dv-metadata

Skill: Metadata — Making Changes

Before the first metadata change in a session, confirm the target environment with the user. See the Multi-Environment Rule in the overview skill for the full confirmation flow.

---

How Changes Are Made: Environment-First

Do not write solution XML by hand to create new tables, columns, forms, or views.

The environment validates metadata far more reliably than an agent editing XML. The correct workflow is:

1. Make the change in the environment via the Dataverse MetadataService API (or pac commands where available)
2. Pull the change into the repo via pac solution export + pac solution unpack
3. Commit the result

The exported XML is generated by Dataverse itself and is always valid. Hand-written XML is fragile — a single incorrect attribute or missing element causes an import failure with an opaque error.

The only time you write files directly is when editing something that already exists in the repo (e.g., tweaking an existing view's columns or modifying a form layout you've already pulled).

---

Creating a Table

ALWAYS use the SDK unless you need full control over OwnershipType, HasActivities, or other advanced properties. Do NOT use requests or urllib for table creation when the SDK can handle it.

SDK approach (use this by default):

from auth import get_credential, load_env
from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.client import DataverseClient
import os

load_env()
client = DataverseClient(os.environ["DATAVERSE_URL"], get_credential())

info = client.tables.create(
    "new_ProjectBudget",
    {"new_Amount": "decimal", "new_Description": "string"},
    solution="MySolution",
    primary_column="new_Name",
)
print(f"Created: {info['table_schema_name']}")

Web API fallback (ONLY when you need OwnershipType, HasActivities, or other properties the SDK doesn't expose):

# Helper for Label boilerplate
def label(text):
    return {"@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.Label",
            "LocalizedLabels": [{"@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.LocalizedLabel",
                                  "Label": text, "LanguageCode": 1033}]}

entity = {
    "@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.EntityMetadata",
    "SchemaName": "new_ProjectBudget",
    "DisplayName": label("Project Budget"),
    "DisplayCollectionName": label("Project Budgets"),
    "Description": label(""),
    "OwnershipType": "UserOwned",
    "HasActivities": False, "HasNotes": False, "IsActivity": False,
    "PrimaryNameAttribute": "new_name",
    "Attributes": [{
        "@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.StringAttributeMetadata",
        "SchemaName": "new_name",
        "DisplayName": label("Name"),
        "RequiredLevel": {"Value": "ApplicationRequired"},
        "MaxLength": 100, "IsPrimaryName": True,
    }]
}
# POST to /api/data/v9.2/EntityDefinitions with MSCRM.SolutionUniqueName header

---

Adding Columns

SDK approach (preferred):

created = client.tables.add_columns(
    "new_ProjectBudget",
    {"new_Description": "string", "new_Amount": "decimal", "new_Active": "bool"},
)
print(created)  # ['new_Description', 'new_Amount', 'new_Active']

Supported type strings: "string" / "text", "int" / "integer", "decimal" / "money", "float" / "double", "datetime" / "date", "bool" / "boolean", "file", and Enum subclasses (for local option sets).

Choice (picklist) column via SDK:

from enum import IntEnum

class BudgetStatus(IntEnum):
    DRAFT = 100000000
    APPROVED = 100000001
    REJECTED = 100000002

created = client.tables.add_columns(
    "new_ProjectBudget",
    {"new_Status": BudgetStatus},
)

Web API approach (needed for column types the SDK doesn't support — e.g., currency with precision, memo with custom max length):

# Currency column
attribute = {
    "@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.MoneyAttributeMetadata",
    "SchemaName": "new_amount",
    "DisplayName": {"@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.Label",
                    "LocalizedLabels": [{"@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.LocalizedLabel",
                                          "Label": "Amount", "LanguageCode": 1033}]},
    "RequiredLevel": {"Value": "None"},
    "MinValue": 0,
    "MaxValue": 1000000000,
    "Precision": 2,
    "PrecisionSource": 2
}
# POST to /api/data/v9.2/EntityDefinitions(LogicalName='new_projectbudget')/Attributes

---

Lookup Columns and Relationships

SDK approach — simple lookup (preferred):

result = client.tables.create_lookup_field(
    referencing_table="new_projectbudget",
    lookup_field_name="new_AccountId",
    referenced_table="account",
    display_name="Account",
    solution="MySolution",
)
print(f"Created lookup: {result.lookup_schema_name}")

SDK approach — full control over 1:N relationship:

from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.models.relationship import (
    LookupAttributeMetadata,
    OneToManyRelationshipMetadata,
    CascadeConfiguration,
)
from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.models.labels import Label, LocalizedLabel
from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.common.constants import CASCADE_BEHAVIOR_REMOVE_LINK

lookup = LookupAttributeMetadata(
    schema_name="new_AccountId",
    display_name=Label(localized_labels=[LocalizedLabel(label="Account", language_code=1033)]),
)

relationship = OneToManyRelationshipMetadata(
    schema_name="account_new_projectbudget",
    referenced_entity="account",
    referencing_entity="new_projectbudget",
    referenced_attribute="accountid",
    cascade_configuration=CascadeConfiguration(delete=CASCADE_BEHAVIOR_REMOVE_LINK),
)

result = client.tables.create_one_to_many_relationship(lookup, relationship, solution="MySolution")
print(f"Created: {result.relationship_schema_name}")

SDK approach — many-to-many relationship:

from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.models.relationship import ManyToManyRelationshipMetadata

relationship = ManyToManyRelationshipMetadata(
    schema_name="new_ticket_knowledgebase",
    entity1_logical_name="new_ticket",
    entity2_logical_name="new_knowledgebase",
)

result = client.tables.create_many_to_many_relationship(relationship, solution="MySolution")
print(f"Created: {result.relationship_schema_name}")

Web API approach (fallback when SDK patterns don't suffice):

relationship = {
    "@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.OneToManyRelationshipMetadata",
    "SchemaName": "account_new_projectbudget",
    "ReferencedEntity": "account",
    "ReferencingEntity": "new_projectbudget",
    "Lookup": {
        "@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.LookupAttributeMetadata",
        "SchemaName": "new_AccountId",
        "DisplayName": {"@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.Label",
                        "LocalizedLabels": [{"@odata.type": "Microsoft.Dynamics.CRM.LocalizedLabel",
                                              "Label": "Account", "LanguageCode": 1033}]},
        "RequiredLevel": {"Value": "None"}
    }
}
# POST to /api/data/v9.2/RelationshipDefinitions

After creating a lookup — the @odata.bind navigation property:

When you create records that set this lookup, you need the navigation property name for @odata.bind. The navigation property name is case-sensitive and must match the entity's $metadata (usually the SchemaName of the lookup field, e.g., new_AccountId):

Navigation Property Name	@odata.bind key	Entity set
new_AccountId	new_AccountId@odata.bind	/accounts(<guid>)
new_ParentTicketId	new_ParentTicketId@odata.bind	/new_tickets(<guid>)

Common mistake: Using the logical name (lowercase) like new_accountid@odata.bind returns a 400 error. Navigation property names are case-sensitive and must match the entity's $metadata.

---

Adding a Table to a Solution

After creating a table via API, add it to your solution so it gets pulled on export:

pac solution add-reference \
  --environment <url> \
  --solution-unique-name <SOLUTION_NAME> \
  --entity <logical_name>

Or via Web API:

# POST to /api/data/v9.2/AddSolutionComponent
body = {
    "ComponentId": "<entity-metadata-id>",
    "ComponentType": 1,       # 1 = Entity
    "SolutionUniqueName": "<SOLUTION_NAME>",
    "AddRequiredComponents": True
}

---

Forms

Neither the MCP server nor the Python SDK supports forms. Use the Web API directly.

Create a form

# POST /api/data/v9.2/systemforms
import os, json, urllib.request
from auth import get_token, load_env

load_env()
env = os.environ["DATAVERSE_URL"].rstrip("/")
token = get_token()

form_xml = """<form type="7" name="Project Budget" id="{FORM-GUID}">
  <tabs>
    <tab name="{TAB-GUID}" id="{TAB-GUID}" expanded="true" showlabel="true">
      <labels><label description="General" languagecode="1033" /></labels>
      <columns><column width="100%">
        <sections>
          <section name="{SEC-GUID}" id="{SEC-GUID}" showlabel="false" showbar="false" columns="111">
            <labels><label description="General" languagecode="1033" /></labels>
            <rows>
              <row>
                <cell id="{CELL-GUID-1}" showlabel="true">
                  <labels><label description="Name" languagecode="1033" /></labels>
                  <control id="new_name" classid="{4273EDBD-AC1D-40d3-9FB2-095C621B552D}"
                           datafieldname="new_name" disabled="false" />
                </cell>
              </row>
            </rows>
          </section>
        </sections>
      </column></columns>
    </tab>
  </tabs>
  <header><rows /></header><footer><rows /></footer>
</form>"""

body = {
    "name": "Project Budget Quick Create",
    "objecttypecode": "new_projectbudget",
    "type": 7,           # 7 = quick create, 2 = main
    "formxml": form_xml,
    "iscustomizable": {"Value": True}
}

req = urllib.request.Request(
    f"{env}/api/data/v9.2/systemforms",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode(),
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
             "Content-Type": "application/json",
             "OData-MaxVersion": "4.0",
             "OData-Version": "4.0"},
    method="POST"
)
with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as resp:
    print(f"Created. FormId: {resp.headers.get('OData-EntityId')}")

Form type codes: 2 = Main, 7 = Quick Create, 6 = Quick View, 11 = Card

Retrieve and modify an existing form

# GET the form first, modify the XML, then PATCH it back
url = f"{env}/api/data/v9.2/systemforms?$filter=objecttypecode eq 'new_projectbudget' and type eq 2&$select=formid,name,formxml"
# ... parse response, modify formxml string, then:
# PATCH /api/data/v9.2/systemforms(<formid>)
# body: {"formxml": "<modified xml>"}

Publish forms after create/modify

Forms must be published to take effect:

body = {"ParameterXml": "<importexportxml><entities><entity>new_projectbudget</entity></entities></importexportxml>"}
# POST /api/data/v9.2/PublishXml

---

Views

Neither the MCP server nor the Python SDK supports views. Use the Web API directly.

Create a view

# POST /api/data/v9.2/savedqueries
fetch_xml = """<fetch version="1.0" output-format="xml-platform" mapping="logical">
  <entity name="new_projectbudget">
    <attribute name="new_name" />
    <attribute name="new_amount" />
    <attribute name="new_status" />
    <order attribute="new_name" descending="false" />
    <filter type="and">
      <condition attribute="statecode" operator="eq" value="0" />
      <condition attribute="ownerid" operator="eq-userid" />
    </filter>
  </entity>
</fetch>"""

layout_xml = """<grid name="resultset" jump="new_name" select="1" icon="1" preview="1">
  <row name="result" id="new_projectbudgetid">
    <cell name="new_name" width="200" />
    <cell name="new_amount" width="125" />
    <cell name="new_status" width="125" />
  </row>
</grid>"""

body = {
    "name": "My Open Budgets",
    "returnedtypecode": "new_projectbudget",
    "querytype": 0,       # 0 = standard view
    "fetchxml": fetch_xml,
    "layoutxml": layout_xml,
    "isdefault": False,
    "isprivate": False,
    "isquickfindquery": False,
}
# POST to /api/data/v9.2/savedqueries

querytype values: 0 = standard view, 1 = advanced find default, 2 = associated view, 4 = quick find

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When to Edit Existing Form XML Directly

If the form is already in the repo (pulled via pac solution unpack), targeted edits are acceptable — e.g., reordering fields, changing a label, adding a control to an existing section. For these cases, use this control classid reference:

Field type	Control classid
Text (nvarchar)	{4273EDBD-AC1D-40d3-9FB2-095C621B552D}
Currency (money)	{533B9108-5A8B-42cb-BD37-52D1B8E7C741}
Choice (picklist)	{3EF39988-22BB-4f0b-BBBE-64B5A3748AEE}
Lookup	{270BD3DB-D9AF-4782-9025-509E298DEC0A}
Date/Time	{5B773807-9FB2-42db-97C3-7A91EFF8ADFF}
Whole Number	{C6D124CA-7EDA-4a60-AEA9-7FB8D318B68F}
Decimal	{C3EFE0C3-0EC6-42be-8349-CBD9079C5A6F}
Toggle (boolean)	{67FAC785-CD58-4f9f-ABB3-4B7DDC6ED5ED}
Subgrid	{E7A81278-8635-4d9e-8D4D-59480B391C5B}
Multiline Text (memo)	{E0DECE4B-6FC8-4a8f-A065-082708572369}

All id attributes in form XML must be unique GUIDs. Generate them inside your Python script:

import uuid
guid = str(uuid.uuid4()).upper()

Do not use python -c for GUID generation on Windows — multiline python -c commands break in Git Bash due to quoting differences. Always write a .py script instead.

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Business Rules

Create business rules in the Power Apps maker portal. They are too complex to write reliably as JSON/XAML. After creation, export+unpack the solution and commit the result.

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Publisher Prefix

All custom schema names must use your solution's publisher prefix (e.g., new_, contoso_). Find yours:

pac solution list --environment <url>

Or check solutions/<SOLUTION_NAME>/Other/Solution.xml after the first pull — look for <CustomizationPrefix>.

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FormXml Pitfalls

• All id attributes must be valid GUIDs in {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx} format. Do not use strings like "general".
• labelid is also a GUID — not a human-readable string.
• Subgrid controls require a valid <ViewId> — must be the GUID of an existing SavedQuery. Create the view first.
• Cell, section, tab, and control IDs must all be unique across the entire form.
• Control classid values — see the classid table above.

Tip: Create forms in the maker portal and pull via pac solution export — use the pulled XML as a template for programmatic creation.

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After Creating Columns: Report Logical Names

After creating columns (via Web API or MCP), always report the actual logical names to the user. Column names may be normalized or prefixed in ways the user doesn't expect. Summarize in a table:

Display Name	Logical Name	Type
Email	cr9ac_email	String
Tier	cr9ac_tier	Picklist
Customer	cr9ac_customerid	Lookup

This prevents downstream failures when the user tries to insert data using incorrect column names.

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Common Web API Error Codes

Error Code	Meaning	Recovery
0x80040216	Transient metadata cache error. Column or table metadata not yet propagated.	Wait 3-5 seconds and retry. Usually succeeds on second attempt.
0x80048d19	Invalid property in payload. A field name doesn't match any column on the table.	Check logical column names — use EntityDefinitions(LogicalName='...')/Attributes to verify.
0x80040237	Schema name already exists.	Verify the column/table exists before creating a new one — it may have been created by a previous timed-out call.
0x8004431a	Publisher prefix mismatch.	Ensure all schema names use the solution's publisher prefix.
0x80060891	Metadata cache not ready after table creation.	Call GET EntityDefinitions(LogicalName='...') first to force cache refresh, then retry.

Always translate error codes to plain English before presenting them to the user.

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Metadata Propagation Delays

After creating tables or columns via the Web API, metadata propagation can take 3-10 seconds. Common symptoms:

• Picklist columns fail with 0x80040216 immediately after table creation
• Lookup @odata.bind operations fail with "Invalid property" shortly after column creation
• update_table (MCP) fails with "EntityId not found in MetadataCache"

Mitigation: Add a 3-5 second delay after table creation before adding columns. After creating lookup columns, wait 5-10 seconds before inserting records that use @odata.bind on those lookups. If a column creation fails, verify it doesn't already exist, then retry once.

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Session Closing: Pull to Repo

After every metadata session, perform the pull-to-repo sequence. This is not optional — work that exists only in the environment is lost if the environment is reset.

pac solution export --name <SOLUTION_NAME> --path ./solutions/<SOLUTION_NAME>.zip --managed false
pac solution unpack --zipfile ./solutions/<SOLUTION_NAME>.zip --folder ./solutions/<SOLUTION_NAME>
rm ./solutions/<SOLUTION_NAME>.zip
git add ./solutions/<SOLUTION_NAME>
git commit -m "feat: <description of change>"

If you used the MSCRM.SolutionName header during creation, verify components are in the solution before exporting:

pac solution list-components --solutionUniqueName <SOLUTION_NAME> --environment <url>

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MCP Table Creation Notes

When using MCP create_table or update_table:

• Timeouts don't mean failure. Always describe_table before retrying. If the table exists, skip creation.
• Self-referential lookups (e.g., Parent → same table) must be added via update_table after the table is created.
• Metadata cache delays. After create_table, call describe_table before update_table to force cache refresh.
• Column name normalization. Spaces in column names become underscores: "Specialty Area" → cr9ac_specialty_area. Always verify with describe_table.