Dynamics 365 LCS Tricks – install Knowledge Base (KB) article

Dick Wenning

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LCS is the place for getting all the information from Microsoft related to your Dynamics 365 for Operations projects. This Web portal also allows you to get your MS fixes to your environment and knows which Knowledge Base (KB) articles have been applied.
In the next image, for instance, we can see that there are 167 fixes applicable. So, let’s start cherry picking.

the process

We download the KB updates and apply them to a Local VM that is linked to VSTS. Next we test and migrate it to the release branch on VSTS. Lastly, we start the build process.

The artifacts that are published in VSTS can be downloaded and imported to the LCS asset library. From that point you distribute it to all applicable environments.
In the Asset library of LCS only compiled code is available; there is no x++ code and no KB articles. This is also the reason why you can’t debug on those environments. You can still collect code traces, so you are not completely blind. After deploying the new artifacts to the target environment, LCS is aware of it and the number of applicable fixes (167 in this example) decreases. As Microsoft continues improving their products it will start getting higher again.

Error?

Last week, we did it all, but in LCS the KB number stood stuck on 167. I downloaded the KB again on my local VM, installed again, and there was no code change. I verified my merge to the release branch and again, it was all fine.
So, what went wrong? Is it LCS, is it me or is it the KB fix itself? I started investigating the world of KB files. The HotfixPackageBundle.axscdppkg contains a lot of axscdpp files and a Package Dependencies file, that contains information about the dependencies. The next picture is an example.

As we inspect 6880717, we find that the file contains the changed source code and a Package Manifest xml file. This Package Manifest contains information about what is changed and the KB number.
But what is happening when the Package Manifest has no KB number, as below?

This information of the package manifest is also stored in VSTS in the AxUpdate map. The filename is in above case is 6880717.xml. But there is no information about KB number in it.
Later, when creating a deployable package that is hooked in LCS. The information about the KB number is missing, and therefore, LCS does not know if it is installed.
I hope Microsoft will investigate their KB articles. Especially the ones that have package manifest without a KB number.
I tested it myself, I changed the 6880717.xml in the axudate directory and added the missing kb number. And LCS was aware of it after installing the build result of that adaption.