Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

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Posted on by HAIRUL HAZRI

1,214

Hi,

This is continuation from my effort here https://community.dynamics.com/365/financeandoperations/f/dynamics-365-for-finance-and-operations-forum/401765/build-automation-add-nuget-package-to-azure-artifacts-feed where I'm trying to configure build automation.

After successfully adding nuget packages to azure devops feed, I imported the sample pipeline from https://github.com/microsoft/Dynamics365-Xpp-Samples-Tools/tree/master/CI-CD/Pipeline-Samples to my project.

Now I'm running the build for the first time. I have custom models with below naming conventions:

TDD9
TDD10
TDD11
TDD12

These models have dependencies like following:

TDD10 refers to TDD9.
TDD11 refers to TDD9 & TDD10.
TDD12 refers to TDD9, TDD10 & TDD11.

In DevOps repos, naturally they are sorted by name alphabetically like this:

TDD10
TDD11
TDD12
TDD9

So when running the pipeline, looks like it builds TDD10 first and since TDD10 have reference to TDD9 & TDD9 haven't been built yet, the build throws error

"No assembly matching referenced module 'TDD9' is found".

How can we handle this situation? Can we sort which models to build first?

There has to be a way where it automatically detects all model dependencies and run the build accordingly I assume?

Thank you.

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HAIRUL HAZRI 1,214 on at

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RE: Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

Hi Joris,

So in DEV environment, I created a new solution and added all existing projects inside.

Then I check-in the solution.

Since I checked-in all those solutions for each model, in Visual Studio build task in pipeline, I made sure to build only the newly created solution that contains all projects & models.

This helped me to get past the build error.

Thank you.
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Joris dG 17,775 on at

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RE: Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

You should create a solution that has a project for each of your modules. If you're on PU36 or above that should result in the compile ordering automatically. If you have each module in its own solution, Visual Studio msbuild has no way of figuring out orders. It's the same concept you would see with C#.

That said - having a separate model for each requirement is absolutely a bad idea. You should minimize the amount of models/modules you have, otherwise it will become a code maintenance and customization discovery nightmare.
HAIRUL HAZRI 1,214 on at

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RE: Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

We don't have any build VM. All this while we only create package from DEV environment. We didn't even use source control.

Because of the All-in-one deployable package enforcement, this is our first time working with source control and azure pipeline.

Anyway, where should I look to resolve this?
nmaenpaa 101,158 Moderator on at

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RE: Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

No I meant the traditional pipeline with a build server. It's created automatically if you deploy a build VM from LCS.
HAIRUL HAZRI 1,214 on at

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RE: Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

Hi Nikolaos,

do you mean this part?

Aren't they the same build task?
nmaenpaa 101,158 Moderator on at

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RE: Build Automation Custom Model Reference Error

The alphabetical order of the model/package names should not impact the order in which they are built by the build process.

Have you managed to build your codebase succesfully with a normal build server (using a build pipeline)?