How production, test and development environments are created

[HamidBee]

When production, test and development environments are created:

1. Does one create three solutions within the same environment?

or

2. Create three separate environments?

If it is option 2, then are different Dataverse tables built for each environment?.

Thanks in advance. 

[phipps0218 · Accepted solution]

3 environments.
When moving from test to prod do this as a managed solution.

Please Accept as Solution if it solves your question. Or just give it a Thumbs Up if it is helpful because this can help others.

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[Nogueira1306]

Every environment has it own Dataverse

So, I think that you have 3 environments with 3 dataverse tables

If you need additional help please tag me in your reply and please like my reply.
If my reply provided you with a solution, pleased mark it as a solution ✔️!

Best regards,

Gonçalo Nogueira

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[HamidBee]

@Nogueira1306 , @phipps0218 Okay If I've understood correctly. You create a test environment. In the test environment you create a solution. In that solution you create the app and similarly you create a production environment with a solution so that the apps could be moved from one environment to another. But if the App was built using a dataverse table in the test environment what happens to the table when it is moved into the production environment?. Do we need to make copies of it?.

[Nogueira1306]

Yes. You need to create the table in the other enviroment. But you cna import/export the solution and the solution will contain the table

If you need additional help please tag me in your reply and please like my reply.
If my reply provided you with a solution, pleased mark it as a solution ✔️!

Best regards,

Gonçalo Nogueira

Check my LinkedIn!

My website!

My blog!

[HamidBee]

Okay just to confirm, Are you saying that when a solution is exported the dataverse in that environment is also exported with it?. @timl any help here would be greatly appreciated. 

[timl · Accepted solution]

@HamidBee 

>> Okay If I've understood correctly. You create a test environment. In the test environment you create a solution. In that solution you create the app and similarly you create a production environment with a solution so that the apps could be moved from one environment to another. But if the App was built using a dataverse table in the test environment what happens to the table when it is moved into the production environment?. Do we need to make copies of it?.

To clarify your statement above, the typical workflow would look like this.

You create 3 separate environments - development, test, and production environments.

In your development environment, you would create a solution. In this solution, you would create/define your table. Within this solution, you can also create model driven or canvas apps that are based on that table.

Once your development task is complete, you would export this solution and import it into your test environment.

You would publish this solution in order to apply the changes to the test environment.

If the users are happy with your work, you would import the solution into your live environment and publish the changes.

Effectively, the process is based on a single working solution, rather than separate solutions in each environment. A solution contains only the items/table changes that you add to it. It doesn't contain the schema of all tables and objects in Dataverse.

If you were to publish a solution with table changes that are not in the target Dataverse database, the publish process will add those table changes.

Hopefully, that provides some clarification.

[HamidBee]

Hi @timl. Thank you for adding onto the discussion. I just have one follow up question. Where you wrote:

"A solution contains only the items/table changes that you add to it. It doesn't contain the schema of all tables and objects in Dataverse."

Does that still mean that any table in the solution is exported to wherever the solution is exported to and any table outside of the solution is not exported?. Also are tables in the solution also saved in dataverse?.

Also, I'm just curious, why can we not have the solutions all in one environment, would it be considered bad practise?. If so, why?.

Thanks in advance. 

[timl]

@HamidBee 

>> Does that still mean that any table in the solution is exported to wherever the solution is exported to and any table outside of the solution is not exported?. Also are tables in the solution also saved in dataverse?.

Yes, that's correct for both of those questions

>>Also, I'm just curious, why can we not have the solutions all in one environment, would it be considered bad practise?.

I'm not sure I understand the intent of this question, but if we imagine a solution as a container or 'vehicle' for moving objects and changes between environments, then it's necessary to import the solution into all target environments in order for us to publish the changes that are contained in the solution.  Is that the answer you're looking for, or did I misunderstand the question?

[HamidBee]

Thanks for clarifying the first part. For the second question what I mean is assume I have an environment and in that environment I have created three solutions. Solution one is a development solution, two is a test solution and three is a production solution. So all these solutions are in one environment. As I progress through the stages I copy the contents of the solution to the next environment. So instead of moving from environment to environment I move from solution to solution. Is this possible? If yes, should we do this?. If no, why is it not something we should do?.

Thanks in advance.