Introducing the XRMToolBox Metadata Document Generator
In part 2 of her video series on the XRMToolBox, UG Expert Kylie Kiser gives a tutorial for one of her favorite features, the metadata document generator.
Key Takeaways
- Overview: The metadata document generator is a tool that connects to an organization’s Dataverse, retrieves all tables (formerly called entities), and builds a data dictionary. This is particularly useful for reporting teams to understand data structures, fields, columns, and option set values.
- How it works: The process involves selecting the type of document to generate, choosing a file path, and specifying the tables (e.g., account and contact) and attributes to include. Once configured, the tool generates a document by retrieving the selected information from the Dataverse environment.
- Centralized view of data: With the data from Dataverse, the metadata document generator creates an Excel document that consolidates all the selected information in one place, making it useful for data teams, new users, or for documenting and comparing system attributes over time. It can also help identify discrepancies between development and production environments.
- Valuable resource for developers: The generated tab provides detailed information about tables, including logical names, schema names, display names, descriptions, and usage on forms. It helps identify unused fields, compare data across environments, and includes option set data and text length, making it a valuable resource for developers and documentation.
