Power Platform Import Solution Error: The reason given was: An unexpected error occurred.

[tonocode]

I am attempting to import my solution from DEV to TEST and then to PROD environment.

I am using a multi-staged YAML approach and I have used a template.yml for the release stages to TEST and PROD. The pipeline has successfully deployed changes to the TEST environment. However, the final stage to PROD fails during "Processing asynchronous operation..." with the error message "The reason given was: An unexpected error occurred."

I ran the pipeline again (new) and get another error message "The reason given was: ImportAsHolding failed with exception :Solution manifest import: FAILURE: Cannot create a holding solution for missing base ALM_Demo."

This is my code in the deployment-template.yml for the relevant task:

- task: PowerPlatformImportSolution@2  
   inputs:
         authenticationType: 'PowerPlatformSPN'
         PowerPlatformSPN: '${{parameters.powerplatform_service_connection}}'
         SolutionInputFile: '$(Agent.BuildDirectory)/drop/${{parameters.solution_name}}_managed.zip'
         UseDeploymentSettingsFile: true
         DeploymentSettingsFile: '$(Agent.BuildDirectory)/drop/${{parameters.deployment_settings_file_name}}'
         AsyncOperation: true
         MaxAsyncWaitTime: '60'

UPDATE:
I manually imported the managed solution into the PROD environment first and re-ran the failed pipeline which then worked. Does the solution need to exist before using the import solution?

[parvezghumra]

@tono0682 If you set the 'Import as a Holding Solution' parameter to true, then the expectation is that a previous version of the solution should already be installed in the target environment. If it isn't the operation will fail. For scenarios where (a previous version of) the solution in question is not already installed in the target environment, you should set the 'Import as a Holding Solution' parameter to false.

You will need make your pipeline smart enough to handle both scenarios

[tonocode]

Thanks @parvezghumra.

Do you have any suggestions on how to handle both situations? First thought would be to re-run on failure with set the 'Import as a Holding Solution' parameter to false in the event of a failure.

[parvezghumra]

@tono0682 What I have done in my current project is written a custom PowerShell script to determine whether a given solution is already installed based on its unique name, and if so, what version is installed, pushing the results of these as output parameters. This script is based on the Microsoft.Xrm.Data.PowerShell module. Executing this script from my Github workflow as an initial step (you could do the same from a Task in an ADO Release Pipeline), allows subsequent steps to interrogate the values of the output parameters. Then I have 2 subsequent steps with conditions that are based on these output parameters - one of these steps sets 'Import as Holding Solution' to true (if a version of the solution is already installed), the other step sets it to false (if the solution is not already installed at all)

[raviraushanweb]

@tono0682 If you set the 'Import as a Holding Solution' parameter to true, then the expectation is that a previous version of the solution should already be installed in the target environment. If it isn't the operation will fail. For scenarios where (a previous version of) the solution in question is not already installed in the target environment, you should set the 'Import as a Holding Solution' parameter to false.

You will need make your pipeline smart enough to handle both scenarios

Can you please share the exact name of the parameter? Thank you!