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Env Variables & Connection References

These two component types are solution-aware in their definition, but environment-specific in their value — that split is the source of most confusion around them, so it's worth being explicit about it here and cross-referencing Config & Reference Data Migration rather than repeating the ALM-side handling on this page.

Connection references

  • Naming: prfx_..._con (lowercase), e.g. dgt_dataverse_con, dgt_sharepoint_con, dgt_outlook_con.
  • The definition (which connector, display name) travels with the solution.
  • The connection assignment is user-specific: whoever owns the flow's connection at deployment time is whose API limits and permissions the flow runs under. After every deployment to a new or refreshed environment, re-confirm who the connection is assigned to — don't assume the previous environment's assignment carried over.
  • DGT-CUS-200 — For unattended/production flows, assign the connection via an application user / service principal rather than a named person's account — this also gives you the full API limit allocation rather than a shared per-user quota.

Environment variables

  • Naming: prfx_..._env (lowercase), e.g. dgt_foreign_system_url_env, dgt_organization_friendlyname_env.
  • DGT-CUS-210 — In development, create the environment variable definition only (no value) and deploy that. If you set a value while creating it in the dev environment, remove the current value (a separate record from the definition) before export — open the variable in the maker portal and delete its value. Take care not to remove the definition itself from the solution.
  • On the target environment, set the actual value either:
    • via an unmanaged "values" solution layered on top, or
    • directly during manual deployment in the modern deployment settings UI, or
    • through a deployment settings file consumed by your pipeline (see Pre- & Post-Deployment Tasks).

Why this split matters for ALM

Both of these are exactly the kind of artifact that makes "just import the solution" an incomplete deployment story — see Config & Reference Data Migration for how this is handled as an explicit pipeline step rather than a manual post-deployment task someone has to remember.