Dynamics 365 Deployment Best Practice Guide

Maintain the same GUIDs across environments for records referenced in workflows/views. Use custom actions to parameterize the referenced records instead of referencing them directly in the workflow.

Individually importing files is time-consuming and forces you to import them in the correct order to resolve inter-file column references. Zipping multiple files together saves time and Dynamics 365 handles the import order for you.

Unnecessary fields increase import time and may trigger workflows/plug-ins registered on those fields. For example, to update a contact's address, don't include unnecessary fields like first and last name.

To migrate data without triggering business logic, deactivate plug-ins and workflows registered on the entities present in the import file. This also reduces import time.

Admin mode locks the environment for all users, leaving only system administrators with access. This ensures data is not compromised by unplanned changes; if an error occurs, data can be restored to a previous version.

During deployment, the system may be slow, which is why locking the system for end users is recommended. Clear messages inform end users that the environment is down due to planned activities and will return after the indicated duration, avoiding confused support tickets.

Backups ensure the system can be restored to its pre-deployment state if a deployment failure occurs. Backups are faster than creating a copy of the environment.

Tests enable team members to prepare a mitigation plan. Issues can be proactively flagged and resolved, mitigating end-user impact during the real deployment.