Ppds Data

PPDS Data — bulk movement with a schema, not a script

Exact flags for every command (export/import/copy/analyze/schema/users/load/ update/delete/truncate): [references/cli-data.md](references/cli-data.md).

Surface routing: bulk data movement is CLI-only (long-running, progress-reporting operations). MCP offers read-side analysis only: ppds_data_analyze (record counts, samples), ppds_data_schema (entity schema). For ad-hoc row DML prefer SQL via ppds-query.

The migration loop

# 1. Generate a migration schema (which entities + columns travel)
ppds data schema --entities account,contact --output ./schema.xml

# 2. Understand dependency order / lookups before moving anything
ppds data analyze --schema ./schema.xml

# 3. Export from source
ppds data export --schema ./schema.xml --output ./data.zip

# 4. Map users source → target (service accounts, departed users)
ppds data users --source-env  --target-env  --output ./usermap.xml

# 5. Import to target — STOP: confirm target env with the user first
ppds data import --data ./data.zip --user-mapping ./usermap.xml --mode Upsert

Or skip the ZIP for direct transfer: ppds data copy (source → target in one step; same schema-driven model — see reference for flags).

Import facts worth knowing (all real flags, see reference):

• --mode Create|Update|Upsert|Skip (default Upsert).
• --bypass-plugins (needs prvBypassCustomBusinessLogic)

and --bypass-flows — for clean reference-data loads; leave off otherwise.

• --resolve-lookups + --skip-unresolved-lookups, --skip-missing-columns,

--strip-owner-fields, --impersonate-owners (needs --user-mapping).

• --continue-on-error + --error-report stream per-record failures

to .errors.jsonl — exit code 1 means partial success; report "X of Y".

• Export format: --format Cmt (default, CMT-compatible) or Json.
• Throughput: multiple app-user profiles multiply API quota

(-p app1,app2,app3); --parallel, --batch-size, --page-parallel.

Targeted bulk operations

load / update / delete / truncate are single-entity and filter- or file-driven — distinct from the schema-driven export/import loop above. Each previews with --dry-run; update / delete / truncate take --force to run non-interactively, only after the user has seen the preview.

# CSV → table; upsert on an alternate key so re-runs don't duplicate rows
ppds data load --file products.csv --entity new_product --key new_productcode --dry-run
#   --generate-mapping / --mapping for column maps; without --key it creates every row.

# Bulk field change by filter (deactivate = set statecode) — the direct route
ppds data update --entity account --filter "statecode eq 0" --set "statecode=1" --dry-run

# Bulk delete by filter (preview the matched rows first)
ppds data delete --entity task --filter "statecode eq 1" --dry-run

# Wipe an ENTIRE table — DANGEROUS, no undo
ppds data truncate --entity new_stagingrow --dry-run

For a criteria-based bulk field change, ppds data update --filter --set is the direct route — don't reach for ppds query sql "UPDATE ..." unless you specifically want the SQL/FetchXML DML path (see ppds-query). truncate is the command behind "wipe this table" asks — never run it without naming the entity, the record count (ppds query sql "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM "), and the environment to the user, then getting explicit confirmation.

Common mistakes (do not invent these)

| Wrong | Correct | |-------|---------| | ppds data export --entity account | exports are schema-driven: --schema schema.xml (generate with ppds data schema) | | ppds data import ./data.zip (positional) | ppds data import --data ./data.zip | | --dry-run on data import | does not exist — validate with data analyze and import into a sandbox first | | DELETE FROM x without WHERE via ppds-query for "clear the table" | ppds data truncate (purpose-built) — and confirm with the human | | CMT (DataMigrationUtility) flag names | PPDS flags differ — check [references/cli-data.md](references/cli-data.md) |

Skill boundaries

| Need | Use instead | |------|-------------| | Ad-hoc queries, row-level DML, counts | ppds-query | | What columns/lookups an entity has | ppds-metadata | | Moving customizations (not data) | ppds-solutions-alm | | Auth, environment selection, error codes | ppds-core |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: joshsmithxrm
• Source: joshsmithxrm/ppds-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.