Learnings: Clone Solution and what it really does

In Power Automate, the function behind the „Clone Solution“ more than it seems at first glance. This function suggests that an exact copy of your solution is created in order to make adjustments. However, it actually creates a new version of the solution and integrates all associated patches. The name „Clone Solution“ can be misleading, as the function resembles a „Merge“ comes closer.

Influence on the development process

The difference between cloning and creating a new version has a significant impact on the development process. Developers who believe they are creating independent copies may inadvertently compromise the original solution. This incorrect application can make maintenance and versioning more difficult and cause complications during deployment.

Differentiation: „Clone a Patch“ vs. „Clone Solution“

With the function „Clone a Patch“ a temporary new solution is created that only contains the components of the original solution to be modified. Meanwhile, the original solution is set to read-only mode so that all changes must be made in this patch. The aim is to allow minor adjustments to be made without overwriting the entire solution.

The „Clone Solution“ button plays a decisive role here. It creates a new version of the original solution with integrated patches. If the „Clone a Patch“ step is omitted, only a new version with a new display name and version number is created, without any actual changes to the components.

Conclusion

The „Clone Solution“ function in Power Automate is more complex than its name suggests. Instead of duplicating solutions, it simply creates new versions and merges them with existing patches.

To obtain independent solution copies, alternative methods should be used, such as manual copying of flows or the use of versioning tools. These functionalities are also available in other Microsoft products such as Power Apps and Power BI, but their working methods may differ.