#PowerPlatformTip 88: 'Where to Get Expert Power Platform Help'

TL;DR: Match the help to the problem. Bugs and outages go to Microsoft support through the Power Platform admin center (Support > Support requests > Get support). How-to questions go to the Power Platform Community. For a review or hands-on help with a specific solution, there is project consulting at KMUpower, and for building the skill in your team, live training at the Power Platform Academy.

💡 Challenge

You’re stuck with a Power Platform problem, and it’s not obvious where to ask. A platform bug needs Microsoft, a “how do I build this” question needs other makers, and an architecture or governance question needs someone who looks at your specific solution. Asking in the wrong place costs days.

✅ Solution

Sort the problem first, then pick the channel: Microsoft support for product issues, the community for how-to questions, and paid expert help when someone has to look at your own solution or teach your team.

🔧 How It’s Done

1. Product issue or outage: Microsoft support

🔸 In the Power Platform admin center, select Support > Support requests > Get support. The support agent first checks known issues, documentation and community content for your description.

🔸 If that doesn’t solve it, create a support request from the same pane. This needs an admin role (for example Power Platform Admin or Environment Admin) and an active support plan.

🔸 For an issue in the admin center itself, select Power Platform Administration as the product.

2. How-to question: community and documentation

🔸 Post in the Power Platform Community forums with your formula or flow definition, the error message and what you already tried.

🔸 Search Microsoft Learn for the function, connector or limit by its exact name. Most “why does this not work” questions end at a documented limit.

3. Review of an existing solution: project consulting

🔸 An architecture or governance checkup looks at security roles, environment strategy, ALM and performance of your specific solution. This is what I do at KMUpower.

4. Hands-on help with a specific build

🔸 When an app or flow needs to be implemented or fixed and your team doesn’t have the time, project support through KMUpower takes over a scoped part.

5. Build the skill in your own team: training

🔸 Live courses and workshops at the Power Platform Academy, including prep for official Microsoft certifications.

🎉 Result

Product bugs reach Microsoft with the right product and severity, how-to questions get answers from people who solved the same problem, and paid help is only used where someone has to look at your own solution or train your team.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Faster answers, because each question lands where it can be answered.

🔸 Microsoft support and the community are free starting points before you pay for help.

🔸 Two distinct paid paths: hand off a specific problem (KMUpower), or build the skill yourself (Power Platform Academy). Both are run by me as a Microsoft MVP.

🛠️ FAQ

1. Who can open a support request with Microsoft?

Users with an admin role such as Power Platform Admin, Environment Admin or Global Admin, in a tenant with an active support plan. Without a plan, the support agent still offers self-help solutions from known issues and documentation.

2. What’s the difference between KMUpower and the Power Platform Academy?

KMUpower is project-based consulting: reviews, implementation support and governance checkups for a specific solution. The Power Platform Academy is structured live training and courses if you want to build the skill in-house.

3. Where do I start if I’m not sure which one fits?

If something that used to work is broken for everyone, start with Microsoft support. If you don’t know how to build something, ask the community. If you need someone to look at your solution or to coach your team, contact KMUpower or the Power Platform Academy.

🔗 Related Tips

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 1: ‘Explore Community Resources’ - a free, self-serve starting point before you bring in paid expert help.

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 31: ‘Microsoft Power Platform: Learning Resources’ - where to learn on your own before or after a training.