Skill: Query — Read and Analyze Dataverse Records

This skill uses Python and the Dataverse CLI. Do not use Node.js, JavaScript, or any other language for Dataverse scripting. See the overview skill's Hard Rules.

Reads: prefer a managed surface, choose by shape

Fast path for simple reads: If dataverse auth who shows an active profile, skip workspace setup and query directly with the CLI examples below. No .env, auth.py, pip install, or PAC needed for data reads.

Pick MCP, the Dataverse CLI, or the SDK by the shape of the read — all three handle auth and retry (see the routing table below and the overview's Tool Capabilities / Hard Rule 2). MCP fits small, interactive reads; the CLI fits headless one-liners (OData, SQL, count); the SDK fits bulk iteration and analytics. For $apply aggregation and N:N $expand, prefer client.query.fetchxml() (aggregates + link-entity) or the managed dataverse api escape hatch; reach for hand-rolled urllib/get_token() only to stay in-process inside a tight Python loop (e.g. paging thousands of rows with client-side processing — see web-api-advanced.md).

Dataverse CLI gotchas (custom tables + Windows)

When you drive the dataverse CLI directly (headless reads/CRUD; note the CLI needs .NET + a keyring, so it is blocked on ChatGPT web / Codex cloud — use the SDK there), two empirical traps:

• Custom-table SQL pluralization. dataverse data query in SQL mode auto-pluralizes the table name, and irregular plurals resolve wrong: FROM im_category looks up entity set im_categorys and returns a 404 that reads like "table missing." It is not — switch to OData mode with the explicit entity set: dataverse data query --table im_categories --select im_name. Discover the real EntitySetName from EntityDefinitions when unsure; never conclude the table doesn't exist from this 404.
• Windows shell quoting. Wrap the whole --path value in double quotes so cmd.exe/PowerShell don't treat & as a command separator. Keep & literal — it separates OData query options; encoding it to %26 merges them and breaks the query. Encode only $->%24 (in PowerShell a bare $select is read as a variable). If an unquoted & splits the command, the wrapper can exit nonzero even when the API returned valid JSON — quoting prevents it. (This is why the dataverse api request examples in other skills quote the path, use %24, and leave & literal.)

Dataverse CLI query examples (copy-paste ready)