Dynamics 365 CRM, like many complex software platforms, leverages a concept called solution layers to manage customizations and maintain system stability. Understanding these layers is crucial for administrators, developers, and anyone customizing their CRM environment.
What are solution layers?
Solution layers are a hierarchical structure within Dynamics 365 CRM that categorizes customizations and controls how they interact with each other. Each layer contains specific components like entities, fields, workflows, and plugins. There are two primary types of layers:
1. Unmanaged Layer:
- This is the single layer where all unmanaged customizations and imported unmanaged solutions reside.
- Unmanaged changes are directly applied to the system and are not tracked or versioned.
- This makes them less stable and prone to conflicts when upgrading or importing other solutions.
2. Managed Layers:
- Each managed solution resides in its layer.
- Managed solutions are packaged and versioned, enabling controlled deployment and upgrades.
- The system prioritizes the components in higher layers during conflicts, ensuring newer customizations take precedence.
Why are solution layers important?
Solution layers provide several benefits for managing customizations in Dynamics 365 CRM:
1. Maintain System Stability:
- By isolating customizations in separate layers, conflicting changes are avoided, preventing unexpected behavior and system instability.
- This enables a more controlled and predictable environment.
2. Facilitate Collaboration and Deployment:
- Managed solutions enable developers to package and distribute their work efficiently.
- This simplifies collaboration and ensures consistent deployments across different environments.
3. Enable Easy Upgrades and Rollbacks:
- Managed solutions can be upgraded independently, allowing for seamless updates without impacting other customizations.
- If necessary, solutions can be easily uninstalled or rolled back to a previous version.
4. Improve Governance and Traceability:
- Solution layers provide a clear record of customization ownership and version history.
- This improves governance and accountability for changes made to the system.
Best Practices for Using Solution Layers:
- Plan your solution architecture: Define the layers and purpose of each solution before starting development.
- Use managed solutions: Package your customizations as managed solutions for easier deployment and maintenance.
- Minimize unmanaged changes: Avoid making direct changes to the unmanaged layer whenever possible.
- Document your customizations: Document the purpose and behavior of each customization.
- Test thoroughly: Test your solutions in different environments to ensure they work as expected.
Conclusion:
Understanding and implementing solution layers effectively is essential for managing customizations in Dynamics 365 CRM. By leveraging the benefits of layers, you can ensure a stable, reliable, and well-governed environment for your CRM system.
Ref: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/solution-layers