoint list. It integrates directly with SharePoint and Outlook, requiring no custom code or developer intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Power Automate
Why this is correct
Power Automate is the correct answer because it is a cloud-based automation service specifically designed to connect apps and services. With pre-built templates and triggers such as 'When a new item is created in SharePoint,' it can instantly fire a condition-based email notification, requiring no code. Its robust connector library includes Outlook and Microsoft 365, enabling automated manager alerts directly from list or library events. Authoring a flow in Power Automate takes minutes and is the standard modern solution for this task.
- ✗
SharePoint Designer
Why it's wrong here
SharePoint Designer is a legacy workflow authoring tool that is now deprecated and no longer recommended for new automation in Microsoft 365. While it could previously generate simple list workflows, it relied on the SharePoint 2010/2013 workflow engine, which lacks native connectivity to Outlook or other M365 services without custom code and on-premises infrastructure. Because Microsoft has phased out SharePoint Designer in favor of Power Automate, using it for a new email notification to a manager would be inefficient, fragile, and technically outdated.
- ✗
Power Apps
Why it's wrong here
Power Apps is fundamentally an application development platform for building custom user interfaces, such as canvas or model-driven apps. It does not function as a background automation engine: it cannot listen for list events and send emails on its own. While Power Apps can display data and trigger a flow if embedded with Power Automate, its primary purpose is front-end interaction, not automated process orchestration. Therefore, creating a trigger-based email notification from a new list item lies outside its core scope.
- ✗
Microsoft Lists
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Lists is the data storage and management service where the list item itself resides, offering features like custom columns, views, and forms. It does not include a native workflow engine or the ability to send email notifications automatically when an item is created. Any such alerting must be built by integrating Microsoft Lists with an external automation service, typically Power Automate. Thus, although Lists is the source of the event, it cannot accomplish the required email notification by itself.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
SharePoint Modern Sites vs Classic Sites
Key term
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based cloud service from Microsoft that combines productivity tools like Office apps with security, device management, and online storage.
Key term
Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is an email, calendar, and contact management application that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, used by businesses and individuals to organize communications and schedules.
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