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D365FO Implementation and Azure DevOps Infrastructure Setup

5 July 20242 min read
Azure DevOpsAzureLCSDynamics 365 Finance & OperationsSharePointMicrosoft TeamsGitHubREST APIVSTSGitYAMLDynamicsSDKPowerShellMSBuildX++Visual StudioVS CodeOAuthMSAL.PSAzure ADMicrosoft SQL ServerMicrosoft OfficeRDPd365fo.toolsAzCopyChocolateyNotepad++Google ChromeMicrosoft Edgepm2Node.jsIISPower Platform ToolsDual-writeYammer7-ZipJSONXMLSSL/TLSDynamics 365 Finance and Operations Tools extensionGenerate Release Notes (Crossplatform) extensionTRUDUtilsD365SSD365VSAddInD365FONinjaDevToolsD365FOLabelEditorD365FOLabelTranslatorDatabase Movement APIPower Platform CLI (pac)ModelUtil

This technical guide outlines the essential steps for establishing a software development lifecycle within the Azure DevOps and Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations ecosystems. It provides a structured roadmap for project creation, including the configuration of repositories, automated build pipelines, and release management. Beyond initial software settings, the guide details the integration between LCS environments and developer workstations, ensuring a seamless connection for code deployment. Practical advice is offered on database synchronization, naming conventions, and version control systems like VSTS or Git. Ultimately, these resources serve as a comprehensive implementation checklist to help teams maintain high standards and consistent workflows across their cloud infrastructure.

• Create LCS Connections in DevOps: This source details how to use the Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) REST API to automate package deployments by creating a service connection in Azure DevOps project settings.

• Create New Azure DevOps Project: This documentation outlines the minimal setup required to initiate a project, including selecting the version control system (VSTS or Git) and defining work item processes.

• Create New Release: It explains the workflow for promoting code between branches in VSTS and the steps for uploading and applying deployable packages to target environments in LCS.

• Create New Build Pipeline: This source provides a comprehensive guide for setting up classic editor build pipelines for on-hosted VMs, covering tasks from model versioning and MSBuild to executing unit tests.

• Create New Release Pipeline: It focuses on automating the deployment lifecycle, including artifact handling and the use of MSAL.PS for authentication during LCS asset uploads.

• Database Movement API: This source describes using REST API calls or d365fo.tools to automate database movements, requiring an Azure AD application with specific LCS permissions.

• Dev Box Login and Initial Setup: It provides instructions for accessing cloud-hosted All-in-one VMs via RDP and mapping local metadata folders to the Azure DevOps repository.

• Install Software to the Dev Box: This documentation lists essential tools to install via PowerShell, such as d365fo.tools, AzCopy, and Chocolatey for software management.

• Refresh DB from Prod to Dev Box: It details a four-step automated workflow using YAML pipelines to restore production databases to development environments.

• Release Admin Snippet: This is a collection of PowerShell commands for administrative tasks, such as environment resets, database renames, and merging multiple UDE or LCS packages.

• Release Note Examples: This source provides Liquid-based templates for generating release notes that automatically list associated work items and commit messages.

• Setup IP Package: It outlines a strategy for installing Intellectual Property (IP) packages as binary models, including license configuration and version control management.

• Setup Repository: This source describes the required folder structure (e.g., Trunk/Main-DEV/Metadata) and the process of converting these folders into branches . Note: The links provided in this summary point to the general d365fo.tools documentation repository mentioned across the sources.