Rajeev Pentyala – Microsoft Power Platform

Are you aware that a new stage-and-upgrade parameter parameter has been introduced in the pac solution import command?

Stage-and-upgrade parameter:

• By using this parameter, the import of the managed solution and solution upgrade take place immediately in a single step. Refer this article to know more about the upgrade process.
• Refer to the screenshot below, with the ‘stage-and-upgrade’ parameter in pac solution import command.

• ‘StageAndUpgrade’ parameter is also available in Power Platform Import Solution build tools task.

Now that you have the basics of ‘Stage-and-upgrade,’ let’s understand how it differs from the ‘Import-as-holding’ feature that has been around for quite some time.

Import-as-holding vs Stage-and-upgrade:

Both the ‘Import-as-holding’ and ‘Stage-and-upgrade’ are designed for solution upgrade. To know the difference between the both, here are the details.

Solution upgrade using the ‘Import-as-holding’:

Before the introduction of the ‘Stage-and-upgrade’ feature, upgrading a solution required using the ‘Import-as-holding’ parameter. It involved a two-step process as outlined below:

• Step 1 : Trigger pac solution import command, with the ‘–import-as-holding’ parameter to stage the upgrade.

• Step 2 : Trigger the pac solution upgrade to apply solution upgrade.

Solution upgrade using the ‘Stage-and-upgrade’:

• As seen above, solution upgrade using the ‘Import-as-holding’ is a two-step process.
• With the ‘Stage-and-upgrade’, both the ‘Solution Import’ and ‘Solution upgrade’ will be completed in a single step.

An important note is that we can use either the –import-as-holding or –stage-and-upgrade parameter, but not both, in the pac solution import action.

An error will occur stating “Must provide only one of –import-as-holding or –stage-and-upgrade or neither” if both the –import-as-holding or –stage-and-upgrade parameters passed in the pac solution import action.

Choosing between ‘Import-as-holding’ and ‘Stage-and-upgrade’:

• In conclusion, if you want the solution to upgrade immediately with solution import, choose ‘Stage-and-upgrade.’ If you need to perform additional tasks between the solution import and upgrading the solution, opt for the ‘Import-as-holding’ approach.

Hope you now understand how ‘Stage-and-upgrade’ works and how it differs from ‘Import-as-holding.

🙂