Create a managed solution

 

Applies To: Dynamics 365 (online), Dynamics 365 (on-premises), Dynamics CRM 2013, Dynamics CRM 2015, Dynamics CRM Online, Dynamics CRM 2016

Customizers and developers use solutions to author, package, and maintain units of software that extend the functionality of Microsoft Dynamics 365. Solutions are distributed so that organizations can use Microsoft Dynamics 365 to install and uninstall the business functionality defined by the solution. A managed solution is a completed solution that is intended to be distributed and installed. An unmanaged solution is one that is still under development or is not intended to be distributed.

Note

Installing a solution or publishing customizations can interfere with normal system operation. We recommend that you schedule a solution import when it’s least disruptive to users.

You create a managed solution by exporting an unmanaged solution as a managed solution. The organizations that use your managed solution will install it and any updates that you create for it.

  1. Make sure that you have the System Administrator or System Customizer security role or equivalent permissions.  

    Check your security role

    • Follow the steps in View your user profile.

    • Don’t have the correct permissions? Contact your system administrator.

  2. Go to Settings > Solutions.

  3. On the Actions toolbar, click the New icon Solutions icon.

  4. Complete the required fields, and then on the File menu, click Save.

    By default, this saves an unmanaged solution.

  5. To add a new or existing component to your solution, in the Component Type list, select the type you want to add, and then click New or Add Existing.

  6. If you create a new component, fill in the required information, and then click Save or OK (depending on the type of component you are creating) to save the component.

  7. On the File menu, click Save and Close

    Your new unmanaged solution displays in the Solutions list.

  8. Choose the solution you want to export.

  9. Select the options you want in the Export wizard. When you get to the Package Type page, select Managed.

  10. Click Export.

  11. In the File Download dialog box, click Save, specify a location for the solution .zip or .cab file, and then click Save again.

    Note

    The regular scenario is for you to create a solution in a test Microsoft Dynamics 365 organization, export it, and then import it into a production Microsoft Dynamics 365 organization. If you want to import your managed solution into the same organization in which you created and exported it, you have to delete the unmanaged version and any components you created. You also have to delete child components, such as field relationships, that you created.

You now have a managed solution that you can import into another Microsoft Dynamics 365 organization.

See Also

Create, install, and update a managed solution