Diagnosing the 'remote name could not be resolved' 404 for the Northwind Web API connector
Short answer
D 'Remote name could not be resolved' means the host name in the URL could not be resolved to an IP address, so it is missing a valid value.
Question
Key Takeaways
The error text is the key, not the '404' in the question title. 'Remote name could not be resolved' is a DNS/host-resolution failure, which occurs when the environment name substituted into the URL (dataservice-[ENVIRONMENTNAME].azurewebsites.net) is missing or invalid — not when the record's data is absent.
A tester hitting the production Web API with a valid DataId receives 'the remote name could not be resolved.' The Web API returns 404 only when a DataId is not found, but a name-resolution failure means the host in the URL (built from the environment name) is invalid, so the host name in the URL is missing a valid value.
Common mistake: Picking A ('the web service lacks data for the record') because the case study says the Web API returns 404 when a DataId is not found. That 404 is a clean application response; the actual tester error is a name-resolution failure, which is a different, host-level cause.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The tester's error is explicitly 'the remote name could not be resolved,' which is a DNS/host-name resolution failure — the URL's host could not be mapped to an IP address. In the case study the host is dataservice-[ENVIRONMENTNAME].azurewebsites.net, where [ENVIRONMENTNAME] must be substituted from the current environment. If that value is missing or invalid, the host cannot resolve, producing this error rather than a clean 404 from the service.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
A (web service lacks data) would produce the Web API's own 404 for a missing DataId, not a name-resolution error. B (authentication error) and C (request timed out) produce different messages and are not name-resolution failures. Only D matches the stated 'remote name could not be resolved' symptom.
Community Comment Notes
pey (likes=3) explains that 'remote name could not be resolved' indicates the host name in the URL could not be resolved, pointing to a DNS or environment-name misconfiguration. SvetlankaP99 (likes=4) initially leans on the case study's 'otherwise a 404 is returned' text, which is why many confuse this with A.
Official Reference
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/custom-connectors/
This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Community Votes
50% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 6 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 6
-
SvetlankaP99 👍 4From the case study: "The Web API response will return a 200 response plus data if the DataId is found. Otherwise, a 404 response is returned." Question: "You need to determine the cause of the 404 error when connecting to the production instance of the Web API" I believe answer is • A. The web service lacks data for the record.
-
pey 👍 3 Answered DThe error message indicating that the remote name could not be resolved suggests that the host name specified in the URL (https://dataservice-[ENVIRONMENTNAME].azurewebsites.net/enrich/[DATAID]) could not be resolved to a valid IP address, indicating a DNS resolution issue or a misconfiguration in the environment name specified in the URL. Therefore, the host name in the URL might be missing a valid value.
-
Jons123son 👍 2 Answered AA: 404 - Status Code is the error-response from a web server if a file is not found. It is the standard response and the question checks general knowledge and does not apply exclusively to Dataverse. Anyway you can test it by creating a flow and filter for a record in Dataverse that does not exist.
-
Juan0414 👍 1 Answered A"The Web API response will return a 200 response plus data if the DataId is found. Otherwise, a 404 response is returned." Tested it with a dataverse table, I tried to get a record that does not exist: "@Microsoft.PowerApps.CDS.ErrorDetails.ApiExceptionCategory": "ClientError", "@Microsoft.PowerApps.CDS.ErrorDetails.ApiExceptionMessageName": "ObjectDoesNotExist", "@Microsoft.PowerApps.CDS.ErrorDetails.ApiExceptionHttpStatusCode": "404" So, A
-
1285cc6 👍 1 Answered DThe host name in the URL missing. it's a 404 error. you can't even access the web service when you get a 404.
Show 1 more comment
-
PRash3566 👍 1 Answered ACorrect
Reader comments & corrections
No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.
Related Analysis
Practice All PL-400 Questions
Access 85 questions with complete answers and detailed explanations.
View Full PL-400 Practice Test →