Business Central Dataverse Entity Generator

Generates AL table objects from Microsoft Dataverse entities using ALTPGen and PowerShell automation. Automates the COMPLETE workflow: table ID allocation, command execution, error detection/fixing, file organization with BCS prefix, original file deletion, and automatic permission set updates.

⚡ FULLY AUTOMATED: Agent takes control of the terminal and executes all commands automatically. User interaction only required for authentication (browser popup for first-time OAuth).

🚨 TERMINAL TOOLS REQUIRED: This skill REQUIRES terminal command execution. If unavailable, agent must decline to proceed.

Prerequisites

• Terminal tools enabled (REQUIRED)
• AL Language extension installed in VS Code (includes ALTPGen)
• Azure AD App Registration with Dynamics CRM > user_impersonation permission
• Access to target Dataverse environment
• PowerShell scripts configured in .github/skills/bc-dataverse-entity-generator/scripts/

Automated Workflow

Step 0: Check Terminal Tools Availability

BEFORE starting, verify terminal tools are available:

if terminal tools NOT available:
    ❌ This process requires terminal command execution to be enabled.
    
    The bc-dataverse-entity-generator skill cannot run manually because it requires:
    - Automatic error detection and path fixing
    - Real-time monitoring of ALTPGen output
    - Automated file organization and cleanup
    - Permission set updates
    
    Please enable terminal tools in VS Code agent settings to use this skill.
    
    STOP — do not proceed

Step 1: Analyze Request & Determine Next Table ID

• Extract entity name from user request (lowercase: "account", "contact", "quote")
• Scan existing tables in src/Table/*.al
• Extract table IDs using regex: table\s+(\d+)
• Find highest ID and add 1
• Verify within app.json idRanges

Step 2: Execute PowerShell Generation Script

Build and execute command:

cd .github\skills\bc-dataverse-entity-generator\scripts
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\Generate-Entity.ps1" -Entity "{entity}" -BaseId {tableId}

Agent MUST execute directly via terminal tools

Inform user while executing:

Generating {Entity} CDS table...
Entity: {entity}
Table ID: {tableId} (next available)
Note: Browser may prompt for authentication (first run only)

Monitor terminal output for completion or errors.

Step 3: Error Handling & Auto-Fix

ALTPGen Path Error:

1. Search for altpgen.exe in VS Code extensions: C:\Users\{User}\.vscode\extensions\ms-dynamics-smb.al-*\bin\win32\altpgen\altpgen.exe
2. Find latest version automatically
3. Update $AltpgenPath in Generate-Entity.ps1
4. Re-execute generation script

Base Path Error:

1. Add extra Split-Path to calculate correct project root
2. Update script
3. Re-execute

Other Errors:

• Authentication: Inform user to complete browser popup
• Entity not found: Verify entity name (lowercase) exists in Dataverse
• Duplicate ID: Find next available ID, re-execute with new ID
• Network: Check ServiceUri and connectivity

Step 4: Post-Generation File Organization

Automatic steps:

1. Locate generated file in project root (e.g., Account.al, CDSaccount.Table.al)

2. Read file content and apply BCS prefix:

   • Find table declaration: table \d+ "CDS {Entity}"
   • Update to: table {id} "BCS CDS {Entity}"

3. Create properly named file:

   • Write content to: src/Table/BCSCDS{Entity}.Table.al
   • Example: Account.al → src/Table/BCSCDSAccount.Table.al

4. Delete original file from project root to prevent duplicate object errors

5. Update permission set (AGENTDEMO.permissionset.al):

   • Parse existing Permissions section
   • Add tabledata "BCS CDS {Entity}"=RIMD, in tabledata section (alphabetical order)
   • Add table "BCS CDS {Entity}"=X, in table section (alphabetical order)
   • Maintain proper comma placement (last entry ends with ;)

6. Confirm completion:

✅ {Entity} CDS table generated successfully!

Created: src/Table/BCSCDS{Entity}.Table.al
Table ID: {tableId}
Table Name: "BCS CDS {Entity}"

✅ Cleaned up: Deleted {originalFile} from project root
✅ Updated: AGENTDEMO.permissionset.al with table permissions

Next steps:
- Review the generated table structure
- Build project: Ctrl+Shift+P → AL: Build
- Test integration with Dataverse environment

Configuration: Sensitive Variables

Scripts contain environment-specific and sensitive values in Generate-Entity.ps1:

Variable	Type	Purpose	How to Find
$ServiceUri	ENVIRONMENT	Dataverse environment URL	Power Platform Admin Center > Environments > Environment URL
$ClientId	SECRET	Azure AD App Registration client ID	Azure Portal > App Registrations > Application (client) ID
$RedirectUri	SECRET	OAuth redirect URI (auto-generated from ClientId)	Format: msal{ClientId}://auth
$AltpgenPath	ENVIRONMENT	Path to ALTPGen.exe (version-specific)	VS Code extensions folder (agent can auto-detect)

See script comments for detailed configuration instructions.

Common Entity Names

Entity	Description
account	Customer/company
contact	Person
lead	Potential customer
opportunity	Sales opportunity
quote	Price quote
salesorder	Sales order
invoice	Customer invoice
product	Product/service

Troubleshooting

Error: "ALTPGen tool not found"

Auto-fix: Agent searches for ALTPGen.exe, updates path, re-executes

Error: "Authentication failed"

• Verify $ClientId is correct
• Check redirect URI in Azure: msal{ClientId}://auth
• Ensure user has Dataverse access
• Check API permissions: Dynamics CRM > user_impersonation

Error: "Entity not found"

• Verify entity exists in Dataverse
• Use lowercase schema name (e.g., account, not Account)

Error: "Duplicate table ID" or "Duplicate object"

Auto-fix (ID): Agent rescans for next available ID, re-executes Fix (duplicate object): Check for leftover files in project root; agent should delete automatically

Permission Set Update Details

File structure: namespace AGENTDEMO; permissionset 70000 AGENTDEMO { Assignable = true; Permissions = ... }

Sections order: tabledata → table → codeunit → page

Format:

Permissions = 
    tabledata "BCS CDS Account"=RIMD,
    tabledata "BCS CDS Contact"=RIMD,
    table "BCS CDS Account"=X,
    table "BCS CDS Contact"=X,
    codeunit "BCS ..."=X,
    page "BCS ..."=X;

Rules:

• Maintain alphabetical order within each section
• Each entry ends with , except the last entry (ends with ;)
• Use proper spacing and indentation

Quick Reference

Navigate to Scripts

cd .github\skills\bc-dataverse-entity-generator\scripts

Generate Single Entity (Manual)

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\Generate-Entity.ps1" -Entity "account" -BaseId 70004

Find Next Table ID (Manual)

Get-ChildItem ..\..\..\..\src\Table\*.al | 
  ForEach-Object { if ((Get-Content $_.FullName -Raw) -match 'table\s+(\d+)') { [int]$matches[1] } } | 
  Sort-Object | Select-Object -Last 1

Script Locations

.github/skills/bc-dataverse-entity-generator/
├── SKILL.md                          # This file
├── scripts/
│   ├── Generate-Entity.ps1           # Single entity generator (with sensitive variable documentation)
│   └── Generate-Entity-List.ps1      # Batch entity generator

External Resources

• ALTPGen Technical Reference
• Azure AD App Registration
• Power Platform Admin Center

Agent Workflow Summary

1. ✅ Check terminal tools available (STOP if not)
2. ✅ Extract entity name, determine next table ID
3. ✅ Execute PowerShell script via terminal
4. ✅ Monitor output, auto-fix errors (ALTPGen path, base path)
5. ✅ Locate generated file in project root
6. ✅ Apply BCS prefix, create file in src/Table/
7. ✅ Delete original file from project root
8. ✅ Update AGENTDEMO.permissionset.al automatically
9. ✅ Confirm completion with file paths and next steps