Developing Managed SuiteApps
Managed SuiteApps give you control over when SDF SuiteApps are upgraded in accounts. When a managed SuiteApp is installed, the installer agrees to subscribe to future upgrades. As upgrades are developed, they can be installed by the SuiteApp release manager into the accounts without any action required by the account administrator.
One of the issues that solution providers face is ensuring that users of their SuiteApps apply upgrades as they become available. Managed SuiteApps allow you to upgrade SuiteApps in the accounts where they are installed whenever a new version is available.
If the Managed SuiteApps feature is enabled in your account, you can select Managed when creating the SuiteApp definition in SuiteApp Control Center. For more information, see Creating a SuiteApp Definition.
If you are a Premier or Select member of the SuiteCloud Developer Network, you can request access to the Managed SuiteApps feature by filing a support case through the NetSuite Partner Center. Please be sure to provide your deployment account ID.
NetSuite only enables the Managed SuiteApps feature on SDN trailing accounts. An SDN trailing account is one that is upgraded in the last phase of a phased release. The Managed SuiteApps feature is not available for SDN leading accounts.
Users who have installed a managed SuiteApp do not have responsibility for updating it; you as the SuiteApp release manager complete this task at your discretion. For managed SuiteApps, only a user with the SuiteApp Release Manager role can apply upgrades to the install base. For information about installing upgrades, see Pushing a SuiteApp Version Upgrade to Users. To view current managed SuiteApp upgrades in progress, see Viewing SDF SuiteApp Upgrades.
If you want your users to be able to manually upgrade a SuiteApp in their accounts, you can select Unmanaged when creating the SuiteApp definition in SuiteApp Control Center. For more information, see Creating a SuiteApp Definition.
Managed upgrades from SuiteApp Control Center are not possible for Sandbox and Release Preview accounts. Users can see the upgrade button on the SuiteApp details page in the SuiteApp Marketplace.
If the user that pushed a managed SuiteApp upgrade from the SuiteApp Control Center exists in the target account, the “Set By” column in system notes shows the internal ID of this user. If that user does not exist in the target account, this column shows the administrator that has the lowest internal ID in the target account.
Managed SuiteApps - Best Practices
Follow these practices when distributing managed SuiteApps:
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Develop a communication plan for your upgrades. You can push upgrades that are bug fixes quickly and seamlessly without disturbing your install base. For upgrades that are new versions, be sure to communicate with your install base ahead of time.
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Avoid pushing upgrades during install base peak hours.
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Be sure that SuiteApp upgrades do not overlap with the NetSuite phased release cycle if the upgrades rely on new features that are only available in the leading version.
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Be aware that the order in which scripts run in the source account is maintained when the SuiteApp is installed in target accounts. You can set up script execution order for client and user event scripts on the Scripted Records page, at Customization> Scripting > Scripted Records. See The Scripted Records Page.
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Lock objects in managed SuiteApps to avoid clobbering customizations in target accounts.