SFMC Data Loader — VS Code Extension

A lightweight VS Code extension for Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement that surfaces the sfmc-dataloader CLI (mcdata) as Command Palette commands.

Requirements

A project initialised with mcdata init (.mcdatarc.json + .mcdata-auth.json) or an existing mcdev project (.mcdevrc.json + .mcdev-auth.json) in the workspace root
Node.js on the process PATH when using the bundled CLI (node …/out/mcdata.bundled.cjs) or when sfmcData.mcdataSource is auto and mcdata is resolved from the environment.
Optional: your own sfmc-dataloader install if you want a specific version. The extension bundles a compatible sfmc-dataloader. Use sfmcData.mcdataSource to choose how the extension resolves mcdata:
- bundled (default) — only the minified CLI shipped with the extension (node …/out/mcdata.bundled.cjs).
- auto — workspace node_modules/.bin/mcdata when present, then mcdata on the process PATH, then the bundled CLI (same discovery order as older releases when no custom path was set).
- custom — run the executable at sfmcData.mcdataPath (path is ignored for bundled and auto).

# Optional — global override
npm install -g sfmc-dataloader
# Optional — project-local override
npm install sfmc-dataloader

Commands

Command Palette

Command	Description
`SFMC Data: Initialize Project`	Create `.mcdatarc.json` + `.mcdata-auth.json` (standalone setup, no mcdev needed)
`SFMC Data: Refresh DE Cache`	Load Data Extension names and keys for one credential and selected BUs into a session-only cache (cleared when VS Code restarts)
`SFMC Data: Export DE Data`	Export one or more Data Extension rows to CSV/TSV/JSON (manual DE keys or pick from a session DE cache)
`SFMC Data: Export DE Data (Multi-BU)`	Export from several BUs in one command
`SFMC Data: Import DE Data`	Import rows from a file or by DE key
`SFMC Data: Import DE Data (Cross-BU)`	Import rows from one BU into multiple target BUs via the SFMC API

These commands open a guided QuickPick workflow:

Export DE Data: Select credential → Business Unit → Enter DE keys manually or From DE list (requires Refresh DE cache for that credential/BU first when using the list). Then format follows your settings.
Import DE Data: Select credential → Business Unit → By DE key (comma-separated keys) or By file path (one or more data files). Then mode, backup, and optional clear prompts as configured.

Explorer, editor tab, and editor context menus

Right-click any of the following files in the Explorer, on an editor tab, or in the editor background menu to open the SFMC Data Loader submenu:

*.dataExtension-meta.json or *.dataExtension-doc.md under retrieve/<cred>/<bu>/dataExtension/
Export files under data/<cred>/<bu>/ whose names contain .mcdata. (matches mcdata export naming)

You can multi-select files within the same BU and all commands will operate on them together.

Context menu item	retrieve/ files	data/ files
Export Data	`mcdata export <cred/bu> --de <key>...`	same
Export from BUs...	Multi-select source BUs (pre-selects current BU), runs `mcdata export --from ...`	same
Import Data	`mcdata import <cred/bu> --de <key>...` (resolves latest export file)	`mcdata import <cred/bu> --file <path>...`
Import to BU...	Multi-select target BUs, runs `mcdata import --from <src> --to <tgt>... --de <key>...`	Multi-select target BUs, runs `mcdata import --to <tgt>... --file <path>...`

While mcdata runs, the extension shows a cancellable notification. Stdout/stderr stream to the SFMC Data Loader output channel. When the run finishes, a short success or error toast appears; choose More Details to focus that log (same pattern as SFMC DevTools).

Settings

All settings are under the SFMC Data Loader section in VS Code Settings.

Setting	Default	Description
`sfmcData.mcdataSource`	`bundled`	How to resolve `mcdata`: `bundled` (extension CLI only), `auto` (workspace `.bin` → `PATH` → bundled), or `custom` (use `sfmcData.mcdataPath`).
`sfmcData.mcdataPath`	`""`	Path to the `mcdata` executable — only when `mcdataSource` is `custom`. Ignored for `bundled` and `auto` (you may clear a stale path).
`sfmcData.useGitFilenames`	`false`	When `true`, appends `--git` to every `mcdata` invocation so exports use stable `*.mcdata.<ext>` names without a timestamp.
`sfmcData.promptClearBeforeImport`	`true`	When `true`, after you finish the import QuickPick flow, prompts whether to clear the target Data Extension before import (two-step confirmation; maps to `mcdata` clear-before-import flags).
`sfmcData.promptImportMode`	`true`	When `true`, prompts for upsert vs insert after you choose import inputs and before the optional clear-before-import step.
`sfmcData.importMode`	`upsert`	Default row write mode for imports when not prompting: `upsert` or `insert`.
`sfmcData.defaultFormat`	`csv`	Default file format for exports: `csv`, `tsv`, or `json`. Import format is detected automatically from the file extension.
`sfmcData.backupBeforeImport`	`prompt`	Whether to export a timestamped backup of each target DE before import: `prompt` (ask each time via QuickPick), `always` (backup without asking), or `never` (skip without asking). Backup filenames always include a timestamp.
`sfmcData.createDebugLog`	`false`	When `true`, appends `--debug` to every `mcdata` subprocess so the CLI writes an API trace under `./logs/data/` (useful for GitHub issues). Does not affect Refresh DE cache (in-process, not `mcdata`).

Settings UI after an extension update

Contributed settings come from the extension package.json manifest. After the extension updates, use Restart Extensions when VS Code prompts, or Developer: Reload Window, so the Settings editor picks up new or renamed keys. If you dismiss the restart prompt, the UI can still show an older manifest until the extension host reloads.

How it works

The extension reads .mcdevrc.json (mcdev projects) or .mcdatarc.json (standalone mcdata projects) to populate credential and BU quick-picks. It then constructs a mcdata export, mcdata import, or mcdata init command and runs it as a subprocess with the project root as the working directory, logging to the SFMC Data Loader output channel.

DE cache (Refresh DE cache / Export from DE list): the extension calls the sfmc-dataloader library in-process (fetchDeList) to retrieve Data Extension names and customer keys via the Marketing Cloud SOAP API. That path does not shell out to mcdata. All import and export of row data still goes through the mcdata CLI subprocess.

Release Notes

See CHANGELOG.md.

SFMC Data Loader

Jörn Berkefeld