How to import CRM 2016 solution to CRM 2015, Import solution from higher CRM to lower CRM version

How to import CRM 2016 solution to CRM 2015, Import solution from higher CRM to lower CRM version.

Hello CRM Developers,

     Here is my new post, In this post I am going to to tell how we can import crm solution from higher to lower version, Obviously it is not recommended nor we required most of time, we rarely required but we do not know when could we in such a situation or we got a requirement ?

There are some set of instructions by which we can import solution from higher to lower version.
I am taking an example for importing CRM 2016 solution to CRM 2015.

Below are step by step instructions for importing CRM solution from higher CRM version to lower CRM version.

Step 1:- Export solution from higher CRM version.

Step 2:- Open "solution" xml file in any xml editor and find below text.

• version
• SolutionPackageVersion
• behavior

Step 3:- Now change values for version and SolutionPackageVersion and remove behavior="0", like below.

Exported CRM solution file before change

<ImportExportXml version="8.0.0001.0079" SolutionPackageVersion="8.0" languagecode="1033" generatedBy="CrmLive" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

  <SolutionManifest>

    <UniqueName>Test</UniqueName>

    <LocalizedNames>

      <LocalizedName description="Test" languagecode="1033" />

    </LocalizedNames>

    <Descriptions />

    <Version>1.0</Version>

    <Managed>0</Managed>

    <Publisher>

      <UniqueName>DefaultPublishermyninja</UniqueName>

      <LocalizedNames>

        <LocalizedName description="Default Publisher for myninja" languagecode="1033" />

      </LocalizedNames>

      <Descriptions>

        <Description description="Default publisher for this organization" languagecode="1033" />

      </Descriptions>

      <EMailAddress xsi:nil="true"></EMailAddress>

      <SupportingWebsiteUrl xsi:nil="true"></SupportingWebsiteUrl>

      <CustomizationPrefix>new</CustomizationPrefix>

      <CustomizationOptionValuePrefix>10000</CustomizationOptionValuePrefix>

      <Addresses>

        <Address>

          <AddressNumber>1</AddressNumber>

          <AddressTypeCode xsi:nil="true"></AddressTypeCode>

          <City xsi:nil="true"></City>

          <County xsi:nil="true"></County>

          <Country xsi:nil="true"></Country>

          <Fax xsi:nil="true"></Fax>

          <FreightTermsCode xsi:nil="true"></FreightTermsCode>

          <ImportSequenceNumber xsi:nil="true"></ImportSequenceNumber>

          <Latitude xsi:nil="true"></Latitude>

          <Line1 xsi:nil="true"></Line1>

          <Line2 xsi:nil="true"></Line2>

          <Line3 xsi:nil="true"></Line3>

          <Longitude xsi:nil="true"></Longitude>

          <Name xsi:nil="true"></Name>

          <PostalCode xsi:nil="true"></PostalCode>

          <PostOfficeBox xsi:nil="true"></PostOfficeBox>

          <PrimaryContactName xsi:nil="true"></PrimaryContactName>

          <ShippingMethodCode xsi:nil="true"></ShippingMethodCode>

          <StateOrProvince xsi:nil="true"></StateOrProvince>

          <Telephone1 xsi:nil="true"></Telephone1>

          <Telephone2 xsi:nil="true"></Telephone2>

          <Telephone3 xsi:nil="true"></Telephone3>

          <TimeZoneRuleVersionNumber xsi:nil="true"></TimeZoneRuleVersionNumber>

          <UPSZone xsi:nil="true"></UPSZone>

          <UTCOffset xsi:nil="true"></UTCOffset>

          <UTCConversionTimeZoneCode xsi:nil="true"></UTCConversionTimeZoneCode>

        </Address>        

      </Addresses>

    </Publisher>

    <RootComponents>

      <RootComponent type="60" id="{028e1263-abec-4b11-8958-984195c8d2b3}" behavior="0" />

      <RootComponent type="60" id="{66c79877-1d08-4a33-8871-e5a95d666ff6}" behavior="0" />

      <RootComponent type="60" id="{814617a5-03aa-40c1-a6bf-c7c1176f4e65}" behavior="0" />

      <RootComponent type="91" schemaName="TestPlugin, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=928f120268c8daa4" behavior="0" />

    </RootComponents>

    <MissingDependencies>

      <MissingDependency>

        <Required key="4" type="1" schemaName="new_scans" displayName="Scans" solution="Active" />

        <Dependent key="5" type="60" displayName="Information" parentDisplayName="Scans" id="{814617a5-03aa-40c1-a6bf-c7c1176f4e65}" />

      </MissingDependency>

      </MissingDependencies>

  </SolutionManifest>

</ImportExportXml>

CRM solution file after change - version and SolutionPackageVersion changed from 8.0 to 7.0 and behavior="0" has removed.

<ImportExportXml version="7.0.0001.0079" SolutionPackageVersion="7.0" languagecode="1033" generatedBy="CrmLive" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

  <SolutionManifest>

    <UniqueName>Test</UniqueName>

    <LocalizedNames>

      <LocalizedName description="Test" languagecode="1033" />

    </LocalizedNames>

    <Descriptions />

    <Version>1.0</Version>

    <Managed>0</Managed>

    <Publisher>

      <UniqueName>DefaultPublishermyninja</UniqueName>

      <LocalizedNames>

        <LocalizedName description="Default Publisher for myninja" languagecode="1033" />

      </LocalizedNames>

      <Descriptions>

        <Description description="Default publisher for this organization" languagecode="1033" />

      </Descriptions>

      <EMailAddress xsi:nil="true"></EMailAddress>

      <SupportingWebsiteUrl xsi:nil="true"></SupportingWebsiteUrl>

      <CustomizationPrefix>new</CustomizationPrefix>

      <CustomizationOptionValuePrefix>10000</CustomizationOptionValuePrefix>

      <Addresses>

        <Address>

          <AddressNumber>1</AddressNumber>

          <AddressTypeCode xsi:nil="true"></AddressTypeCode>

          <City xsi:nil="true"></City>

          <County xsi:nil="true"></County>

          <Country xsi:nil="true"></Country>

          <Fax xsi:nil="true"></Fax>

          <FreightTermsCode xsi:nil="true"></FreightTermsCode>

          <ImportSequenceNumber xsi:nil="true"></ImportSequenceNumber>

          <Latitude xsi:nil="true"></Latitude>

          <Line1 xsi:nil="true"></Line1>

          <Line2 xsi:nil="true"></Line2>

          <Line3 xsi:nil="true"></Line3>

          <Longitude xsi:nil="true"></Longitude>

          <Name xsi:nil="true"></Name>

          <PostalCode xsi:nil="true"></PostalCode>

          <PostOfficeBox xsi:nil="true"></PostOfficeBox>

          <PrimaryContactName xsi:nil="true"></PrimaryContactName>

          <ShippingMethodCode xsi:nil="true"></ShippingMethodCode>

          <StateOrProvince xsi:nil="true"></StateOrProvince>

          <Telephone1 xsi:nil="true"></Telephone1>

          <Telephone2 xsi:nil="true"></Telephone2>

          <Telephone3 xsi:nil="true"></Telephone3>

          <TimeZoneRuleVersionNumber xsi:nil="true"></TimeZoneRuleVersionNumber>

          <UPSZone xsi:nil="true"></UPSZone>

          <UTCOffset xsi:nil="true"></UTCOffset>

          <UTCConversionTimeZoneCode xsi:nil="true"></UTCConversionTimeZoneCode>

        </Address>        

      </Addresses>

    </Publisher>

    <RootComponents>

      <RootComponent type="60" id="{028e1263-abec-4b11-8958-984195c8d2b3}" behavior="0" />

      <RootComponent type="60" id="{66c79877-1d08-4a33-8871-e5a95d666ff6}" behavior="0" />

      <RootComponent type="60" id="{814617a5-03aa-40c1-a6bf-c7c1176f4e65}" behavior="0" />

      <RootComponent type="91" schemaName="TestPlugin, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=928f120268c8daa4" />

    </RootComponents>

    <MissingDependencies>

      <MissingDependency>

        <Required key="4" type="1" schemaName="new_scans" displayName="Scans" solution="Active" />

        <Dependent key="5" type="60" displayName="Information" parentDisplayName="Scans" id="{814617a5-03aa-40c1-a6bf-c7c1176f4e65}" />

      </MissingDependency>

      </MissingDependencies>

  </SolutionManifest>

</ImportExportXml>

Step 3:- Now save solution.xml file and compress using only windows compression not with any other compress tool and then import solution to version 7.0 (CRM 2015), I am sure it will be imported successfully.

Note:- this is not supported way and not recommended by Microsoft. Most of time it works but it may not work properly, it also depends on your crm customization. If your crm solution contains minimal customization then chances are higher to work properly.

For further help you can leave a comment.

Enjoy the great technology Dynamics CRM. Good Luck .....!!!! Please feel free to leave comment.
Thanks