Environment Comparison shows which important Dataverse definitions are missing or materially different between two environments.
All screenshots in this guide use fictional Contoso connections and metadata.
- Select the saved XrmToolBox connection that represents the expected state as Environment A.
- Select the environment being validated as Environment B.
- Check only the areas needed for this investigation.
- Compare published metadata unless draft customizations are intentionally in scope.
- Review Critical and High rows, apply filters, and export the useful result set.
Missing in B is normally the most important deployment direction: the definition exists in the reference environment but not in the target. Missing in A identifies additional definitions found only in the target. Changed means both sides were matched and an important property differs.
| Guide | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Getting started | Connections, area selection, published state, regex scope, running a comparison |
| Choosing comparison areas | Exact properties, exclusions, component identity, and XML normalization |
| Interpreting results | Direction, severity, filters, fingerprints, and false-positive reduction |
| Exporting results | CSV, HTML, raw JSON, Excel limits, and complete definitions |
| Troubleshooting | Empty results, slow retrieval, missing components, and export issues |
| Safety and data handling | Read-only behavior, permissions, metadata content, and local exports |
| Roadmap | Planned comparison areas, delivery improvements, and design investigations |
| Suggesting a feature | Information needed for an actionable, safe comparison request |
| Contributing | Local setup, development rules, tests, and pull request submission |
| Extending the comparison engine | Developer steps for adding a comparison area |
The plugin compares:
- table metadata;
- column metadata;
- system forms and their role assignments;
- system views;
- organization SSRS reports registered in Dataverse.
It deliberately does not compare:
- business table records;
- personal views or personal reports;
- reports stored only in an external SSRS server catalog;
- solution layers or managed-versus-unmanaged state;
- component version stamps;
- app modules, dashboards, charts, keys, relationships, business rules, or organization settings in the current release.
Every environment operation is read-only. Export actions write only to a local path selected by the operator.