DV Environment Variable Manager

Preview-first Dataverse environment variable value management inside VS Code.

DV Environment Variable Manager is a focused utility from DV ForgeLab for reviewing, creating, updating, removing, importing, and exporting Dataverse environment variable current values without leaving VS Code.

Built around a preview-first workflow, all changes are staged locally before being applied to Dataverse, helping administrators review environment configuration changes before execution.

v1.2.0 — Native DVEVM Artifacts & DVQR Handoff Compatibility

DVEVM now supports native DVEVM Environment Variable Artifact v2.0 using the DVEVM-owned artifact schema:

artifactType: "dvevm.environmentVariableDefinitions"

This prepares DVEVM for DV Quick Run v0.13.5 environment variable drift reconstruction handoffs while preserving the product boundary:

DV Quick Run investigates.
DV Environment Variable Manager reconstructs current values.

Manual DVEVM exports use standard .json files:

dvevm-{environmentLabel}-{yyyyMMdd-HHmmss}.json

DV Quick Run reconstruction handoff files may use .dvevm.json with the same DVEVM-owned schema:

DVEVM-{scope}-{yyyyMMdd-HHmmss}.dvevm.json

DVEVM is now workspace-first. When a VS Code workspace is available, Import and Export prefer the shared DV ForgeLab handoff folder before showing a generic file prompt:

.dvforgelab/dvevm/exports

On export, DVEVM creates the folder when needed and writes the .json artifact directly there. On import, the file picker opens in that folder so DVQR-generated .dvevm.json files are immediately visible. If no VS Code workspace is open, DVEVM falls back to the standard file picker/save dialog.

Features

Environment Variable Visibility

Connect to Dataverse environments using Azure CLI authentication
Load environment variable definitions
Load environment variable current values
View configured and default-backed variables
Display variable type information
Display managed value indicators

Native DVEVM Artifacts

Export environment variable definitions and current values as native DVEVM .json artifacts
Import native DVEVM .json artifacts
Import DVQR-generated .dvevm.json reconstruction artifacts
Preserve existing v1.0 JSON artifact import compatibility
Stage imported differences locally before apply
Skip unchanged values, missing definitions, unsupported operations, and unsupported secret values
Use JSON artifacts for repeatable configuration reconstruction workflows

Operation-Based Import

DVEVM v1.2.0 supports operation-based staging for current-value reconstruction:

SetCurrentValue
CreateCurrentValue
DeleteCurrentValue

Unsupported operations are reported as skipped/unsupported rather than silently applied.

DVEVM does not create or delete environment variable definitions.

Preview-First Administration

Create current values for environment variables using definition defaults
Update existing current values
Remove current values where permitted by Dataverse
Stage changes locally before execution
Review pending changes
Preview mutations before applying

Validation & Safety

Production environment visual indicators
Managed value protection
Number validation
Yes / No value validation
JSON validation
Preview-before-apply workflow
Secret value guardrails
Delete current value warning through preview-first workflow

Operational Awareness

Configured vs Using Default status indicators
Environment-aware DEV / TEST / PROD visual cues
Refresh and reload environment variable state
Managed solution awareness
Direct DV ForgeLab feedback integration

JSON Definition Artifacts

DV Environment Variable Manager supports JSON definition artifacts for controlled environment variable current value reconstruction.

Native v2.0 Artifact

{
  "artifactType": "dvevm.environmentVariableDefinitions",
  "version": "2.0",
  "generatedBy": "DV Environment Variable Manager",
  "generatedUtc": "2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z",
  "sourceEnvironment": "DEV",
  "targetEnvironment": null,
  "variables": [
    {
      "schemaName": "new_apiendpoint",
      "displayName": "API Endpoint",
      "type": "Text",
      "defaultValue": "https://api.contoso.com",
      "currentValue": "https://api-dev.contoso.com",
      "isManaged": false
    }
  ],
  "operations": []
}

DVQR Reconstruction Handoff Example

{
  "artifactType": "dvevm.environmentVariableDefinitions",
  "version": "2.0",
  "generatedBy": "DV Quick Run",
  "generatedUtc": "2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z",
  "sourceEnvironment": "DEV · Account source",
  "targetEnvironment": "TEST · Account target",
  "source": "CrossDiff",
  "variables": [
    {
      "schemaName": "new_apiendpoint",
      "displayName": "API Endpoint",
      "type": "Text",
      "defaultValue": "https://api.dev.contoso.com",
      "currentValue": "https://api.dev.contoso.com"
    }
  ],
  "operations": [
    {
      "operation": "SetCurrentValue",
      "schemaName": "new_apiendpoint",
      "displayName": "API Endpoint",
      "previousValue": "https://api.test.contoso.com",
      "nextValue": "https://api.dev.contoso.com"
    }
  ],
  "notes": [
    "Generated by DV Quick Run from Environment Variable Drift.",
    "Source-side reconstruction intent only.",
    "DVEVM owns import, validation, preview and apply."
  ]
}

Imported definitions do not update Dataverse immediately. Matching variables are staged as pending changes and must still be reviewed through the preview-first apply workflow.

Shared Workspace

DVEVM follows the shared DV ForgeLab workspace convention.

.dvforgelab/
└─ dvevm/
   └─ exports/

When a VS Code workspace is available:

Export creates .dvforgelab/dvevm/exports if required and writes directly to that folder
Import creates/opens .dvforgelab/dvevm/exports as the first file-picker location
DVQR-generated .dvevm.json handoff files can be imported from the same folder

When no workspace is available, DVEVM falls back to the standard file picker or save dialog.

Shared DV ForgeLab Environment Settings

DV Environment Variable Manager supports the shared DV ForgeLab environment setting:

"dvForgeLab.environments": [
  {
    "name": "DEV",
    "url": "https://org.crm6.dynamics.com",
    "tenantId": "optional-tenant-id"
  }
]

This setting can be reused by DV ForgeLab utilities. The legacy dvEnvironmentVariableManager.environments setting remains supported as a fallback.

Command

DV Environment Variable Manager: Open

Typical Workflow

Connect to Dataverse
        ↓
Load Environment Variables
        ↓
Create / Edit / Remove / Import Current Values
        ↓
Review Pending Changes
        ↓
Preview Changes
        ↓
Apply to Dataverse

Feedback

DV Environment Variable Manager includes direct integration with the DV ForgeLab feedback portal.

Feature requests
Bug reports
Environment variable reconstruction scenarios
Workflow suggestions
Product feedback

Feedback is routed through the shared DV ForgeLab feedback experience and automatically identifies DV Environment Variable Manager as the source product.

https://www.dvforgelab.com/feedback

Scope

DV Environment Variable Manager focuses on environment variable current value administration.

It intentionally does not provide:

Environment variable definition creation
Environment variable definition deletion
Environment variable type mutation
Default value mutation
Secret value management
Solution management
Connection reference management
ALM deployment automation
Environment promotion workflows
Automatic configuration remediation

For investigation, operational analysis, comparison, and troubleshooting workflows, see DV Quick Run.

Preview-First Philosophy

DV Environment Variable Manager follows the DV ForgeLab preview-first invariant.

Environment variable changes are staged locally, validated, previewed, and explicitly applied by the user. Dataverse configuration is never changed without a preview and confirmation step.

DV ForgeLab Utilities

DV Environment Variable Manager is a focused Dataverse utility from DV ForgeLab.

For operational investigation, execution, runtime analysis, and cross-environment comparison, see DV Quick Run.

DV Environment Variable Manager follows the same principles:

Preview-first
Environment-aware
Metadata-backed
Explicit execution
Calm operational UX

Built by DV ForgeLab.