Problem with a solution import dependency

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I found this documentation for the error code: "There was an error calculating dependencies for this component. Missing component id : [GUID]" error occurs when importing a solution into Dynamics 365 (microsoft.com)

However, as you can see, the dependent component id is NOT a GUID.  Searching the solution.XML does NOT find the string "msdyn_product_knowledgearticle" anywhere.  It is an N-N relationship from some managed solution provided by microsoft.  Of the 3 resolutions given in the document

1. I've tried a small solution with just the Product, Knoledge article and the relationship.  It won't take.
2. The missing relationship is already in the larger solution.
3. The larger solution does not present me with the option of removing components 

Something tells me this is an unusual situation -- perhaps that microsoft support has been looking at it for 2 days.

Has anyone ever see this -- or this pattern -- before?  Is there any way to determine the managed solution origin of the relationship?