Deploying a tenant customization
When you have finished developing and testing your tenant customization, you must deploy the extension (.app file) containing the customization to your customer’s production tenant. You must be able to log into the customer’s tenant as a user with permissions to the Extension Management page to complete the deployment.
Under Manage, use the Upload Extension action to deploy the extension. The extension can be deployed for the current version or for the next version of the service. In most cases it's sufficient to select the current version, unless you have developed the extension specifically for the next version.
Note
When you deploy an .app file for the next version, the extension is queued up to be deployed as part of the customer’s tenant being upgraded to the next version. You can typically use this in a situation where you have built an upgrade of the extension to work with the next version.
The extension you're deploying could be the initial release of the customization or an upgrade to a previous version. You must use the same steps for uploading a new extension or an extension upgrade. The service determines if the extension needs to be upgraded based on the extension’s app ID and version.
Steps for deploying your .app file
- Log in to your customer’s Dynamics 365 Business Central tenant.
- Open the Extension Management page.
- Under Manage, choose the Upload Extension action.
- Select the browse button to select the .app file to upload. Browse to and select the extension’s .app file.
- Select if you want to deploy for the current version (most common) or next minor or major version. Select the language for the deployment.
- Choose the Schema Sync Mode and select whether to add schema changes or to force the schema changes.
- Select the option switch to on to accept the disclaimer.
- Choose the Deploy button.
- The extension is deployed in the background.
To check the status of the deployment, choose Deployment Status and then view the status of the extension deployment. Select the row to see other details.
In the deployment status details there's a Refresh button in the actions you must select to retrieve the most recent status and details. - When the extension has been successfully deployed, choose the Refresh button to see the new extension in the list of installed extensions.
Extension uniqueness requirements
If you're developing and deploying an updated version of a previously deployed extension, you must keep the app ID the same and increase the version number to successfully upgrade the extension. The deployment services require that uploaded extension packages be unique per tenant based on several sets of keys:
- Package ID
- App ID + Version
- Name + Publisher + Version
Note
These parameters are defined in the app.json file of the extension. Learn more in JSON files.
If you have successfully deployed an extension to a tenant, and then recompile the extension’s source code without updating version number, this generates a new extension package file with a new package ID. If you try to upload this new extension package file to a different tenant, the upload fails with the error similar to An extension with same App ID and version has already been uploaded. Resolve and deploy again.. Similarly, if an extension failed to deploy, and you try to upload a new extension package with the same version number, the upload fails as well.
Upgrades and per-tenant extensions
In some cases, a customer's production environment that includes a per-tenant extension can't be upgraded automatically by Microsoft. In those cases Microsoft contacts the reselling partner and provides guidance for how to update the extension. However, if the extension remains impossible to upgrade, Microsoft waits for 90 days and then uninstall the extension and force-upgrade the tenant.
Related information
Get started with AL
AL development environment
FAQ for developing in AL
Use Designer