PL-900 Practice Question: Demonstrate the capabilities of Power Automate
You need to create a flow that runs every hour to check a SharePoint list for items with a 'Due Date' that has passed and sends a reminder email to the assigned person. Which type of flow should you create?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing scheduled flows with automated flows; candidates might pick automated because it sounds automatic, but the key is the time-based recurrence trigger.
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
✓
Scheduled cloud flow
A scheduled cloud flow is designed to run on a recurring schedule, such as every hour. It is triggered by a time-based recurrence, not by an event. This matches the requirement to check a SharePoint list hourly and send reminder emails.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Desktop flow
Why it's wrong here
Desktop flows drive a Windows desktop through UI automation via Power Automate Desktop, requiring an attended or unattended machine session. A scheduled hourly SharePoint check with email reminders needs no UI interaction, so a cloud flow triggered on a recurrence schedule satisfies it directly.
- ✗
Automated cloud flow
Why it's wrong here
Automated cloud flows trigger on an event, such as a SharePoint item being created or modified, not on a recurring clock. The stem requires an hourly recurrence, which is a scheduled cloud flow; an automated flow would only fire when the list itself changes, missing items whose Due Date passes silently.
- ✗
Business process flow
Why it's wrong here
Business process flows model staged human interactions across a defined sequence of stages in a Dataverse table, guiding users through steps. They cannot run on an hourly recurrence or query SharePoint lists and send emails, so they provide no scheduling or automation mechanism for this reminder requirement.
- ✓
Scheduled cloud flow
Why this is correct
A scheduled cloud flow uses a recurrence trigger, running automatically at fixed intervals such as every hour. This satisfies the stem's requirement to check the SharePoint list periodically and send reminder emails without manual initiation.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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