Learnings: Clone Solution and What It Really Does

In Power Automate, the “Clone Solution” function hides more than meets the eye. This function suggests that an exact copy of your solution is created to make adjustments. In reality, however, it creates a new version of the solution and integrates all associated patches. The name “Clone Solution” can be misleading, as the function comes closer to a “Merge”.

Impact on the Development Process

The difference between cloning and creating a new version significantly influences the development process. Developers who believe they are creating independent copies could unintentionally affect the original solution. This incorrect application can complicate maintenance and versioning and cause complications during deployment.

Distinction: “Clone a Patch” vs. “Clone Solution”

The “Clone a Patch” function creates a temporary new solution that contains only the components of the original solution to be modified. Meanwhile, the original solution is put into read-only mode so that all changes must be made in this patch. The goal is to enable minor adjustments without overwriting the entire solution.

The “Clone Solution” button plays a crucial role here. It creates a new version of the original solution with integrated patches. If the “Clone a Patch” step is skipped, only a new version with a new DisplayName and version number is created, without 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 merely creates new versions and combines them with existing patches.

To obtain independent solution copies, alternative methods should be used, such as manually copying flows or using versioning tools. These functionalities are also present in other Microsoft products such as Power Apps and Power BI, but their workflows may differ.