Managing Solution Layers in Dataverse Without Losing Your Sanity

If you’ve ever inherited a Power Platform environment layered with multiple managed and unmanaged solutions, you understand the risks of conflicting customisations and undocumented change. Without the history, it is impossible to understand the impact of any further customisation, and one wrong change can break a live app or overwrite someone else’s work.

In this guide, we demystify solution layering in Dataverse and share practical strategies to keep deployments clean, predictable, and conflict-free

What Are Solution Layers?

In the Power Platform, every customisation sits in a “layer” corresponding to the solution it was introduced from.

These stack in a defined order:

• System Layer: Core Microsoft components

• Managed Layers: Deployed via managed solutions

• Unmanaged Layer: Ad hoc or development changes not linked to a managed solution

Understanding this hierarchy is crucial for predicting customisation behaviour.

Why It Gets Messy

Incoming Power Platform consultants are often asked to clean up environments with years of accumulated changes, carried out by internal teams, other partners, or trial-and-error experiments.

Common issues include:

• Conflicting field properties or views

• Rollbacks after importing updates

• Difficulty removing unused components

Without a governance plan and configuration history, managed solutions can become a minefield of hidden dependencies and conflicts.

Best Practices for Managing Solution Layers

• Use Unmanaged Solutions in Dev

  Always develop within an unmanaged solution, scoped only to the components being changed. This maintains portability and avoids clutter.

• Check Solution Layers Regularly

  Use the “Layer View” in the Power Platform admin centre to examine customisations before making changes. Watch for conflicts or multiple authors

• Deploy with Managed Solutions When Appropriate

  Move solutions to production as managed packages to simplify rollback and prevent accidental edits

• Patch Instead of Overwrite

  Use patches and version control rather than replacing full solutions. This isolates changes and minimizes disruption

• Document Everything

  Include metadata or notes within solutions outlining what was changed, by whom, and why. Or use a documentation tool like FlexDoc to simplify maintenance and handovers

• Establish a Layer Governance Model

  If multiple consultants or teams are involved, define ownership, conflict resolution protocols, and guidelines for unmanaged changes

Pro Tip: Use the Solution Checker

Before deployment, run the Solution Checker to identify deprecated APIs, performance issues, or unsupported practices. It's a simple safeguard that prevents bigger problems down the line.

Conclusion

Solution layering doesn’t have to be chaotic.

With a structured approach, including inspecting layers, documenting changes, and deploying with discipline - you can navigate legacy environments confidently and leave them better than you found them.

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