Managed vs. Unmanaged Power Platform Solutions: Choosing the Right Approach
Microsoft’s Power Platform has become a game-changer for businesses, enabling them to create custom solutions with speed and efficiency. A key component of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) in Power Platform is the use of managed and unmanaged solutions. Choosing the right approach can significantly impact your scalability, maintainability, and deployment processes.
So, what’s the difference between managed and unmanaged solutions, and when should you use each? Let’s dive in.
Understanding Power Platform Solutions
Power Platform solutions are containers that bundle various components—such as apps, workflows, tables, and security roles—into a structured package. This approach ensures consistency across environments, streamlining development, deployment, and maintenance.
What is a Power Platform Solution?
A solution in Power Platform acts as a package that organizes and deploys customizations consistently across development, testing, and production environments.
Key Benefits of Solutions:
- Structured Development: Organizes components for easier version control and deployment.
- Consistency Across Environments: Ensures uniformity between development, testing, and production.
- Efficient Customization Management: Reduces conflicts and streamlines updates.
Now, let’s explore the two types of solutions in Power Platform: managed and unmanaged.
What Are Managed Solutions?
Managed solutions are finalized, locked-down versions of a solution, designed for deployment in testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and production environments. Once deployed, components within a managed solution cannot be modified directly, ensuring stability and control.
Key Characteristics of Managed Solutions:
Immutability
- Components within a managed solution cannot be edited or deleted after deployment.
- This prevents accidental modifications and ensures stability in production environments.
Layered Architecture
- Managed solutions operate in layers. When multiple solutions are installed, the latest version takes precedence.
- This allows for structured updates without overwriting existing configurations.
Selective Customization with Managed Properties
- Administrators can set managed properties to control which components (e.g., fields, views) can be customized post-deployment.
- This ensures core functionalities remain protected while allowing minor adjustments.
Seamless Upgrades and Patching
- Versioning and patching enable smooth updates.
- Patch Deployment: Changes can be applied as small patches without affecting the entire solution.
Easy Cleanup and Removal
- Uninstalling a managed solution removes all related components, ensuring a clean environment.
- Ideal for temporary deployments or structured testing.
When should you use managed solutions? Production and testing environments where stability is key. Controlled deployments that require versioning and governance. Ensuring consistency across multiple teams and environments.
What Are Unmanaged Solutions?
Unmanaged solutions are used in development and testing phases, offering flexibility for iterative changes. Unlike managed solutions, they remain fully editable.
Key Characteristics of Unmanaged Solutions:
Full Editability and Flexibility
- Developers have unrestricted access to modify components.
- Ideal for rapid prototyping and experimentation.
Source Control Integration
- Unmanaged solutions act as the editable source of truth for all customizations.
- Best practice: Store unmanaged solutions in a version control system (e.g., Git) to track changes and facilitate collaboration.
Transition to Managed Solutions
- Once development is complete, unmanaged solutions should be exported as managed solutions for deployment.
- This transition locks components to prevent further changes in production environments.
Impact on Default Solution
- Changes in unmanaged solutions affect the Default Solution in an environment, potentially causing conflicts.
- Requires careful management to avoid unintended disruptions.
When should you use unmanaged solutions? Development environments where flexibility is needed. Collaboration among developers refining customizations. Building and testing new features before locking them down.
When to Choose Managed vs. Unmanaged Solutions
Development Phase
Unmanaged solutions are best for development and iterative testing.
Testing and Production
Managed solutions are essential for stability, governance, and security.
Collaborative Development
Unmanaged solutions allow multiple developers to work simultaneously. ✔️ Managed solutions ensure stability across distributed teams.
Maintenance and Support
Managed solutions are easier to maintain due to their controlled nature. ✔️ Unmanaged solutions can be more challenging to support if mismanaged.
Best Practices for Using Power Platform Solutions
Adopt a Layered Approach: Structure solutions to allow modular updates.
Use Version Control: Store unmanaged solutions in Git or another repository.
Define Managed Properties Thoughtfully: Protect critical components while allowing necessary customizations.
Review Dependencies Regularly: Avoid tight coupling between solutions.
Convert to Managed for Deployment: Always export as managed before deploying to production.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the difference between managed and unmanaged solutions is crucial for effective ALM within Microsoft’s Power Platform. Managed solutions provide security, stability, and governance in non-development environments, while unmanaged solutions enable fast development and iteration.
By leveraging both strategically, organizations can optimize their development lifecycle, enhance maintainability, and streamline deployments—ensuring success in 2025 and beyond.
Need expert guidance on Power Platform solutions? Get in touch with us today!