Why exporting a custom connector directly from the maker portal fails to deploy it

PL-400 By islever Editorial Last updated

Create custom connectors

Short answer

B You cannot export a custom connector directly from the maker portal; deploy it by adding it to a solution, then export and import that solution.

Question

Note: This question is part of a series of questions that present the same scenario. Each question in the series contains a unique solution that might meet the stated goals. Some question sets might have more than once correct solution, while others might not have a correct solution. After you answer a question in this section, you will NOT be able to return to it. As a result, these questions will not appear in the review screen. A company develops a new custom connector for a Microsoft Entra ID-protected Azure Function that was created as a single tenant app. The custom connector must be moved to a production environment. The connector must be visible and accessible only to users in the tenant. You need to deploy the custom connector. Solution: Use the maker portal to export the custom connector. Then use the maker portal to import the connector into the production environment. Does the solution meet the goal?
  1. Yes
  2. No Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

Custom connectors are solution-aware components. The supported deployment path is to add the connector to an (unmanaged) solution, export that solution, and import it into the destination environment; there is no 'export custom connector / import custom connector' standalone maker-portal action.

A single-tenant custom connector must move to production and stay tenant-scoped. The proposed solution exports the connector directly via the maker portal and imports it. That mechanism is invalid — custom connectors are solution components and are moved by exporting/importing a solution, not by a standalone connector export.

Common mistake: Assuming the maker portal has a direct 'export/import custom connector' button that deploys it between environments. It does not — the only reliable path is solution export/import, which is why this solution does not meet the goal.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Custom connectors are deployed as part of solutions, not as standalone objects exported from the maker portal. The correct approach is to add the custom connector to a solution, export the solution (as managed for production), and import it into the production environment. Because the proposed solution relies on a non-existent direct connector export/import, it does not meet the goal.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

There is no 'A. Yes' because the described mechanism is not how connector deployment works. The only other option presented is 'B. No', which is correct given the invalid deployment method.

Community Comment Notes

hai297 (likes=2) points out there is no export option for a custom connector and the correct method is to add the connector to a solution and export. Karim042 (likes=1) describes the standard OpenAPI/JSON export approach, which still goes through a solution.

Official Reference

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/custom-connectors/

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Community Votes

A
60%
B
40%

60% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 5 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 5

  1. hai297 👍 2 Answered B
    No. No export option for custom connector. The solution is add custom connector to solution then export
  2. Juan0414 👍 1 Answered A
    None of the other options for this series of questions are correct, so this one should be. This is the standard procedure for migrating solutions, but you could say that it does not guarantee that connector "must be visible and accessible only to users in the tenant" because someone could send the exported solution to another person outside the tenant for them to export it there. But I think that is just overthinking the question and this should be the option to use
  3. alexandramarchis 👍 1
    The scenario specifies that the custom connector is tied to a single-tenant Microsoft Entra ID-protected Azure Function, meaning it must be restricted to users within the tenant. While using the maker portal to export and import the connector would move it between environments, this approach does not explicitly ensure that the connector remains visible and accessible only to users in the tenant.
  4. Karim042 👍 1 Answered A
    This is the correct way to export custom connectors and import using open API JSON file.
  5. loftuscheek 👍 1 Answered A
    correct

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