Dynamics CRM 2011 Managed vs Unmanaged Solutions

1. Delete unused components from Managed solutions:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/devkeydet/archive/2012/05/29/deleting-things-from-a-deployed-crm-2011-managed-solution-package.aspx

2. Some more insight about Managed vs UnManaged:

http://gonzaloruizcrm.blogspot.pt/2012/01/cannot-delete-components-of-managed.html

3. Convert Managed to UnManaged

http://community.adxstudio.com/blogs/shan/2014-01-17-converting-crm-solutions-from-managed-to-unmanaged/

4. SDK:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg334576.aspx

Take away:

• A deploy of an solution Managed or UnManaged will always result in the cumulative of the existing solution with the new version solution. Basically we cannot delete fields (schema) with a deploy. We only can overwrite stuff.
• The only way to delete a field (schema) is to use the procedure describe in point 1. Or simply delete the Managed solution (remember all data inside the entities of this solution will also be deleted).
• Merge
• User interface components (ribbons, forms, and site map) are merged. This means that the solution components are re-calculated from the lowest level to the highest so that the organization’s unmanaged customizations are the last to be applied.
• Top Wins
• For all other solution components any conflict is calculated in favor of the customization that is applied last. For managed solutions this usually means that the last solution installed is applied. However, there is a special case when an update to a managed solution is installed.

Managed or unmanaged solutions in CRM 2011: Best Practices

http://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/gonzaloruiz/archive/2012/01/03/managed-or-unmanaged-solutions-in-crm-2011-best-practices.aspx