It's been a while since I've published anything here. I often don't have the time to do some really cool things in the basement. Only some time ago I played with the App-V Eventlog and found out which App-V events there are at all. That's interesting because there are news that nobody actually knows about. The messages are no real help for errors. I recommend rather the website http://app-v.de/html/app-v_5_error_codes.html . Still, maybe you can do something with it. By the way, there are many more App_V log providers. Please ask if you need one

App-V 5 Recipe for SQL Server Management Studio 2016 or SSMS 17.x

The legal stuff first: Use these instructions at your own risk. I cannot guarantee that they will always function well and I accept no responsibility for any damages. However I would appreciate any feedback concerning problems in order to help others in the community.

You can find here the Recipe for 18.5: https://www.andreasnick.com/105-sql-server-management-studio-18-5-ssms-app-v-recipe.html

Notice: If you would like to support me and this blog, then purchase my App-V 5 book (written in German): https://www.amazon.de/Softwarevirtualisierung-mit-App-V-Ein-Praxisbuch/dp/1544717318

A few days ago I held a workshop on packaging for App-V together with one of our best Citrix specialists and coauthor of the Rheinwerk book for XenDesktop 7.x, Jan Hendrik, (Jan Hendrik's Blog excelent Citrix Blog) as well as with his colleague Tobias. Especially we talked about applications for which packaging had not functioned. This included, among others, the SQL Server Management Studio 2016 and SSMS 17. Even with the App-V recipe for SSMS 2014 it still did not allow packages to be made.
Upon attempting to sequence SQL Server Management Studio 17 and to save it, the following error occurs: HRESULT: 0x8007139F. Apparently the App-V 5 sequencer does not function with some of the components in the package (@Microsoft – this is a bug in the sequencer). Furthermore it is no longer possible to download Visual Studio Shell 2015 (Isolated) separately from Microsoft. In the Rorymon blog there is only a notice that Microsoft does not (any longer?) support Management Studio (SSMS 17) for App-V. I think that the lack of manufacturer's product support is the case for many applications. Therefore we simply tried it ourselves (it does represent quite a challenge).
When one takes a closer look at the problem with the Process monitor, one quickly sees which component it is that causes the HRESULT:

This text describes how Microsoft App-V can be used to do a fully automated conversion of an entire collection of MSI packages to App-V packages.

The prerequisite for this is, alongside a functioning virtual sequencer, a VMware ESXi environment with vSphere and PowerCLI:

https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/PowerCLI/

This example can easily be adapted for Hyper-V.

Microsoft offers the possibility to automate packet creation with Windows PowerShell on the sequencer. The use of this module is simple. However must ensure the sequencer is installed on the environment according to the best practice for the selected environment. As a rule the automated packaging will be controlled from the outside, so use a sequencer in a Hyper-V or VMware environment and reset it automatically before each use.

Import the sequencer PowerShell extension:

As of Citrix XenDesktop Version 7.8 it is possible to use App-V packages (.appv files) directly from the directory. Therefore it is possible to refrain entirely from using an App-V Infrastructure with a Publishing-and-Management server. What you may be missing however are the App-V “Connection Groups”. With XenDesktop 7.11, Citrix integrated “Isolation Groups” into the product. The term means really nothing other than an App-V Connection Group, mixed however with a little Citrix XenDesktop magic in order to simplify greatly the use of Connection Groups. Isolation Groups can only be used with App-V packages directly imported via the directory. Packages that come from  an App-V infrastructure (App-V Management server) cannot be placed into a Citrix Isolation Group. It's also not necessary, since Connection Groups can be defined with an App-V infrastructure and then synchronized on the respective end device upon application launch.

This article shows how shortcuts can be created and managed in documents (such as PDF, Word, and so on) and in scripts with Microsoft App-V. New shortcuts for websites (URLs) can be created directly with the App-V Management Server, that are then inserted into the Start menus of certain AD groups. The applications run outside the virtual environment, since one leaves “the bubble” through the local scripts.
In Citrix XenApp 6.5 there is shortcut management for documents, web links or even scripts. This means that it is possible in the System Management for XenApp to create a shortcut and then later to have this shortcut automatically be made available in the Start menu or even in the Citrix web interface (now Store Front). This function is no longer available as of XenDesktop 7.x.
One of our customers had a whole pile of shortcuts and the requirement to integrate them somehow in the new XenDesktop 7.9 with App-V. In short, we found a solution with App-V to manage the Start menu shortcuts and applications. The prerequisite for this is the App-V Management and Publishing Server, in order to authorize shortcuts for groups.