PL-900 Practice Question: Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Automate
A company uses Power Automate to send approval emails when a new employee is added to Microsoft Entra ID. The approval flow fails intermittently with a '403 Forbidden' error. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is assuming a 403 is a licensing or throttling issue; candidates must recognize that 403 specifically means 'authenticated but not authorized,' pointing to permissions.
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 connection used in the flow lacks appropriate permissions.
A 403 Forbidden error in Power Automate typically indicates that the connection used by the flow does not have the necessary permissions to perform the action, such as reading from Microsoft Entra ID or sending approvals. The most likely cause is an insufficiently privileged connection or an expired credential.
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 Microsoft Entra ID license has expired.
Why it's wrong here
An expired Microsoft Entra ID licence would block directory operations consistently, not intermittently, and typically returns licensing-specific errors rather than sporadic 403 responses. The licence is the right thing to check when tenant-wide features such as conditional access stop working entirely for all users.
- ✗
The flow is exceeding the API request throttle limit.
Why it's wrong here
Throttling returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header, not 403 Forbidden, so exceeding request limits does not match the observed error. Throttle limits are the correct diagnosis when flows fail under high-volume bursts and the response explicitly signals rate limiting. A 403 instead points to a permissions or consent problem.
- ✓
The connection used in the flow lacks appropriate permissions.
Why this is correct
A 403 Forbidden response indicates the flow's connection is authenticated but not authorised, so the account behind the Microsoft Entra ID connection lacks the permissions the approval action requires. Granting the connection suitable rights resolves the intermittent failure.
- ✗
The Power Automate connector for Microsoft Entra ID is deprecated.
Why it's wrong here
Deprecated connectors typically warn during flow editing or fail at design time, and Microsoft Entra ID connectors remain supported, so deprecation does not produce intermittent 403 errors. Deprecation is the right concern when a connector is formally retired and flows must be rebuilt on a replacement. The 403 instead indicates an authorisation or consent failure.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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