[Announcement]: Tabular Editor CLI 0.7.0 is out!

[gronnerup]

Announcement type

New preview release

CLI version (if applicable)

0.7.0

Summary

0.7.0 is out. This is the largest preview release so far and it deliberately breaks things while we still can: properties are now set with -p Name=Value, the model is always given with --model, te deploy and te refresh are dry runs until you pass --execute, and every command that reports a change or a problem now speaks one JSON shape. On top of that, te get grows into the single read pipeline (--where, --ls, --deps, --properties), tables can be created and kept in sync straight from the model's own data source, incremental refresh policies are plain properties, and 60+ user-visible bug fixes land across parsing, output, auth, refresh, and the interactive shell.

Details

Important

The Tabular Editor CLI is in Limited Public Preview. It is offered for evaluation with a Tabular Editor account; no license is required during preview. Commands, flags, and outputs may change before general availability. The preview build stops functioning after 2026-10-31. We recommend against using the CLI in production CI/CD pipelines during preview.

Breaking changes

Read this section before upgrading a pipeline. Every removed flag and command fails loudly with an unrecognized-option or unknown-command error rather than silently changing meaning.

• Properties are -p Name=Value. The paired -q <name> -i <value> flags are gone. te set Sales/Amount -q expression -i "SUM(Sales[Amt])" becomes te set Sales/Amount -p expression="SUM(Sales[Amt])"; repeat -p to set several properties in one atomic change, or drop the flag entirely on set (te set Sales/Amount description="Net amount" formatString="#,0"). te get <path> -p <name> projects one property; te add takes the expression as -p Expression="...". Same shape on te macro set and te bpa rules set.
• The model is always --model, never a trailing path. te get Sales/Amount ./model becomes te get Sales/Amount --model ./model. A leftover path exits 1 and suggests the --model form. Each command's positional arguments now mean exactly one thing.
• te deploy and te refresh are dry runs by default. Without flags both connect read-only and print the exact TMSL they would run. Add --execute to act; --execute asks for confirmation at a terminal (n is the default), so unattended runs need --execute --force. te deploy --xmla <file> becomes te deploy > <file>; te refresh --dry-run becomes plain te refresh. te refresh --execute now confirms too - add --force to every unattended refresh.
• Deploy target is --target-server / --target-database. -s/-d now always mean the model source, on every command. te deploy ./model -s ws -d db fails with a pointer to the new options.
• te format is removed. Formatting an expression in a model is te set <path> --format <PropertyName> --save (repeatable; DAX or M detected from the property). Formatting a loose expression is te util format-dax / te util format-m. te migrate moves to te util migrate. Whole-model DAX formatting: te script --inline "Model.AllMeasures.FormatDax();" --save.
• te script flags are --file and --inline. --script, -S, --expression, -e, and --dry-run are removed (not aliased); --validate is the compile-only run and needs no model. A bare .cs/.csx positional works. Files and inline snippets run in the order written.
• te script exits non-zero when a script reports an error. A script calling Error(...) used to print the error, print Done, and exit 0. Changes are still saved with --save; the exit code says the script declared an error.
• te deploy fails when the server parks objects with errors. Previously "Deployed successfully" and exit 0 with a populated issues array. Exit code, JSON success, and the headline now agree; the metadata has still been written and the message says so.
• te load, te open, te replace, and te incremental-refresh are removed. te get . replaces load; launch the desktop directly instead of open; use te script instead of replace. Refresh policies are plain properties: te get Sales/RefreshPolicy, te set Sales/RefreshPolicy -p RollingWindowPeriods=5 --save, te set Sales -p RefreshPolicy=null --save, and te refresh --apply-refresh-policy Sales --execute --force.
• -p Name=null now clears text properties too. In 0.7.x previews it stored the word null. --unset <Name> (repeatable) is the spelled-out form. Numbers, booleans, and enums are still refused. A piped value (-p Name=-) is taken verbatim.
• {, }, *, ? are reserved in paths, and KPIs / Sets are container keywords. Quote a name containing them (te get "Tables/'{foo}'"). * keeps working as a wildcard in filter paths and is refused in the paths that name one object. A table literally named KPIs or Sets must be quoted in te list filters.
• One findings JSON across validate, bpa run, test run, and query. Every --output-format json run emits one document with summary, a flat findings[] (severity, source, code, message, object, objectType, fixable, and where known objectPath and expressionPosition). bpa run --fix no longer writes a second document. Info-severity findings are ::notice:: on GitHub and plain log text on Azure DevOps, so an info-only run reports Succeeded.
• One change format across te diff and every mutating command. changes[] is one entry per changed object with objectPath, objectType, changeKind (created / deleted / modified / moved), and a properties array of {property, before, after}. te diff also lists the contents of an object present in only one model, and detects differences in perspectives, roles, partitions, hierarchies, cultures, and calculation groups it previously missed.
• Mutating commands print a before/after diff. The old status lines are replaced by -/+ pairs; --stat, --name-only, or te config set mutationOutput ... choose a shorter view.
• objectPath everywhere. te get <object> JSON leads with objectPath instead of path; te deps / te get --deps / --unused use objectPath, object, objectType instead of objectName and path.
• BPA runs exactly Tabular Editor 3's built-in rule set. The six VPA_* rules were never part of it and are gone; --vpa-rules is removed. Copy a rule you gate on into your own rules file and point at it with --rules, bpa.rules, or TE_BPA_RULES.
• autoFormat is scoped to what a mutation changed. It no longer reformats the whole model, covers every DAX property on the touched objects, and always uses the built-in formatter.
• formatOptions.useSemicolons is removed. Model DAX is always comma-separated, so the key could only break things. --semicolons stays on te util format-dax (it selects the semicolon dialect for input as well as output) and is refused on te set --format.
• C# scripts can no longer call query members on Model.Database. Use the script helpers that were always the supported way: EvaluateDax, ExecuteDax, ExecuteReader, ExecuteCommand.

Command and flag changes at a glance

Before	After
te set <path> -q <prop> -i <value>	te set <path> -p <prop>=<value>
te get <path> -q <prop>	te get <path> -p <prop>
te add <path> -t Measure -i "<dax>"	te add <path> -t Measure -p Expression="<dax>"
te get Sales/Amount ./model	te get Sales/Amount --model ./model
te deploy ./model -s ws -d db	te deploy --model ./model --target-server ws --target-database db --execute --force
te deploy --xmla out.tmsl	te deploy ... > out.tmsl
te refresh --dry-run / te refresh	te refresh / te refresh --execute --force
te format --model ./model --path Sales/Amount --save	te set Sales/Amount --model ./model --format Expression --save
te format -e "SUM ( Sales[Amount] )"	te util format-dax "SUM ( Sales[Amount] )"
te migrate	te util migrate
te script --script fix.csx / -e "code"	te script --file fix.csx / --inline "code"
te incremental-refresh set Sales --rolling-window-periods 5	te set Sales/RefreshPolicy -p RollingWindowPeriods=5 --save
te incremental-refresh apply Sales	te refresh --apply-refresh-policy Sales --execute --force
te set <path> -p description=null (stored null)	clears the description; --unset description is the long form
te save	te save-as (save still works as an alias)
te bpa run --vpa-rules	removed

New features / improvements

Reading the model

• te get is the one read pipeline. --where Prop=Value filters (repeatable, * wildcards), --ls renders the compact table, --deps / --deep / --max-depth analyze dependencies, --unused / --hidden find prune candidates. A wildcard or container path (te get "Sa*", te get Sales/Measures) lists every match. te list and te deps remain as shortcuts.
• te get <path> --properties lists every property name -p accepts on that object, with type, writability, and allowed values; --all includes internal ones. Unknown-property errors on get and set point at it, and the Settable: line no longer omits properties te set accepts (SortByColumn among them).
• te list KPIs, te list Sets, te list Functions work model-wide and per table, with matching --type values. te list Functions used to fail on every model.
• Search that explains itself. An empty te find or te get --where result names what was searched and how the pattern was matched, and offers commands that widen the search. te find is a literal substring by default; --regex for patterns, and an invalid pattern is refused with an error naming the flag.
• Every path the CLI prints is quoted and pastes back. Errors, "did you mean" hints (now offering measures, columns, and hierarchies as Table/Object paths), --paths-only, and objectPath all resolve as printed. Relationships are addressable as Relationships/<name>, calendars as <table>/Calendars/<name>.
• te get -p syntax-highlights every expression-valued property. A partition's expression is -p Expression on any partition kind (MExpression and Query still work).

Editing the model

• One-shot table creation from the model's own data source. te add Inventory -t Table --source-table dbo.Inventory --save reads the connection off the model, discovers columns and types, and binds a partition - no connection flags. --query "SELECT ..." describes a query instead and keeps it in the partition; --data-source <name> picks one when the model has several. Explicit --source sql|lakehouse|warehouse, --endpoint, --connection-string still work and always win.
• Schema sync: te set <table> --update-schema. Adds new source columns with detected types, retypes drifted ones, and preserves every other column property. Removed columns only warn unless --drop-removed-columns. Connection and source table are inferred from the model the same way te add does.
• Single data columns: te add Sales/Quantity -t DataColumn -p SourceColumn=Qty -p DataType=Int64 --save.
• te add accepts container-form paths (Sales/Measures/Margin, Sales/Partitions/Q1, Roles/Admin/Members/user@contoso.com), so anything te list --paths-only prints is a valid add target. te mv resolves destinations the same way.
• te add -t Table writes the same M as the desktop Table Import Wizard, honours --source-type (query builds a legacy SQL partition bound to the model's provider source), and creates the partition it generated an expression for on legacy-source models.
• Choose how much a mutation prints. --diff (default), --stat, --name-only, or te config set mutationOutput diff|stat|name-only|none. JSON always carries the complete changes array.
• --unset <Name> on te set, repeatable.
• Refusals instead of silent success: te move on a relationship, KPI, or table permission; te set --format --semicolons; --query with --columns, --mode directlake, or an inline expression; --source-type query where no legacy source exists.

Deploy, refresh, validate

• Remote-to-remote deploy. te deploy -s src-ws -d src-model --target-server dst-ws --target-database dst-model copies a model between workspaces without touching disk. --local publishes a Power BI Desktop model the same way.
• Target-aware dry-run scripts. The printed TMSL reads the live target to decide create vs. alter and to preserve partitions, roles, connections, and shared expressions, so it is safe to run as-is from SSMS.
• te refresh applies incremental refresh policies only where valid (a targeted table has a policy, the type is full / automatic / dataonly, not partition-scoped), matching TE3's Advanced Refresh dialog. --apply-refresh-policy <table> scopes to one table; --effective-date is honoured.
• Refresh JSON includes progress on every executed run and vertipaq stats when vertipaqOnRefresh is on. The summary no longer merges same-named partitions or drops tables without row counts. --trace keeps its tail, times events from the server clock, works when -d is an ID, and cleans up te-refresh-* traces older than an hour left by interrupted runs. Qualitative verdicts ("excellent", "PQ is the bottleneck") are gone in favour of plain measurements.
• te validate reports name collisions Analysis Services would refuse: TE0012 (duplicate name within a table) and TE0013 (measure name repeated across tables). te save-as refuses to write such a model unless --force or --skip-validation. A TMDL folder with no database.tmdl now warns (TE0014) instead of loading silently. Every finding shows its code in the text tables.
• --ci accepts azdo / azure-devops for vsts and gh for github, and rejects a mistyped value instead of silently emitting nothing. Annotations carry the finding code (code= on Azure DevOps, title= on GitHub).

Connections, shell, platform

• te connect --local lists every local Analysis Services instance - Power BI Desktop (MSI and Microsoft Store), Visual Studio workspaces, standalone SSAS - with a two-step instance-then-database prompt. Non-interactive runs fail with the candidate list instead of picking silently.
• Administrator policies on Windows. DisableCSharpScripts, DisableMacros, DisableBpaDownload, and DisableTelemetry are honoured; each refusal names the policy and exits non-zero. Policies can live under Software\Policies\Tabular Editor ApS with a TECLI subkey, and are read from HKLM as well as HKCU.
• Interactive shell: Ctrl+D on an empty prompt exits; Ctrl+C discards the half-typed line for good; closing a session with unsaved staged edits asks first (or warns and exits non-zero when piped) and exit --force discards deliberately; help and tips drop the te prefix and show commands that actually run.
• te init is idempotent - re-running over an existing model prints Already exists and exits 0.
• Preview extended to the end of October 2026.

Bug fixes

Parsing and command-line robustness

• Unknown --auth, --type, and --ci values are rejected up front instead of silently falling back to interactive sign-in, an automatic refresh, or no annotations.
• Refresh types that do not apply to the chosen scope (--type add on a model, --type defragment on a partition) are rejected before anything is sent.
• Invalid column data types in --columns are rejected instead of creating an unusable column.
• An empty incremental refresh source or polling expression is rejected instead of saving an unusable policy.
• te add --help no longer contradicts itself over CalculatedColumn / CalculatedTable; --long help no longer claims it adds line breaks; te save --serialization help states one truthful default; --help on a command with a required argument shows help instead of "Required argument missing".
• Suggested commands and the TE2 migration guide no longer use removed flags or non-running commands (te bpa → te bpa run; the never-existing --model-rules is gone).
• te get Columns/<name> and te get Hierarchies/<name> refusals no longer suggest paths that do not exist.
• te add --query refusals name --query, not --source-table.

Output, stdin, and streams

• Progress, active-source notices, profile-save refusals, and the usage reminder on an argument error all go to stderr, so redirected stdout carries only the result.
• The - stdin convention works the same on every command that accepts it (te set -p Name=-, te add -p Expression=-, te script --inline -, te query -q -, te auth login -p -, te macro add -e -, te bpa rules add --expression -), fails fast when nothing is piped, and is refused inside the interactive shell.
• A UTF-8 byte-order mark on piped input is no longer treated as part of the value.
• Error text keeps its colour when stdout is redirected; square brackets in paths, names, workspaces, and --trx file names no longer break output or crash the spinner.
• te query no longer drops the table qualifier from DEFINE MEASURE when formatting.
• te util format-m reports a malformed expression as a failure and returns the original unchanged, instead of silently shortening it.
• A search or listing that matches nothing prints [] under --output-format json instead of nothing.

Authentication and connections

• --auth spn no longer falls back to browser sign-in on Windows.
• Cloud commands with --non-interactive and no cached sign-in fail immediately with sign-in instructions instead of opening a browser and waiting two minutes.
• A failed sign-in reports "not signed in" with the ways to sign in, instead of an access-token message aimed at API developers.
• --source sql signs in with Entra ID for Azure SQL, Fabric SQL, and Synapse endpoints instead of failing with "Integrated Security not supported"; --auth is honoured.
• te connect --local prompts for the database when an instance hosts several, and a local instance or database list is no longer printed as an error.

Model I/O

• te save-as --serialization pbip produces a project Power BI Desktop can open, keeps the source model name (SpaceParts.pbip, not Model.pbip), falls back to the TMDL model name when .platform is missing, and, when saving over an existing project, adds only missing files and keeps the report's pages, theme, connection, and item identity.
• Saving a TMDL model no longer deletes a table, role, perspective, or culture whose file name differs from the object name only by case.
• Models saved on macOS or Linux now match Windows output byte for byte.
• Importing from a Fabric Lakehouse or Warehouse no longer creates a table with no columns; imported columns follow the source column order; source names containing a double quote are escaped in generated M; decimal(18,0) columns import as whole numbers.
• te add accepts an email address as an external role member (Roles/Admin/Members/user@contoso.com).
• te add --query is honoured when the connection is named explicitly, instead of importing a whole source table.

Interactive shell

• Piped te interactive runs are batch by default (stop on first failure, non-zero exit); --no-batch keeps going.
• Welcome tips show commands that can be typed as printed.

Validation, BPA, and tests

• te test run, te test compare, and te test snapshot exit non-zero when a suite fails validation; te test init --from-model handles brackets and backslashes in object names.
• te validate --trx names the relationship in TE0010 / TE0011 findings and gives line, column of Property positions; --trx no longer fails outright on a folder missing database.tmdl.
• te completion bash, zsh, and fish emit LF line endings on every platform.

Help shape the CLI

The preview thrives on your feedback. If you hit something that doesn't work as expected, or you have an idea we should consider before GA, the fastest way to reach us is here on GitHub:

• Bug reports and feature requests: open an Issue.
• Questions, how-do-I patterns, sharing setups: the Discussions tab.

Before filing a bug, please run te --version and confirm you're on the latest build. Many reports turn out to be things we've already fixed.

Thanks for testing the preview with us. More coming soon.

-- The Tabular Editor team

Related links

• Download: https://tabulareditor.com/download-tabular-editor-cli
• Overview and getting started: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/te-cli/te-cli.html
• Command reference: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/te-cli/te-cli-commands.html
• Findings JSON: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/te-cli/te-cli-findings.html
• Configuration and administrator policies: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/te-cli/te-cli-config.html
• Installation: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/te-cli/te-cli-install.html
• Migrating from the TE2 command line: https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/te-cli/te-cli-migrate.html
• Issues: https://github.com/TabularEditor/CLI/issues
• Discussions: https://github.com/TabularEditor/CLI/discussions