RE: Sitemap changes not publishing - managed solution
Hi there!
The issue might be caused by the fact that your sitemap exists in multiple solutions (layers) and may have an Active layer on top.
An active layer for the sitemap component represents changes done directly in the UI. Since those changes need to be stored in a solution, a special solution is created, called "Active". This will be the topmost solution and changes made directly in the UI will take precedence over changes coming from other solutions. This can become complex due to the fact that XML components, such as sitemaps merge all layers and what the user sees can be something other than expected.
Please have a look at the official documentation regarding solution layers here:
docs.microsoft.com/.../solution-layers
And here you can understand more about how sitemaps are managed and how their definition is merged, in order to get the actual definition you see in the UI: docs.microsoft.com/.../understand-managed-solutions-merged
If there is an active layer for the sitemap, you should be able to remove it by selecting the component and then choosing Solution Layers.
Hope this helps.