Exporting Dynamics 365 solutions using PowerShell

Ever wondered whether you can write a script to automatically export a solution from one instance of Dynamics 365 and import it into another instance? The answer is yes; all you need is Microsoft.Xrm.Data.PowerShell.

The Microsoft.Xrm.Data.PowerShell extensions are created and maintained by the Microsoft staff. The two main contributors are Kenichiro Nakamura from Microsoft Japan and Sean McNellis from Microsoft corporate US. The extensions are wrappers around the Dynamics 365 SDK capabilities to enhance the platform's PowerShell scripting capabilities.

In this recipe, we will learn how to script a solution export from Dynamics 365 into the filesystem. This recipe is the foundation for later automation, discussed in this chapter to integrate with source control, to import solutions, and more.

Getting ready

As described in the introduction, the Microsoft.Xrm.Data.PowerShell extensions are required to run the script, which require PowerShell x64...