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pete-mc edited this page Jul 7, 2026 · 16 revisions

Dataverse PowerTools

Dataverse PowerTools is a Visual Studio Code extension that streamlines Dataverse / Dynamics 365 / Power Platform development. It scaffolds projects, manages your Dataverse connection, and runs the whole build/deploy loop — solutions, web resources, and plugins — without leaving the editor.

Everything runs on the cross-platform Power Platform CLI (pac) and the .NET SDK, so it works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

What it does

Project type Highlights
Solutions Export, unpack, pack and import Dataverse solutions with pac, ready for source control and CI/CD.
Web Resources Write TypeScript, bundle with webpack, deploy straight to Dataverse, generate strongly-typed Xrm typings, and unit test with Jest + xrm-mock.
Plugins Create plugin/workflow classes, register steps with CodeLens decorations, generate early-bound types, build with dotnet, deploy as a plugin package, and unit test with DataverseUnitTest.

Getting started

  1. Install the prerequisites (.NET SDK, Node.js, Power Platform CLI).
  2. Open an empty folder in VS Code and run Dataverse PowerTools: Initialise Project from the Command Palette (or the activity-bar view).
  3. Pick a project type, and connect to your environment with a service principal.

See Getting Started for the full walkthrough.

The activity bar

All actions are available from the Dataverse PowerTools activity-bar view (and the Command Palette). The view adapts to your project type:

Plugins Web Resources Solutions
Plugin menu Web resource menu Solution menu

Requirements & connection

The extension checks your environment (see the System Requirements panel) and stores credentials securely. Client id/secret live in VS Code secret storage — never in dataverse-powertools.json. See Getting Started for details.

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