What is Microsoft AppSource?

Microsoft AppSource is the official marketplace for business apps, add-ons, and solutions built for the Microsoft ecosystem.

AppSource provides Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), developers, and organizations a federated platform to showcase their apps for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, Azure, and other services.

By publishing apps on AppSource, companies are able to connect to millions of potential customers worldwide, increase brand recognition, and build trusted multi-market solutions for Microsoft’s cloud service.

For developers building solutions on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, AppSource is the marketplace that connects developers with the Dynamics 365 community, allowing developers to deliver cloud-ready, certified extensions to customers around the world.

AppSource application publishing goes beyond brand recognition by enabling monetization, test drives, and free trials, which allow companies to increase application adoption and revenue.

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How to Publish Apps on Microsoft AppSource?

Publishing an app(s) on AppSource requires several technical and administrative steps.

The steps are outlined in a structured manner below:

Register Object Range with Microsoft

It is necessary to register a unique object range with Microsoft before continuing your development. Object ranges define the integrity of the app component you have been developing, such as tables, pages, and other objects, to ensure you do not have a conflict with existing apps or extensions. 

Often, Microsoft gives 1,000 object IDs for each module, so if you have carefully tracked the use of the object IDs, you may use these across multiple apps.

You can request these IDs through the Partner Source portal and submit your completed request to the Microsoft APOC Team.

Proper management of object ranges is paramount in your development lifecycle to allow for the identification of errors in customer environments and seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Register Publisher Prefix

All publishers on AppSource need to register a unique three-letter prefix that connects the prefix to the name of the original publisher. This publisher prefix also allows you to use it in the object name, actions, or procedures that you are developing.

By having a unique publisher prefix, your components are identifiable, reducing the possibility of getting name collisions, and associating your app with your organization/lifestyle.

• To register your publisher prefix, you must reach out to Microsoft through the specified email address or by using your Partner Center contact.
• If you would like to use multiple publisher names or plan to publish various apps under the same brand, each prefix must be requested separately.

Registering a publisher prefix prepares you for organized and uninfluenced app development.

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Create Your App

With the object range and publisher prefix in place, you can begin development and build your app as a cloud-fit solution by optimizing it for performance, scalability, security, etc. in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

• Using the technical guidelines and the best practices provided by Microsoft, you will ensure your extension to Business Central is tightly integrated with the core platform.
• Ensure you are building in a modular fashion, use appropriate naming, and approach coding properly to avoid unnecessary errors and conflicts.
• Think of possible future updates and ways to expand from the outset.

Your goal when developing your app is to have a solution that is stable and reliable for customers, typically featuring a user-first design for ease of use, compliant with Microsoft certification requirements, and in a way that minimizes the possibility of technical issues during delivery and validation.

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Testing and Documentation

Having tested your app extensively before submitting it is essential because, unlike initial testing, Microsoft does not manually check for functionality when processing your submission.

Therefore, it is important to test every function to ensure stability, no data corruption, and failure to meet security requirements. Also, ensure you have simulated various user scenarios to ensure you are working with different environments.

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In conjunction with testing, you should also be preparing two documentation pieces: a User Guide, which explains to the user how to use your app.

These documents are required for submission and will help your customers understand your app. Ensuring extensive testing and proper documentation will reduce validation errors and improve user adoption of your app on AppSource.

Code Signing

Your app must have a Valid Code Signing Certificate and be digitally signed before uploading it to AppSource to ensure authenticity and integrity.

You can get a certificate from a trusted provider and sign the app using tools like signtool.

If customers respect your app, and the app hasn’t been tampered with during distribution, consideration of this guarantee for the authenticity and integrity of the app cannot be underestimated.

Protect your signing credentials like you’d protect your passwords, especially if you are using a USB token for secure storage.

Proper code signing is mandatory for passing Microsoft’s validation and publishing requirements, but it also supports credibility with end-users and avoids unwanted security warnings during installation or when using your app.

Upload to Partner Center

After signing and preparing your app, log in to the Microsoft Partner Center and upload your extension by going to the Marketplace Offers section and creating a new offer with your signed app file and all required metadata, descriptions, and pricing, if applicable, of course. Fill out all the fields: publisher details, object range, and version fields.

Once the upload is complete, select Review and Publish. The more complete and accurate your submission is, the fewer mistakes there will be and the less likely the submission will be rejected, which reduces the time to approval. This step uniquely registers your app for listing on Microsoft AppSource.

Automatic Validation

After submission, Microsoft runs an automated validation process to check for technical, security, and performance standards compliance in your app.

Specifically, it checks that you are using supported object ranges and works on cloud readiness, functionality, and compliance with Microsoft’s standards.

If there are errors, you will receive notifications regarding the things you have to correct or changes you have to make to resubmit the app.

The validation process usually takes a few hours, but safeguards the quality and reliability for end users.

If you commit to all the preparatory steps of testing your app, documentation, and signing your code, you will have the best chances of improving the validation rate with your first submission for a faster publishing process and quicker availability to your customers.

Key Considerations Before Publishing

Country Availability

• Reviewing country availability for your app when publishing in Microsoft AppSource requires careful thought.
• Some countries may be using older versions of Microsoft products, which could potentially result in compatibility problems or validation errors.
• Developers should test their application in their targeted region to make certain there are no deployment issues.
• Additionally, certain localized features may differ between countries or regulatory requirements could also differ.
• Planning the availability by country can help to reduce validation errors and improve the experience of the end user around the world.

Version Control

Having proper version control while updating applications in AppSource is critical. When creating a new update, you should always increase the version number in the app.json file. Otherwise, the platform will not identify your new update.

Avoid introducing breaking changes, such as deleting tables, changing data types, or removing necessary objects. All of these will disrupt any existing installations and the customers’ live environments.

Having a proper versioning plan aids Microsoft’s validation process while at the same time allowing users the ability to fairly easily update to the latest version with their data and functionality intact. Always focus on application integrity and end-user experience first.

Free Trials

There are no built-in expiration periods for free trials in the Partner Center, so developers have to devise their own systems to allow users to trial.

One option is to create a feature-limited version of the app that appropriately highlights the main or core functionality without affecting licensing permissions.

Alternatively, developers might want to use their own licensing system, either PowerApps or some other licensing/compliance tool that is focused on license management, and can track the trial time, and disable the app after the trial period has lapsed.

Thoughtful planning of trial functionality to attract potential customers, while maintaining compliance with licensing policies and minimizing abuse of trial versions, is paramount for appropriateness.

Test drive Options

Providing a test drive is also another means of allowing potential customers to experience the app/software without fully committing to the product before installing it. Often this will take place in a sandbox, and is often pre-seeded with sample data.

Test drives are a good way to show all features, demonstrate UI functionality, and optimize experience in a controlled environment.

Developers should be mindful to avoid accessing with an organizational account; otherwise, it may inadvertently change their account to an external user, resulting in the loss of administrative rights.

If the test drives are properly set up, they would help build customer confidence and build toward adoption, while you maintain some assurance over your internal environment.

Selling Through Microsoft

If you are going to monetize your app through Microsoft, it is essential to configure your purchase plans in the Partner Center.

You can set up either monthly subscriptions or yearly subscriptions, depending on your business model. Also, your AL code must provide for entitlements.

Entitlements will allow you to manage users’ access to your app, using the purchases each user has made, so that all users have access only to the features of the app that they are entitled to based on authorized purchases.

Properly setting up your purchase plan definitions, entitlements, and licensing is extremely important to avoid billing problems that can negatively impact your cash flow, secure revenue streams, and ensure compliance with Microsoft’s marketplace terms and conditions. This leads to an optimal commercial experience for both developers and customers.

Conclusion

Protect your applications and encourage trust with users by digitally signing your software with SignMyCode. SignMyCode will help you realize authenticity, integrity, and compliance with Microsoft AppSource requirements using our Code Signing Certificates you can depend on.

Whether Dynamics 365 extensions apps, Power Platform apps, or standalone software, SignMyCode will ensure you can deliver safe, verified applications that pass validation with ease.

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