In this blog post, we will learn to easily retrieve table metadata in Power Apps with a free tool called “Pascalcase Metadata Browser” or “Metadata Browser for Dataverse“. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to CRM Crate to stay up-to-date in the realm of the Power Platform.
In Dataverse, Power App table metadata refers to the information about the structure and characteristics of a table within the database. This metadata includes details such as the names and data types of columns, keys, indexes, relationships with other tables, and any constraints or validations applied to the table. Understanding table metadata is crucial for developers and administrators as it provides insights into the organization and management of data within the Dataverse environment, facilitating efficient data modeling, querying, and maintenance.
View the Table’s metadata with “Metadata Browser for Dataverse” extension tool
We can use the free Pascalcase Metadata Browser or Metadata Browser for Dataverse extension tool for effortlessly fetching the Dataverse table metadata within your browser window. The Dynamics 365 & Power Apps Metadata Browser serves as an assistant tool for exploring metadata in Dataverse / Common Data Service (CDS) applications like Microsoft Dynamics 365 & Power Apps. Compatible with and Microsoft Edge, this tool utilizes the Web API to navigate through entities, attributes, relationships, and option sets.
Consultants, testers, and developers can effortlessly utilize the tool to swiftly retrieve meta-information from the Dataverse. Below are the capabilities of Metadata Browser for Dataverse as per the documentation.
- Explore entity metadata including logical names, schema names, and additional properties.
- Display all attributes existing for a chosen entity, accompanied by their respective properties.
- Display 1:N/N:N relationships and the pertinent properties of each relationship for the selected entity, such as schema names, relationship behavior, and other commonly utilized characteristics.
- Swift access to Option Set labels and their corresponding values.
- Globally retrieve all tables within an organization along with associated properties.
- All the above details can be easily downloaded to an editable spreadsheet.
- Installation takes less than a minute, requiring no additional configuration.
- No separate login necessary; it leverages the existing connection to the Web API.
The below animation demonstrates the working of Metadata Browser for Dataverse tool in our Model-Driven App.
