Microsoft AB-100 Exam Guide: MB-335, MB-700 and PL-500 Retired, AZ-500 to SC-500

Microsoft retired MB-335, MB-700 and PL-500 on June 30, 2026. The microsoft ab-100 exam is the expert-level path it now points business-solutions architects toward. Exam AB-100 earns the Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect certification. It reached general availability in February 2026. On the security track, AZ-500 retired on August 31, 2026, and SC-500 is its successor.

This guide lists every date Microsoft has published for these changes. It also corrects one claim that exam-prep headlines keep repeating. Microsoft does not name AB-100 as a direct replacement exam for the three retired titles. The relationship is guidance, not a one-for-one swap. That distinction decides what you should study next.

The Microsoft AB-100 Exam: The Changes at a Glance

The microsoft ab-100 exam is a 100-minute, expert-level exam that earns the Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect certification, paired with one prerequisite Associate certification. MB-335, MB-700 and PL-500 retired on June 30, 2026. AZ-500 retired on August 31, 2026, and SC-500 replaces it.

Exam	What changes	Key dates	Who is affected
AB-100	New expert exam for agentic AI business solutions architecture.	Generally available February 2026. English skills update on October 14, 2026.	Solution architects across Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Azure AI.
MB-335	Retired. It certified Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Expert.	Retired June 30, 2026.	Supply chain consultants and their employers.
MB-700	Retired. It certified Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert.	Retired June 30, 2026.	Finance and operations solution architects.
PL-500	Retired. It certified Power Automate RPA Developer Associate.	Retired June 30, 2026.	RPA developers. It also sat on the first published AB-100 prerequisite list.
AZ-500	Retired, together with the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification and its renewal assessment.	Retired August 31, 2026.	Azure security engineers.
SC-500	New Associate exam: Implementing End-to-End Security Controls for Cloud and AI Workloads.	Beta opened May 15, 2026. Generally available July 21, 2026.	Security engineers who held or targeted AZ-500.

Two retirements in one summer reshaped the business applications and security portfolios at once. The rest of this guide takes each change in turn.

What Is the Microsoft AB-100 Exam?

Exam AB-100 is titled Microsoft Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect. Passing it is one of two requirements for the Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect certification. Microsoft places the credential at Expert level, beside its other architect credentials. The certification reached general availability in February 2026, after a beta period in late 2025.

Microsoft aims the microsoft ab-100 exam at accomplished solution architects. Its candidate profile describes professionals who design and deliver AI-driven business solutions. The expected toolkit spans core Dynamics 365 products, Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Azure AI services and Azure OpenAI. Microsoft also names the open standards Agent2Agent (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP). Responsible AI practice and return-on-investment analysis complete the profile.

The second requirement catches many candidates out. You must also hold at least one Associate-level certification from the prerequisite list on the certification page. The current list spans Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Azure AI routes. Examples include the Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate (MB-330), the Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate (MB-230), the Finance Functional Consultant Associate (MB-310) and the Power Platform Developer Associate (PL-400). Passing AB-100 alone does not award the certification.

The exam itself runs 100 minutes. Microsoft reports scores on a scale of 1 to 1,000, and the passing score is 700. The price is USD 165 in the United States. Microsoft sets each price by the country or region where the exam is proctored, so confirm your local figure at scheduling. The exam is offered in 13 languages.

The official study guide measures three skill areas:

Skill area	Weight	What it covers
Plan AI-powered business solutions	25-30%	Requirements analysis, agent use cases, data readiness for grounding, and AI strategy.
Design AI-powered business solutions	25-30%	Agentic-first design, multi-agent orchestration, model selection, and solution rules.
Deploy AI-powered business solutions	40-45%	Security and governance, application lifecycle management, telemetry, monitoring, and optimization.

Deployment carries almost half of the exam. Microsoft updated the English version on October 14, 2026. The published skill areas and weight bands stayed the same across that update.

What Happens to MB-335, MB-700 and PL-500

Microsoft retired all three exams on June 30, 2026. MB-335 certified supply chain functional consultants at Expert level. MB-700 certified Finance and Operations Apps solution architects at Expert level. PL-500 certified Power Automate RPA developers at Associate level. None of the three can be taken anymore. MB-240 and PL-600 retired on the same date, so five business applications exams closed together.

Here is the point the headlines blur. Microsoft lists no direct replacement exam for any of the five. Its transition guidance points the affected architect community toward AB-100 as the flagship expert-level path. That is a recommendation, not an equivalency. The roles differ in kind. MB-335 and MB-700 tested deep product knowledge inside one application family. The microsoft ab-100 exam tests how you architect agentic AI across the whole business solution. Your product depth still matters, but it does not map across one to one.

If you already hold one of these certifications, retirement does not cancel it. Under Microsoft’s credential expiration policy, a retired credential stays in the Active section of your transcript until its own expiration date. Role-based certifications are valid for one year from the date you complete the requirements. After expiry, the credential moves to the Historical section. Because the exam is retired, you cannot re-earn it, and exam-prep advice about renewing it no longer applies. Read the expiration date on your own transcript and plan around that date.

The retirements also reach the AB-100 prerequisite list. Two launch-era entries, PL-500 and the Azure AI Engineer Associate exam AI-102, retired on June 30, 2026 as well. Microsoft maintains the list on the certification page and has refreshed it since launch. Plan from the live list, never from an old screenshot of it.

AZ-500 to SC-500: What Changes

AZ-500 was not renamed. It was retired, and a separate credential now covers the role. On August 31, 2026, Microsoft retired Exam AZ-500 (Microsoft Azure Security Technologies). It retired the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification and its renewal assessment on the same date. There is no bridge exam, no conversion, and no credit for holding AZ-500.

The successor is Exam SC-500, Implementing End-to-End Security Controls for Cloud and AI Workloads. It earns the Microsoft Certified: Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate certification. The exam ran in beta from May 15, 2026 and reached general availability on July 21, 2026. The prefix moved from AZ to SC, which places the credential in Microsoft’s security, compliance and identity family. It runs 120 minutes, with the same passing score of 700.

The study guide measures four domains:

Domain	Weight
Manage identity, access, and governance	20-25%
Secure storage, databases, and networking	25-30%
Secure compute	20-25%
Manage and monitor security posture	20-25%

The genuinely new material sits inside Secure compute. It covers security for AI workloads and agents. Topics include Microsoft Entra Agent ID, protection for Copilot Studio agents, Purview data security posture management for AI, Defender for AI services, and guardrails in Microsoft Foundry. Independent guides estimate that roughly three quarters of SC-500 builds on AZ-500 groundwork. Treat that figure as an estimate, not a Microsoft number. The remaining quarter is where preparation time should go.

For AZ-500 holders, the position mirrors the business applications side. Your certification stays on your transcript and remains active until its own expiration date. After that date it becomes historical, and the renewal assessment has already retired. Staying current means passing SC-500 in full.

Should You Sit the Old Exam or Aim for the Microsoft AB-100 Exam?

The honest answer starts with a constraint. The old exams are closed, so the real choice is which current credential to target. For business-solutions architects, that target is usually the microsoft ab-100 exam. Match your situation below.

• You hold MB-335, MB-700 or PL-500: you keep the credential until its printed expiration date. Use that window to earn your next credential, because there is no renewal path after it.
• You were mid-preparation for a retired exam: keep your Dynamics 365 and Power Platform notes. The platform knowledge feeds the AB-100 audience profile. Redirect the target, not the whole study plan.
• You need an AB-100 prerequisite: choose an Associate certification that is active on the live prerequisite list. Do not build a plan around a retired Associate exam.
• You architect Finance and Operations or supply chain solutions: AB-100 is the expert path Microsoft points to. Expect agent design, orchestration and governance questions, not product configuration depth.
• You are a security engineer: your decision is SC-500, not AB-100. Do not wait for an AZ-500 transition offer, because Microsoft has not announced one.
• A job specification still names an old code: the credential cannot be earned anymore. Offer the current AB-100 or SC-500 credential, or an unexpired retired certification, as your evidence.

Other vendors are running the same play. If you track cloud credentials across providers, read our guide to the AWS certification changes of 2026 beside this one. The pattern of fixed retirement dates plus AI-heavy successors is industry-wide now.

How to Prepare for the Microsoft AB-100 Exam

Start with the official study guide on the certification page. It is the only source that defines what the microsoft ab-100 exam measures. Work through Microsoft’s own learning path and course material for the exam next. Then demo the exam experience in the free exam sandbox, so the interface costs you no time on the day. Check the certification page for the official practice assessment before you book, and use it as your final readiness check if one is listed.

Weight your hours by the published weights. Deployment carries 40 to 45 percent, so lifecycle management, security, governance and telemetry deserve the largest block. Planning and design split the rest evenly. Build your weekly blocks with our free study timetable generator, and reserve full timed practice runs for the final two weeks.

One topic deserves a dedicated detour. AB-100 treats the Model Context Protocol as core architect knowledge, and the same protocol has a vendor-neutral credential. Our MCP Associate certification guide covers that side of the agent stack.

For SC-500, Microsoft publishes the official course SC-500T00, organized into 12 learning paths with 63 modules. It maps directly onto the four domains in the study guide. Former AZ-500 candidates should still work the full course, then spend extra hours on the AI security material inside Secure compute.

Prefer paper on your desk? Download the free printable Microsoft AB-100 Transition: Dates and Decision Sheet (PDF). Page one lists every deadline in this guide. Page two turns the decision section into tick-box checklists for your situation.

Microsoft AB-100 Exam: FAQs

Is AB-100 a direct replacement for MB-335, MB-700 and PL-500?

No. Microsoft lists no direct replacement exam for the three titles. Its guidance points business-solutions architects toward AB-100 as the expert-level path. The scope differs: the retired exams tested product depth, and AB-100 tests agentic AI solution architecture.

Can I still take MB-335, MB-700 or PL-500?

No. Microsoft retired all three exams on June 30, 2026. They can no longer be scheduled or taken. MB-240 and PL-600 retired on the same date.

I hold one of the retired certifications. Is it still valid?

Yes, until its own expiration date. Under Microsoft’s credential expiration policy, a retired certification stays in the Active section of your transcript until it expires. It then moves to the Historical section, and it cannot be renewed or re-earned.

Does AB-100 require another certification first?

Yes, in effect. Passing the microsoft ab-100 exam is only half of the requirement. You must also hold at least one Associate-level certification from the prerequisite list on the certification page. Check that list before you book, because Microsoft updates it as exams retire.

Is SC-500 just AZ-500 with a new name?

No. SC-500 is a new, standalone credential, the Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate. AZ-500 retired on August 31, 2026, including its renewal assessment. Holding AZ-500 gives no credit toward SC-500, so you must pass the new exam in full.

How much does the microsoft ab-100 exam cost?

Microsoft lists USD 165 in the United States. The price is set by the country or region where the exam is proctored, so your local price may differ. Confirm the figure on the exam page when you schedule.

Dates last checked against Microsoft Learn on 22 October 2026.

Sources

• Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect
• Microsoft Learn: Exam and assessment lab retirement
• Microsoft Learn: Credential expiration policies
• Microsoft Skills Hub Blog: Microsoft Credentials roundup, February 2026 edition
• Microsoft Learn: Course SC-500T00, Implement end-to-end security controls for cloud and AI workloads
• Training Camp: AZ-500 Retires August 31, 2026: SC-500 Replaces It
• Vlad Talks Tech: Microsoft certification retirements 2026