easyMultiple Choice
PL-900 Practice Question: A Power Pages site needs to allow external users…
A Power Pages site needs to allow external users to register and create an account. The organization uses Microsoft Entra ID for internal employee authentication. Which identity provider should be configured for external user self-registration?
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
✓
Local authentication
Local authentication in Power Pages allows external users to self-register with an email and password, which is stored in the portal's contact table. This is the standard approach for external self-registration. Option A (Microsoft Entra ID) is incorrect because it is primarily used for internal employee authentication, not for external self-registration. Option B (SAML 2.0) is an enterprise federation protocol designed for single sign-on with external identity providers, not for direct self-registration. Option C (OpenID Connect) is an authentication protocol, not an identity provider, and is typically used for SSO scenarios, not self-registration. Therefore, only local authentication supports built-in self-registration for external users.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Microsoft Entra ID
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Entra ID authenticates internal employees and organisational directory accounts, not external self-registering users; external sign-up needs the external identities provider. It tempts because the organisation already uses it internally, and it would be correct when only existing workforce accounts, not public visitors, must access the site.
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SAML 2.0
Why it's wrong here
SAML 2.0 is a federation protocol for trusting an existing external identity provider, not a self-service registration store; it requires pre-provisioned accounts at that provider. It tempts because it enables external authentication, and would be correct when partnering with a known organisation whose users already hold credentials there.
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OpenID Connect
Why it's wrong here
OpenID Connect federates authentication against an existing identity provider, so users must already exist there; it provides no self-registration store. It tempts because it is a modern external identity standard, and would be correct when integrating a third-party provider such as Google or a corporate directory that already manages those accounts.
- ✓
Local authentication
Why this is correct
Local authentication lets Power Pages manage its own contact-based credential store, enabling external users to self-register without an existing directory account. Microsoft Entra ID is reserved for internal employees, so configuring it would block the required external self-registration scenario.
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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.