Quick Start Guide

Generate AL list pages for CDS (Dataverse) tables with proper integration patterns.

Important: Replace "BCS" with your organization's prefix throughout all examples.

Simple Request Pattern

"Create a list page for the [PREFIX] CDS [tablename]"

Examples:

• "Create a list page for BCS CDS bcs_country table"
• "Generate a Dataverse page for the Account CDS table"
• "Build a list page for Contact entity from Dataverse"

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Prerequisites

Before generating a CDS page, ensure:

• ✅ CDS table exists — TableType = CDS in src/Table/
• ✅ Available page ID — Use Object ID Ninja or manual allocation
• ✅ Field knowledge — Know which fields should be visible by default

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Basic Request Examples

Example 1: Master Data — Country Entity

Request:

"Create a list page for BCS CDS bcs_country table"

What you get:

• Page with code, name, ISO codes visible
• System fields (CreatedOn, ModifiedOn, SystemId) hidden
• CreateFromCDS action
• Standard CRM integration

File created: src/Page/BCSCDSCountries.Page.al

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Example 2: Standard CRM — Account Entity

Request:

"Generate a Dataverse page for the Account CDS table"

What you get:

• Page with account number, name, type visible
• Standard CDS actions
• Email field visible
• Phone field hidden but available

File created: src/Page/BCSCDSAccounts.Page.al

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Example 3: Transactional — Contact Entity

Request:

"Build a list page for Contact entity from Dataverse"

What you get:

• Page with contact name, email, phone visible
• Job title hidden but available
• Coupling procedure included
• Standard CRM integration

File created: src/Page/BCSCDSContacts.Page.al

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What Every Page Includes

Every generated CDS list page automatically includes:

Component	Details
✅ Properties	Editable = false, RefreshOnActivate = true, UsageCategory = Lists
✅ Layout	Organized fields (primary visible, system hidden)
✅ CreateFromCDS Action	Creates BC records from selected Dataverse records
✅ OnInit Trigger	Initializes CRM Integration Management
✅ Coupling Procedure	SetCurrentlyCoupled[Entity] for lookup scenarios

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Page Structure Preview

page 70XXX "[PREFIX] CDS [EntityName]"
{
    ApplicationArea = All;
    Caption = 'Dataverse [EntityName]';
    PageType = List;
    SourceTable = "[PREFIX] CDS [tablename]";
    UsageCategory = Lists;
    Editable = false;
    RefreshOnActivate = true;

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            repeater(General)
            {
                // Primary fields (visible)
                field(code; Rec.code) { ... }
                field(name; Rec.name) { ... }
                
                // System fields (hidden)
                field(CreatedOn; Rec.CreatedOn) { Visible = false; }
                field(SystemId; Rec.SystemId) { Visible = false; }
            }
        }
    }

    actions
    {
        area(processing)
        {
            action(CreateFromCDS)
            {
                Caption = 'Create in Business Central';
                // ... creates records from Dataverse
            }
        }
    }

    trigger OnInit()
    begin
        Codeunit.Run(Codeunit::"CRM Integration Management");
    end;

    procedure SetCurrentlyCoupled[Entity]([Entity]: Record "[PREFIX] CDS [tablename]")
    begin
        CurrentlyCoupled[Entity] := [Entity];
    end;

    var
        CurrentlyCoupled[Entity]: Record "[PREFIX] CDS [tablename]";
}

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Common Workflows

Workflow 1: New CDS Entity (Full Stack)

1. Generate CDS table using bc-dataverse-entity-generator

   "Generate a CDS table for bcs_employee entity"

2. Generate list page using bc-cds-page-generator

   "Create a list page for BCS CDS bcs_employee"

3. Test the page

   • Build project
   • Search for "Dataverse Employees" in Tell Me
   • Verify data displays from Dataverse

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Workflow 2: Existing CDS Table

1. Identify CDS table name

   • Check src/Table/ for existing CDS tables
   • Note the exact table name (case-sensitive)

2. Request page generation

   "Create a list page for BCS CDS bcs_department"

3. Specify important fields

   • Let the skill know which fields are primary
   • Mention any fields that should be visible/hidden

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Workflow 3: Custom Visibility Control

1. Generate standard page

   "Create a list page for BCS CDS bcs_product"

2. Request visibility changes

   "Make the description field visible"
   "Hide the price field"

3. Add custom actions (optional)

   "Add an action to sync prices from Dataverse"

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Field Visibility Rules

Always Visible (3-5 fields)

• Primary code/number — e.g., bcs_countrycode, accountnumber
• Primary name — e.g., bcs_countryname, name
• Key identifiers — e.g., ISO codes, classification fields
• Important business fields — e.g., email, type, category

Always Hidden (Visible = false)

• System timestamps — CreatedOn, ModifiedOn
• Status fields — statecode, statuscode
• System identifiers — SystemId
• Technical GUIDs — reference IDs, lookup IDs
• Supplementary fields — nice-to-have but not essential

Optional Visibility

• Contact information — phone, fax (often hidden by default)
• Address fields — usually hidden unless critical
• Description fields — depends on entity type
• Reference fields — depends on usage pattern

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Request Customization

Specify Field Visibility

"Create a list page for BCS CDS bcs_department showing code, name, and manager, but hide timestamps"

Request Specific Fields

"Generate a page for Product showing product number, name, price, and type"

Add Custom Actions

"Create a Contact page with an action to sync email addresses back to Business Central"

Minimal Page

"Create a simple page for the entity with just ID and name visible"

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Integration with Other Skills

Skill	Use Case	Typical Sequence
bc-dataverse-entity-generator	Generate CDS table first	1. Generate table → 2. Generate page
bc-dataverse-mapping-generator	Create sync mappings	1. Generate page → 2. Create mappings
bc-tooltip-manager	Enhance tooltips	1. Generate page → 2. Improve tooltips
dataverse-schema-generator	Reference schema docs	1. Document schema → 2. Generate page

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Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: "CDS table not found"

• Solution: Verify table exists in src/Table/ with exact name
• Check: Table has TableType = CDS property

Issue: "Fields don't match"

• Solution: Ensure field names are case-sensitive exact matches
• Check: Compare with table definition

Issue: "Page doesn't show data"

• Solution: Verify Dataverse connection configured
• Check: RefreshOnActivate = true property set
• Check: OnInit trigger present

Issue: "CreateFromCDS action fails"

• Solution: Ensure CRM Integration Management available
• Check: Dataverse connection active
• Check: Table mapping exists

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Next Steps After Generation

1. Build the project

   Ctrl+Shift+P → AL: Build

2. Test the page

   • Open Business Central
   • Search "Dataverse [EntityName]" in Tell Me
   • Verify fields display correctly

3. Verify data sync

   • Check data loads from Dataverse
   • Test CreateFromCDS action
   • Verify coupling works

4. Customize further (optional)

   • Add field visibility changes
   • Include custom actions
   • Enhance tooltips using bc-tooltip-manager

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Tips for Best Results

✅ Be specific about fields — mention which fields are important ✅ Use entity type — specify if it's master data, transactional, or reference ✅ Mention prefix — clarify if using different prefix than BCS ✅ Request examples — ask to see examples before generation ✅ Review field layout — check field order matches business needs

🚫 Avoid — requesting too many visible fields (clutters UI) 🚫 Avoid — making system fields visible (confuses users) 🚫 Avoid — skipping OnInit trigger (breaks CRM integration)

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Quick Reference Commands

What You Want	Request Pattern
Standard page	"Create a list page for [CDS table]"
Custom visibility	"Create page showing [field1], [field2], hide [field3]"
With custom action	"Create page with action to [custom logic]"
Minimal page	"Create simple page with just ID and name"
Check examples	"Show me examples of CDS pages"

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For complete code patterns and detailed implementations, see:

• references/field-layout.md — Field organization patterns
• references/standard-components.md — Actions, triggers, procedures
• references/examples.md — Complete working examples