Applying X++ Updates/Binary Updates to a Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Environment

Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) is an application lifecycle management and a collaboration portal that provide a set of updated services that can be used to manage the life-cycle of a Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations ( D365 FO) implementation. One of those updated services is addressed in the form of X++ Updates/ Binary (All binary or platform binary updates). These updates consists of fixes and improvements that are introduced to the D365 FO application.

Applying Binary Updates/X++ Updates to a Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Environment:

There are various approaches through which the updates can be applied to the existing Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations environments. In Lifecycle Services this is available under the monitoring section under each of the D365 FO environments.

These are classified under X++ updates and Binary updates.

1. What are binary updates?

Binary updates are updates to the platform or any hotfixes without the need to re-compile, redeploy or re-configure D365 FinOps
system. These updates will indicate APIs or X++ components that are obsolete.

2.  Application Updates:

Application updates could be actual business logic or application functionality. These are updates to the various components like
management reporting/electronic reporting or SSRS framework for D365 FO.

Applying the Platform Binary Update To The Asset Library:

1.  Select the environment in the LCS Project and then under the Monitoring section, choose the Platform binary updates. Select the
Platform Binary Updates to download. On selecting the download package, there will be prompt to upload the binary updates to the
Asset library.

Fig 1 – Platform Binary Updates Tile in Life Cycle Services

Fig 2 – List of Platform Binary Updates 

2. Once we select the Download package, the binary updates will be uploaded directly to the Asset library.

Fig 3 – Platform Binary Updates uploaded to Asset Library On Selecting Download Package in Platform Binary Updates

Apply X++ Updates to Lifecycle Services environment:

1.  Select ‘All X++ Updates’ under the Monitoring section in the environment where we need to apply the X++ update. X++ updates
will be directly applied to the D365 FO environment. These are run-time updates.

Apply All Binary Updates To Lifecycle Services environment:

1.  Select ‘All Binary Updates‘ under the Monitoring section in the environment where all the pending binary updates are to be
applied to the selected D365 FO Environment. The ‘All Binary Updates’s resides in the Binary updates sub-section.

Fig 4 – All Binary Updates Under Monitoring Section -> Binary Updates Sub-Section

2.  Select Save Package in the Binary Updates section.

Fig 5 – Save package Binary Updates

3. On selecting the ‘Save Package‘ option, the ‘Save package to the asset library‘ window will pop-up. Provide a meaningful name so
that it’s easy to identify the package amongst the list of package that’s been saved on the Asset Library. For example, the name
given to the package here is ‘All Binary Updates 09.25.2018‘. Go ahead and provide a description to offer more details about the package
being saved to the asset library.

Fig 6 – Save All Binary Updates Package to Asset Library

4.  Check the Asset library, and the package should be under the section titled ‘Software Deployable package files.’ The software package will be visible in the Software deployable package files section.

Fig 7 – Software Deployable package shown under the Asset Library -> Software Deployable Package 

5.  Now, select the environment to apply the binary update on and then select Maintain and apply the update from the Asset Library.
This will queue the update and will apply the binary update to the selected environment.

Fig 8 – Apply the Updates to the Selected LCS Environment 

Fig 9 – All Binary Updates Queued to the Selected LCS Environment

6.  Once the deployment is complete, the LCS Environment will show zero updates. This indicates the environment is up-to-date.

References:

• Apply the latest platform updates to environments connected to an LCS project
  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/migration-upgrade/upgrade-latest-platform-update
• What are Binary Updates?
  https://community.dynamics.com/365/financeandoperations/b/daxmusings/archive/2017/06/22/upgrades-updates-and-hotfixes-in-ax7