DV Quick Run

Run, build, and understand Dataverse Web API queries directly inside VS Code with metadata-aware developer tooling.

A Dataverse developer console inside VS Code

DV Quick Run turns VS Code into a Dataverse developer console.
Instead of jumping between Postman, browser tabs, maker portals, and documentation, you can write, refine, execute, and explain queries without leaving the editor.

Keywords

Dataverse • Dynamics 365 • Power Platform • Web API • OData • VS Code extension • Developer tooling

🆕 What's New in v0.3.2

This release focuses on execution transparency, developer ergonomics, and reliability improvements across DV Quick Run workflows.

Major improvements:

• Query execution output now shows the exact request being sent to Dataverse

Example: [DV:DEV] GET contacts?$select=fullname&$top=10 → 10 records returned (85ms)

• Added structured execution summaries including record counts and response timing
• Improved Smart GET review workflow and command output clarity
• Clipboard actions now produce human-readable query paths instead of URL-encoded strings
• Expanded automated test coverage across core query analysis and metadata interpretation components
• Refactored internal execution logging to support consistent output across Smart GET, Run Query, and Smart PATCH flows
• Fixed edge cases where result preview windows could fail to appear after query execution
• Improved reliability of query history and review menu actions

These improvements make DV Quick Run feel more like a true Dataverse developer console inside VS Code, with clearer execution feedback and more predictable workflows.

🚀 Animated Demo

Typical workflow:

write query
→ refine query
→ run query
→ inspect results
→ explain query
→ improve query

Everything happens inside VS Code.

⚡ Quick Start

1. Install DV Quick Run

2. Login with Azure CLI az login --allow-no-subscriptions

3. The first time you run DV Quick Run you will be prompted to configure a Dataverse environment.

Provide:

• Environment name (example: DEV)
• Dataverse URL (example: https://org.crm6.dynamics.com)
• Optional status color (white / amber / red)

4. Write a Dataverse query in a file contacts?$top=10

5. Click Run Query in CodeLens.

🌍 Environment Profiles

DV Quick Run supports working with multiple Dataverse environments.

Typical setups include:

• DEV
• SIT
• UAT
• PROD

The currently active environment is shown in the VS Code status bar.

Example: DV: DEV

Environment Commands

Available commands:

• DV Quick Run: Add Environment
• DV Quick Run: Select Environment
• DV Quick Run: Remove Environment

These commands manage the environments stored in: dvQuickRun.environments

inside your VS Code settings.

Environment Safety

To prevent cross-environment issues:

• Metadata caches are scoped per environment
• Session caches are cleared automatically when switching environments
• Diagnostics clearly show which environment's cache is being inspected

✨ Why DV Quick Run?

Working with the Dataverse Web API usually involves a fragmented workflow:

• Write a query
• Copy it into Postman
• Run it
• Inspect results
• Look up metadata
• Adjust the query
• Repeat

DV Quick Run collapses that loop into a single editor experience.

🔎 CodeLens Query Execution

DV Quick Run automatically detects probable Dataverse queries and adds inline CodeLens actions.

[Run Query] [Explain]
accounts?$top=10

This turns your editor into a lightweight Dataverse query workbench.

🧠 Explain Query

Understanding a Dataverse query can sometimes be harder than writing it.

DV Quick Run breaks a query into human-readable sections.

Example query: contacts?$select=fullname&$filter=contains(fullname,'john')&$orderby=createdon desc&$top=25

Explain Query shows:

• entity path
• record vs collection query
• selected fields
• filter meaning
• sort order
• query shape advice

Great for learning and reviewing queries.

🔍 Metadata Hover

Hover over fields inside a query to see Dataverse metadata.

Example: contacts?$select=fullname,emailaddress1

Hovering a field may display:

• logical name
• display name
• attribute type
• choice values (if applicable)

Metadata is cached for fast repeated lookups.

🔧 Smart GET from GUID

Select a GUID in the editor and instantly generate a record query.

Example selected GUID:

7d29eec7-4414-f111-8341-6045bdc42f8b

Generated query:

contacts(7d29eec7-4414-f111-8341-6045bdc42f8b)

Or pick fields:

contacts(7d29eec7-4414-f111-8341-6045bdc42f8b)?$select=fullname,emailaddress1

🧰 Query Mutation Helpers

Incrementally refine existing queries.

Available helpers:

• Add Fields ($select)
• Add Filter ($filter)
• Add Expand ($expand)
• Add Order ($orderby)

Example transformation:

Original:

contacts

Add fields:

contacts?$select=fullname,emailaddress1

Add filter:

contacts?$select=fullname,emailaddress1&$filter=contains(fullname,'john')

⚙️ Smart GET Builder

Generate Dataverse queries through guided prompts.

Workflow:

Choose entity
→ Choose fields
→ Optional filters
→ Optional sorting
→ Build query
→ Run query

Example generated query: accounts?$select=name,accountnumber

✏️ Smart PATCH Builder

Update Dataverse records using guided prompts.

Workflow:

choose entity
→ choose record
→ choose fields
→ enter values
→ execute PATCH

No manual request construction required.

🔁 Generate Query from JSON

Convert a JSON record into a Dataverse query skeleton.

Example JSON:

{
  "fullname": "John Smith"
}

Generated query:

contacts?$filter=fullname eq 'John Smith'

Useful when exploring Dataverse responses.

🔗 Relationship Explorer

Explore how Dataverse entities are connected.

Example:

contact
├─ createdby → systemuser
├─ parentcustomerid_account → account
└─ parentcustomerid_contact → contact

This helps developers understand which $expand paths are available.

Relationship Graph View

Graph view currently shows direct (1-level) relationships.

Future versions will support recursive traversal.

🛡 Guardrails for Risky Queries

DV Quick Run detects risky query shapes such as:

• missing $top
• overly broad queries
• expensive query patterns

Instead of silently executing them, the extension warns and asks for confirmation before sending the request.

🧠 Metadata Intelligence

DV Quick Run uses Dataverse metadata to power many of its features.

This enables:

• intelligent field pickers
• navigation property discovery
• query explanation
• schema-aware helpers
• relationship exploration

This metadata intelligence layer is the foundation for future features such as:

• query validation
• relationship traversal
• query intent suggestions

🔬 Metadata Diagnostics

DV Quick Run includes commands to inspect and manage metadata caches.

Available commands:

• Show Metadata Diagnostics
• Clear Metadata Session Cache
• Clear Persisted Metadata Cache

These tools help developers verify metadata loading behaviour and recover quickly after schema changes.

Diagnostics are scoped to the currently active environment, ensuring caches from different environments do not mix.

🔐 Authentication

DV Quick Run uses Azure CLI authentication.

If you are already logged in with Azure CLI, the extension will reuse that token.

Login example:

az login --allow-no-subscriptions

No client secrets or OAuth configuration required.

Tokens are cached per Dataverse environment scope, allowing DV Quick Run to safely switch between environments without re-authenticating unnecessarily.

👥 Who Is This For?

DV Quick Run is designed for:

• Dataverse developers
• Dynamics 365 engineers
• Power Platform technical teams
• API developers integrating with Dataverse
• Integration engineers

🛠 Development

Run locally: npm install npm run compile

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.

📜 License

MIT License

💡 Final Thought

DV Quick Run is built around one idea:

The fastest Dataverse workflow is the one that never leaves the editor.