PL-900 Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Apps Practice Question
A canvas app uses a Patch function to update a SharePoint list item. The update fails silently without error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume a silent failure must be a permission or delegation issue, but the PL-900 exam specifically tests the nuance that column name/type mismatches in Patch cause silent failures, not errors.
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
✓
The column name or data type in the Patch function does not match the SharePoint list.
When a Patch function fails silently, the most common cause is a mismatch between the column name or data type in the function and the actual SharePoint list schema. Power Apps does not throw an error for such mismatches; it simply does not apply the update. This is because the Patch function validates the data against the list's column definitions at runtime, and if the names or types don't align, the operation is ignored without raising an exception.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The user does not have permission to the SharePoint list.
Why it's wrong here
This would typically show an error, not silent failure.
- ✓
The column name or data type in the Patch function does not match the SharePoint list.
Why this is correct
Mismatched column names or types cause the update to fail without error in some cases.
- ✗
The Patch function is being called with incorrect arguments.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect arguments usually produce a formula error, not silent failure.
- ✗
The app is not using delegation.
Why it's wrong here
Delegation is for queries, not update operations.
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About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PL-900 question from scratch — 904 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PL-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PL-900 exam.