LCS (December 2018 – release 1) release notes

Self-service upgrade becomes generally available

After you complete the code upgrade and are able to perform an end-to-end data upgrade in your development environment without manipulating data in Microsoft SQL Server, you can begin the upgrade process in your sandbox environment.

Self-service upgrade allows the provisioning of a free sandbox on your target version.

You can apply one or many software packages to prepare this new infrastructure, depending on what you require for Platform updates, ISV packages, and your customization packages. When you’re ready for your planned downtime, you can start the Data Upgrade and the new infrastructure will be connected to your existing database to execute the upgrade scripts.

Customers have 10 calendar days to sign off on upgrade for their Sandbox environment. After this, customers can upgrade their own Production environment in the exact manner.

For more details, refer to scenario #3 in the updated documentation, Process for moving to the latest update.

Self-service database export becomes generally available

The process to export a backup file to bring down to Tier 1 Developer environments is now much simpler.

To move a database, use the self-service action to export the database from Azure SQL Database and then import it into Microsoft SQL Server. Because the file name extension for the exported data is .bacpac, this process is often referred to as the bacpac process.

The high-level process for a database move includes the following phases:

  1. Export your source environment to the LCS Asset Library.
  2. Import the database into SQL Server.
  3. Run a SQL script to update the database.

For more information, see the updated documentation, Copy Finance and Operations databases from Azure SQL Database to SQL Server environments.

Translation Service now supports multiple target languages in a single request

Starting with this release, Dynamics 365 – Translation Service customers can select multiple translation target languages in a single translation request when the source file stays in the same language. Customers can now track the progress and the details from a single request in one view. This saves time, as customers no longer need to manually create individual language requests for the number of necessary target languages, as well as access and manage the result of each request.

Deployment flow update for Tier 2 Sandbox environment for new customers

Today, you can deploy a Tier 2 Standard Acceptance Test Sandbox environment as soon as you get a project. However, starting with this release, deployment of the Sandbox environment will ONLY be enabled after project configuration has been completed. To complete project configuration and unblock deployment of the Sandbox environment, check the notification option in the Action Center on the Project Dashboard page and select the Complete Project Configuration link. This is a one-time activity and is required only for new Finance and Operations customers. There is no change for existing customers. After the project configuration is complete, the deployment will be unblocked.