AIAI Agent Dev Labaiagentdev-lab.com
Sign in to save progressSign in
Menu

AB-620 · LESSON 1

Plan and configure agent solutions30–35% · 3 topics

Learn to plan Copilot Studio agents, create and monitor agent flows, and configure topics.

1.1Plan an agent solution

Concept

Before building an agent, decide its purpose, users, channels, knowledge, required actions (tools), authentication and governance. In Copilot Studio you can build declarative agents that extend Microsoft 365 Copilot and custom agents published to Teams, websites and other channels. With generative orchestration, the model chooses what to use from instructions, knowledge, tools and topics.

How it works / steps

  1. Define the business problem to solve and success metrics (resolution rate, time saved)
  2. Decide users and channels (Teams, website, Microsoft 365 Copilot)
  3. Identify knowledge (SharePoint, web, Dataverse, etc.) and the tools needed (connectors, flows, APIs)
  4. Decide authentication (such as user authentication with Microsoft Entra ID) and data permissions
  5. Check environments (dev, test, production) and DLP policies

Workplace example

Plan an HR inquiry agent that employees use in Teams, with SharePoint policies as knowledge, remaining leave days retrieved through an HR system connector, and Entra ID authentication.

Common confusions and exam tips

Mini quiz

Q1. You are planning an external customer FAQ agent and an internal expense inquiry agent at the same time. Which issue should you separate first?

  1. The authentication method, publishing channels and knowledge scope based on whether users are internal or external
  2. Publish the external agent first and later copy the same topic structure for the internal agent
  3. A storage design that combines both agents’ conversation logs in one Dataverse table
  4. The generative model shared by both agents and the strength of content moderation
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A The authentication method, publishing channels and knowledge scope based on whether users are internal or external

Whether the audience is internal or external fundamentally changes authentication, channels and what information the agent may use. Appearance and length can be adjusted later. [Other options] Model and moderation settings can be tuned later and are not the first issue. Copying topics or combining logs ignores that authentication and publishing scope differ between internal and external agents.

Q2. When the agent references SharePoint documents, you want to keep the content of documents the user is not allowed to view out of answers. Which approach is appropriate?

  1. Configure user authentication and access knowledge with the user’s own permissions
  2. Access SharePoint with the maker’s connection and show sensitivity labels in answers
  3. Share a service account connection and audit the access logs regularly
  4. Publish without authentication and exclude only the confidential document libraries from knowledge
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A Configure user authentication and access knowledge with the user’s own permissions

If the agent uses the user’s own permissions, documents outside those permissions are not used in answers. Bulk access with the maker’s permissions causes data leaks. [Other options] Searching with the maker’s or a service account’s permissions includes documents the user cannot see. Exclusions or audits after the fact do not reflect each user’s permissions.

Reference links

1.2Create and monitor agent flows in Copilot Studio

Concept

Agent flows are deterministic automation workflows built inside Copilot Studio. They combine triggers (a call from the agent, a schedule, an event) with actions (connectors, conditions, loops, AI actions, approvals) and are used for work that must follow the same steps reliably every time. Check success and failure in the run history.

How it works / steps

  1. Identify processing that must always follow the same steps (registration, approval, notification)
  2. Create the flow from a natural-language description or in the designer
  3. Add the flow to the agent as a tool and define its inputs and outputs
  4. Insert approval actions where human judgment is required
  5. Check failures in the run history and add retries or branching error handling

Workplace example

After an expense agent checks a claim, an agent flow registers it in the expense system, waits for manager approval, and then notifies the requester of the result.

Common confusions and exam tips

Mini quiz

Q1. In an agent flow that processes finance payment requests, you want to require department-head approval above a set amount. Which design is most appropriate?

  1. Keep the amount threshold in a global variable and, if exceeded, ask the user whether they obtained the department head’s approval
  2. Process all requests automatically and send the department head a monthly email summary of requests above the amount
  3. Write “you may assume the department head has confirmed requests above the amount” in the instructions and let the agent continue
  4. Put an approval (human-in-the-loop) step in the flow and run the subsequent actions only after receiving the approval result
Show answer and explanation

Answer: D Put an approval (human-in-the-loop) step in the flow and run the subsequent actions only after receiving the approval result

Building approval into the flow as a mechanism guarantees that nothing runs without approval. Notes in prompts or after-the-fact checks are not controls. [Other options] Instructions or self-reported confirmation cannot technically enforce approval. An after-the-fact summary does not meet the requirement to make approval mandatory.

Q2. You want to call an existing agent flow from a topic, pass an order number and receive the scheduled ship date. What do you need to configure?

  1. Start the flow with a Dataverse trigger and write the result back to a column in the orders table
  2. Pass the order number to a generative answers node and have it find the ship date in knowledge
  3. Define an input (order number) and output (ship date) on the flow and map them to topic variables
  4. Update the topic’s global variable directly from inside the flow and write the ship date into it
Show answer and explanation

Answer: C Define an input (order number) and output (ship date) on the flow and map them to topic variables

Topics and flows exchange values through input and output parameters. Fixed values or guesses cannot return the correct value. [Other options] A flow cannot directly overwrite topic variables. Through generative answers or a table, the topic cannot reliably receive the flow’s result.

Reference links

1.3Configure topics

Concept

Topics define specific conversation paths. They consist of triggers (phrases, or the topic description with generative orchestration) and nodes for messages, questions, conditions, variables and actions. System topics (Conversation Start, Escalate, Fallback, Sign in, etc.) handle default behavior.

How it works / steps

  1. Make topics for conversations that need a fixed path, such as identity verification or applications
  2. Set the topic description (generative orchestration) or trigger phrases
  3. Collect information with question nodes using entities and store it in variables
  4. Branch with conditions and call flows or tools as needed
  5. Adjust the Escalate and Fallback system topics to fit the business

Workplace example

In a membership card reissue topic, ask for the member number (a regular-expression entity) and date of birth, store them in variables, call an identity verification flow, then guide the user through the procedure.

Common confusions and exam tips

Mini quiz

Q1. You want a response where a salesperson can review quote line items in a table and press a “Request approval” button right there. Which option is appropriate?

  1. Show the line items as a Markdown table and receive approval through suggested options
  2. Display the line items and buttons in a structured way with an Adaptive Card
  3. Summarize the line items with a generative answers node and ask at the end whether to approve
  4. Attach the line items as an Excel file and handle approval by email from a flow
Show answer and explanation

Answer: B Display the line items and buttons in a structured way with an Adaptive Card

Adaptive Cards are suited to structured responses such as tables, inputs and buttons. [Other options] Markdown tables and suggested options work only in some channels and cannot combine line items and buttons. A summary or file attachment does not give a response the user can act on directly.

Q2. You want to get the user’s department name at the start of the conversation and reference it in several later topics. Which variable should you use?

  1. Environment variable
  2. System variable
  3. Topic variable
  4. Global variable
Show answer and explanation

Answer: D Global variable

A topic variable is limited to that topic. To share a value across topics, use a global variable. [Other options] Topic variables are used only within the topic by default. Environment variables hold settings per environment, and system variables are built-in values such as the user name or utterance; neither is used to keep values obtained during a conversation.

Reference links

Lessons are written by this site based on public information and do not guarantee exam content. Product specifications change, so check the latest information at the reference links.

Notes (unofficial, original questions, no pass guarantee)