Core Concepts
Microsoft 365 Services
- Exchange Online - Email and calendar services
- SharePoint Online - Document management and collaboration
- Microsoft Teams - Chat, meetings, and collaboration
- OneDrive - Personal cloud storage
- Power Platform - Low-code/no-code app development
- Microsoft 365 Apps - Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Power Platform
- Power Apps - Custom business applications
- Power Automate - Workflow automation
- Power BI - Business intelligence and analytics
- Power Virtual Agents - Chatbot creation
- Dataverse - Business data platform
- Connectors - Integration with external services
Graph API
- Users & Groups - Identity and access management
- Mail & Calendar - Email and scheduling
- Files & Sites - Document management
- Teams - Chat and collaboration
- Planner - Task management
- Authentication - OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
Best Practices
Microsoft 365 Administration
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Use conditional access policies
- Regular security audits and compliance reviews
- Implement data loss prevention (DLP) policies
- Use sensitivity labels for data classification
- Monitor usage analytics
Power Platform Development
- Follow naming conventions for apps and flows
- Implement proper error handling
- Use environment variables for configuration
- Test in development before production
- Document complex formulas
- Use connections securely
Graph API Integration
- Use application permissions appropriately
- Implement proper token caching
- Handle rate limiting and throttling
- Use batch requests for multiple operations
- Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
- Log API calls for troubleshooting
SharePoint Best Practices
- Use modern sites over classic
- Implement proper information architecture
- Use content types for consistency
- Apply metadata for better organization
- Regular backup and retention policies
- Optimize page performance
Anti-Patterns
Configuration Issues
- Over-privileged service accounts
- Sharing sensitive data externally without controls
- No backup or disaster recovery plan
- Inconsistent naming conventions
- Missing governance policies
- No usage monitoring
Development Problems
- Hard-coded credentials in flows
- Overly complex Power Apps formulas
- Missing error handling in automations
- No testing in non-production environments
- Tight coupling between components
- Poor documentation
Performance Issues
- Large attachments in emails
- Inefficient SharePoint queries
- Too many API calls
- Large Power Apps with slow load times
- Synchronous processing for long operations
- No caching strategy
Reference Documentation
Detailed material lives alongside this skill and is read on demand:
- Implementation Examples — Microsoft Graph API Integration, Power Automate Flow (JSON), PowerShell SharePoint Management, Power Apps Formula Examples
Resources
Official Documentation
- Microsoft 365 Documentation - Complete guide
- Graph API Reference - API documentation
- Power Platform Documentation - Low-code platforms
- SharePoint Documentation - SharePoint guide
Learning Platforms
- Microsoft Learn - Free training paths
- Power Platform Learning - Power Platform courses
- Microsoft 365 Training - End-user training
- Microsoft Virtual Training Days - Live training
Tools & Resources
- Graph Explorer - Test Graph API
- PnP PowerShell - SharePoint automation
- Power Platform CLI - Command-line tools
- SharePoint PnP - Patterns and practices
Community Resources
- Microsoft 365 Community - Forums
- Power Platform Community - Power users forum
- Microsoft 365 Blog - Product updates
- GitHub Microsoft 365 - Sample code