D365 Certifications 2026: What Was Retired and What to Take Now

Microsoft has had a proper clear-out of its Dynamics 365 and Power Platform certifications this year. If you last looked at the certification map in 2024, a fair chunk of what you remember is gone. Some of the badges people chased for years, like the F&O Solution Architect Expert and the Power Platform Solution Architect Expert, can no longer be taken at all, and new AI-flavoured certs have appeared in their place.

So here's where things actually stand in October 2026, which certs I think are worth your time, and how to avoid wasting a weekend on an exam that's about to disappear.

Why the shake-up?

Microsoft says it regularly reviews its certifications and retires the ones that no longer reflect current technology or job roles. Looking at what went and what arrived, the direction is obvious: fewer broad platform badges, more certifications built around Copilot, agents and AI inside specific business apps. That matches what's happening in the products themselves, so it's worth taking as a signal about where clients will be spending.

What's been retired

These are all listed on Microsoft's exam retirement page, and none of them can be taken any more:

• MB-910 and MB-920, the Dynamics 365 Fundamentals exams for CRM and ERP, retired on 31 December 2025.
• MB-240, Field Service Functional Consultant, retired 30 June 2026.
• MB-335, Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Expert, retired 30 June 2026.
• MB-700, Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert, retired 30 June 2026.
• PL-600, Power Platform Solution Architect Expert, retired 30 June 2026.
• PL-500, Power Automate RPA Developer, retired 30 June 2026.
• MB-280, Customer Experience Analyst, retired 31 July 2026.
• PL-200, Power Platform Functional Consultant, retired 31 August 2026.

Several Applied Skills credentials have gone too, including "Create agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio" in July 2026.

What happens if you already hold one?

Microsoft says retired certifications stay on your transcript in your Microsoft Learn profile, but you can't renew them after the retirement date. For partners, eligible certifications still count towards partner requirements for a year after retirement (Microsoft Learn).

So keep MB-700 or PL-600 on your CV, because they still show you passed a tough exam. Just don't expect them to carry the same weight in 2028, and be ready to explain what you've done since.

What's still current

The core associate-level Dynamics 365 certifications are still active. They're also the qualifying certifications for the new architect credential, which tells you Microsoft sees them as the foundation:

• MB-800 Business Central Functional Consultant Associate
• MB-820 Business Central Developer Associate
• MB-310 Finance Functional Consultant Associate
• MB-330 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate
• MB-500 Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate
• MB-230 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
• PL-400 Power Platform Developer Associate

The new ones

The newer certifications have AB numbers and are built around AI and agents. The ones relevant to D365 people include:

• AB-210 Dynamics 365 Sales AI Consultant Associate
• AB-250 Dynamics 365 Contact Center AI Engineer Associate
• AB-620 AI Agent Builder Associate
• AB-410 Intelligent Applications Builder Associate
• AB-100 Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Expert

AB-100 is the one getting the most attention, because it's effectively the new architect badge for business applications. To earn the Expert certification you pass AB-100 and hold at least one qualifying Associate cert from a list that includes MB-800, MB-820, MB-310, MB-330, MB-500, MB-230, PL-400 and the new AB associates. The exam covers planning, designing and deploying AI-powered business solutions, and the skills outline names Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, MCP and Agent2Agent, responsible AI and ROI analysis (Microsoft Learn).

Worth knowing: when I checked, the certification page said learning paths and instructor-led courses weren't yet available. That's normal for a new exam, but it means you'll be preparing from the study guide, docs and hands-on work.

Do certifications actually pay?

They help, but they're not magic. In Nigel Frank's research, 29% of certified Dynamics professionals said their salary went up as a result of certification, and those who saw a rise reported an average increase of 20% (Nigel Frank). That means most people didn't see a direct pay bump, but the ones who did saw a decent one.

The job ads tell a similar story. In UK contract ads that mention Dynamics 365, "Microsoft Certification" comes up in about 8% (IT Jobs Watch). Certs rarely appear as a hard requirement, but for partners they matter more than the ads suggest, because certified staff count towards Microsoft partner designations.

My view: certs are a floor, not a ceiling. They get you shortlisted, especially at partners and especially early in your career. They don't set your rate. Delivery experience does.

Which ones I'd actually do

If you're a Business Central consultant

• MB-800 first, if you haven't already got it.
• AB-620 AI Agent Builder or the Copilot Studio learning paths next, because BC agents and MCP are where the work is heading.
• AB-100 later, once you've got real agent work behind you.

If you're a BC developer

• MB-820, then PL-400 to cover the Power Platform side.

If you're in Finance and Operations

• MB-310 or MB-330 for your area. If you're a finance consultant with supply chain exposure, both.
• MB-500 if you're technical.
• With MB-700 gone, AB-100 is the obvious route if you want an architect-level badge.

If you're in Sales or Customer Service

• MB-230 for Customer Service.
• AB-210 for Sales, since it's built around the AI features clients are now buying.
• AB-250 if you work on Contact Center.

If you're aiming for architect

• Keep one associate cert current, then take AB-100. Pair it with a portfolio of solutions you've designed, because nobody hires an architect on an exam alone.

A realistic study plan for AB-100

If you're going for the new architect cert, here's how I'd approach it over a couple of months:

1. Weeks one and two: Read the AB-100 study guide line by line and mark each skill as strong, weak or never touched. Be honest.
2. Weeks three and four: Fill the biggest gaps with hands-on work. Build a Copilot Studio agent, connect it to a Dynamics 365 app through MCP and give it a simple job.
3. Weeks five and six: Cover the architecture side. ALM for agents, environment strategy, security, data residency, telemetry and responsible AI. Write short notes as if you were explaining each one to a client.
4. Week seven: Take the practice assessment, then go back over every question you got wrong.
5. Week eight: Try the exam sandbox, book the exam and stop cramming the night before.

Two things help more than anything else. First, use a real scenario from your own work as the thread through all of it, so you're not learning in a vacuum. Second, find one or two others doing the same exam and compare notes. Explaining something to a peer is the quickest way to find out you don't understand it.

Do employers actually check?

More than people think. Partners need to evidence certified staff for their Microsoft designations, so they'll often ask for your Microsoft Learn transcript during onboarding. Recruiters increasingly ask for it too. Microsoft Learn lets you share your transcript with a link, so keep it tidy and make sure the certifications on your CV match what's on there, including expiry dates. A mismatch is an awkward conversation you don't need.

How to keep them current without losing weekends

Microsoft role-based certifications expire unless you renew them, but renewal is free through an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Some practical habits:

• Put renewal dates in your calendar as soon as you pass, with a reminder a month before.
• Use your Microsoft account, not your work account. Microsoft strongly recommends registering for exams with a personal account, because records tied to a work account can be lost if you leave.
• Check the retirement page twice a year. It lists exams due to retire in the next 12 months.
• Use the practice assessments and exam sandbox before booking.
• Ask your employer to pay. Partners usually fund exams, and many end users will if you link the cert to a project.

Mistakes I'd avoid

• Collecting certs instead of experience. A wall of badges with no delivery behind them makes hiring managers suspicious.
• Studying for an exam that's about to retire. Always check the retirement page first.
• Letting your main cert lapse. It's free to renew, so there's no excuse.
• Ignoring Power Platform. With PL-200 retired, you'll need another way to show Power Platform skills, either PL-400, the AB associates or real project examples.
• Faking it. Exam dumps get spotted in the first technical interview, and they're against Microsoft's exam rules.

What to do next

• Check which certifications employers are mentioning in roles on our jobs board.
• See how skills and certs line up with pay on our salaries page.
• Update your consultants directory profile with current certs, and note any retired ones as "earned".
• Partners can show which certifications their teams hold on the employers page.