Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations

What do I need to know about Sana upgrades?

Sana consists of two main components - the Sana Framework and the Sana app which is installed inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. Sana Framework upgrades are made independent of Sana app upgrades inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. The Sana Framework and the Sana app in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations are compatible as long as you use the same major version of Sana.

For example, the Sana Framework 9.3.4 is compatible with the Sana app 9.3.0, 9.3.3 and 9.3.4 in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. But if you have the Sana Framework 9.3.* and the Sana app 9.2.* or 9.1.* in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations - they are not compatible, because the major Sana versions are different. This means that if you upgrade the Sana Framework to the major Sana version, it is also required to upgrade the Sana app in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations.

When we release the new version of the Sana Framework, you must check whether we also released the new version of the Sana app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. You can check this in our release notes, on the Sana Community website or in Microsoft AppSource.

Even when we release a minor version of the Sana app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, we recommend to upgrade it. It may be necessary to upgrade your Sana app in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations in order to enable new Sana features which have a dependency on the Sana app in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. If the Sana app is not updated in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, then the new ERP-dependent Sana features will simply not be available.

Which release version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations does Sana test on?

When we develop a new version of the Sana application for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation, we test it on the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation currently available. We don’t test the latest version of the Sana application with older versions of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation. We also don’t test older versions of the Sana application with the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation. Therefore, we recommend using the latest version of the Sana application with the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation. Otherwise, you may encounter some compatibility issues that we don't know about.

Our release process can involve the Preview Early Access Program (PEAP), but based on our previous experience, there can be considerable differences between the Preview Early Access Program (PEAP) and Generally Available (GA) releases. For this reason, we use the PEAP to explore functionality that can be related to Sana, but our extensive testing is performed on the GA release. Otherwise, there is a chance that we conduct a full regression test on the PEAP and then find out that it is not compatible with the GA release, and we will need to re-initiate all testing which will lead to duplication of work.

Will a minor / major upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations impact our Sana app?

Following the process described above, we do not expect any issues for a minor release (10.0.X). For example, the last several updates (update 20 - 29) did not require any code changes. In fact, moving from 8.1.X to 10.0.X required very minor Sana changes which we were able to provide within a couple of days after the Generally Available (GA) release.

Please note that Sana guarantees compatibility for a new Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations version against all minor versions of the latest major Sana Commerce framework version (e.g. SCC 1.0.X). Older major versions may require additional testing (e.g. 9.2.X, 9.3.X, etc.).

How is Sana compatible with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operation’s One Version policy?

Although Microsoft doesn’t release ISV solutions as part of the One Version automated deployment process, Sana takes multiple actions in order to assure customers that the regular updates of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (Cloud) work seamlessly with Sana Commerce.

As Sana follows Microsoft best practices in building our solution based on extension points, we expect minimal impact during Service Updates. Nevertheless, Sana tests Generally Available (GA) releases and aims to confirm compatibility before the auto-update schedule production start date. Customers choose to update manually at their own risk before receiving the auto-updates.

If any compatibility issues are found during the update, Sana will do our best to inform our customers and partners. We recommend checking our community page to find out when new Service Updates are supported by the latest Sana Commerce apps.

Finally, we encourage our customers to use Microsoft’s RSAT tool to create their own test scenarios in combination with Sana’s Manual Process Requests tool.

How can I be sure that the Sana code is of good quality?

Although the quality of the code is ultimately Sana's responsibility, Microsoft checks that Sana's code meets Microsoft guidelines. Part of the validation process for a major release includes Sana submitting a Code Analysis Report (CAR) and sharing test deployment results with Microsoft, both of which ensure that Sana does not experience any localization, accessibility, performance or security issues.

What are the differences between the two options of delivering Sana - deployable package vs. model?

All Sana packages for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations contain a deployable package and model inside an archive. The model is more suitable for use on a development environment for debugging or source code review. Unlike the model, the deployable package is better for use on the production or sandbox environments to rollout / test / demo a Sana web store, without having access to the source code.