New solution develop and move to production environment

[MadW]

Hi,

Two questions for the experts 🙂

Q1: I am making a solution including custom connector, flows and a canvas app. I want to develop in a development (internal) environment. Once ready for deployment, I want to export to customer production app. 

Is the best way to do this by creating a solution and creating flows, connector and app within that solution. Once ready to deploy, I simply export solution and import in customer environment?

Q2: I have a small project made of 1 standard connection, 2 flows and 1 app. This one is made without starting solution. So I have just exported app and imported. App asks for connection and everything is great. I cannot import flow on customer solution, because I use Onedrive for Business and Outlook. The user I have on customer solution only has license to Powerapp. When I import my user (from development environment) is shown for the ressources, but I cannot pick another ressource. How do I get around that? 

Import flow

[GarethPrisk · Accepted solution]

Q1 - yes. You'll use solutions to move items from CDS environment to environment. Do some research on managed vs. unmanaged solutions, so you're aware of the differences and the pros/cons. In this situation, you'll use the (new) default of managed.

Q1 bonus - making Flows from within solutions makes them "solution aware" and gives you access to the CDS (current environment) connector which has extra capabilities. Plus they typically deploy more smoothly.

Q2 - correct, certain connectors are premium connectors and/or include implicit access to things (like direct SQL credentials, or API keys). You need to be aware of your intended environment and user setup, to ensure they are either licensed correctly, or you avoid things they won't have access to.

[MadW]

Thanks for quick reply!

Solutions is the way to move forward on next project - check ✔️

On this flow I cannot import, how do I do? Could I temporary borrow a license for Office 365 on my admin user, and then import, and remove license again?

Or is it better to borrow a customer user with license, and use that one to import?

[GarethPrisk]

That looks like you're manually importing a Flow. It should install if it's within a CDS solution, but will be turned off until the connectors are resolved. You can make a licenses user a co-owner, and they can edit the Flow to add appropriate connectors before testing/enabling the Flow.

[MadW]

Thanks @GarethPrisk  for elaborating.

My scenario is like this:

I have developed this project in our own environment/tenant without using a solution with my own domain user.

At customer environment/tenant we got an temporary user with a temporary license, which we plan to stop license on, after this project.

Now I have exported and imported powerapp to customer environment/tenant

I have created connections to outlook and onedrive for business using our temporary user

I will make user at customer co-owner for app and flows, hoping that ensures flows and apps still works after our temporary user has no license

Any problems in above?