Best Practices in Model Migration to clients - axmodel or axpp

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Posted on by Aashay147

Are there any specific pros/cons to using .axmodel or .axpp files to migrate code between D365FO environments (best practices, long-term support ... anything)?

Background:

We have built an IP on D365FO and we have to routinely send out updates to clients.

Part of the codebase of the IP is sent out as a deployable package but the included reports are sent as a project to allow clients / implementers to extend or duplicate the reports logic per client requirements.

Till now, the code available reports model was being manually exported to an axpp file (manually add all objects in a model to VS project and export).

But I was trying to see if this workload could be reduced somehow in the DevOps Pipelines used to generate the deployable packages.

I can generate .axmodel files using a command prompt to invoke ModelUtil.

Have not found any orchestration for .axpp files (in DevOps or Power Automate or any other automation).

Was wondering about the differences therefore in axmodel and axpp...

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Blue Wang Microsoft Employee on at

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Hi Aashay,

Models (.axmodel) : Best option for Dev source code and metadata exchange. MS said "Model files let you distribute models to customers and partners, and can be installed in development environments. ...Model files contain a model descriptor file, metadata, source code, and referenced .NET assemblies (when applicable). ..". You can see all Dev stuffs you need can be done by this way.

Projects (.axpp) :axpp would stand for ax Project Package. This is very similar to xpo in the old version. Still useful because importing models doesn't include the project description like xpo did. So by many cases, it will be used together with the above importing models.

Reference:shootax.blogspot.com/.../d365fo-possible-ways-to-move-code.html

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Martin Dráb 239,029 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Only models and deployable packages are intended for this purpose.

Use .axpp only to share a subset of changes between development environments that aren't connected to the same version control system. Ideally never. :-)

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