Build Azure DevOps Pipelines for Dynamics 365 CRM/Power Platform- Part 1
Build Azure Pipelines to export & import solution
- It includes CRM solution deployment using Azure DevOps pipelines and Power Platform Build Tools, now you don’t need to export the solution, wait for it to download, then import the solution to your production or test environment.
- This will help you to keep history and backup in the source control without import/export and pack/unpack the solutions manually.
- Export solution from Dev to source control and import the same solution from the source control to CRM instance using Power Platform Build Tools.
- Configure schedules to run Azure pipelines.
- Analytics view to the pipelines.
In this, we are going to setup Azure DevOps, Power Platform Build Tools installation, Setup Repositry and Service Connection and Allow Build Service to Access Repository.
Setup Azure DevOps
First you need to set up an Azure DevOps new account.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/devops/
Then you need to create a project.
Install Power Platform Build Tools
Navigate to-
Install the Power Platform build tools in your Azure DevOps environment.
Setup Repository
We need to setup a repository to store solution configuration files like entities, forms, views, flows, web resources, etc. Solution files should be pushed to repository regularly to keep the backup and it also helps in maintaining history.
You need to Select Repos and Initialize it with a README file and get the repository created, if already not done.
You will now have an empty repository with a README file where we will be pushing our solution configuration files.
Service Connections
Service Connection is a link to connect to external and remote services to execute tasks in a job. For example, you may need to connect to your Microsoft Azure subscription, to a different build server or file server, to an online continuous integration environment, or to services you install on remote computers.
Here we are creating service connection for our Dynamics CRM environments like Dev, Uat or Prod.
Click on “Create Service Connection”
Open the Service connections page from the project settings page.
Choose + New service connection and select Generic type of service connection.
Fill in the parameters for the service connection — Server URL, Authentication and Service connection Name.
Allow — Grant access permission to all pipelines and choose Ok to create the connection.
Connection to Power Platform environment
Now you can see your service connections in the list.
Allow Build Service to Access Repository
There is some security to setup to allow our pipeline to be able to upload the configuration to source control. We need to allow the Project Collection Build Service (one with Guid) and Build Service user (Pipeline name + “Build Service”) to have contribute access to the repository.
Click the Gear Icon in the bottom left corner to get access to Project Settings
Choose Repositories, locate Project Collection Build Service and add the Project Collection Build Service.
Click on the below link- to Build Pipeline: Export solution to Repository from development environment and import it to production/test environment.
