After changing connection reference & canvas app/flows owner in DEV Solution, how to upgrade in PROD and keep app URL?

[kky1]

Hello - Before upgrading an existing Solution from DEV to PROD, I need the guidance of this community to ensure I don't break the app/flows. Because the app is heavily used, I also want to ensure that the app URL doesn't change.

We are trying to move the ownership from a person to our Service Account for a canvas app/flows and connection references/connections in an existing Solution that is in DEV and PROD environments.

In DEV, I've re-established connection references as well as the canvas app/flows owners to the Service Account (#_other....) within the Unmanaged Solution in order to remove myself as owner:

Currently in PROD, the Managed Solution still has myself as the canvas app/flows owner:

If I were to export from DEV and import to PROD, will the Solution automatically switch ownership to the Service Account? Or, do I need to go into the Solution in PROD and switch the ownership manually before upgrading the Solution from DEV? If I do it manually, would it create solution layers and not upgrade?

 I've read many posts and blogs on changing ownership/connection references, but nothing to spell out how to then ensure the changes from DEV upgrade in PROD. Again, a major goal in this scenario is to keep the same app URL in PROD as there are many users and the app is heavily used.

Thank you for any guidance someone can offer!

@kky1 

[cchannon · Accepted solution]

Ownership of records, including apps and connection references, is NOT shipped via solution. It might seem like it should be, but the problem is that there is no way to guarantee that a user in source environment X even exists in target environment Y. Remember: because the solution is an exported file compatible with any other Dataverse instance X and Y might not even be in the same tenant.

You are right to want these things to be owned by a service account and not a user (especially the app), but you'll need to maintain those ownerships manually in Prod.

[kky1]

Thank you @cchannon for explaining this! Is there a way I can manually change the owner in PROD after migrating from DEV without creating Solution layers? My hope is I can change in PROD once and then have everything in DEV/PROD for future upgrades stay under the ownership of the Service Account.

[ChrisPiasecki · Accepted solution]

Hi @kky1,

Changing ownership does not introduce a solution layer because it is not part of the solution at all. You just need to change the owner in the target environment for the existing flows. 

When you import a new flow into an environment, whomever imports the solution is the owner of those flows, so something to be aware of for future reference. Generally you should use a service account (if not a service principal) to deploy and own the flows. 

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