The Metadata Document Generator (commonly referred to alongside the phrase “Exporting Schema Made Easy”) is a highly popular, third-party plugin hosted within the XrmToolBox suite. Originally built by developer Tanguy Touzard (MsCrmTools) for Dynamics CRM 2011, it simplifies the process of extracting complex database schema information into readable data dictionaries.
Because native Dynamics CRM 2011 does not feature a single-click button to export its entire metadata schema, this tool serves as an essential shortcut for developers, consultants, and reporting teams. Core Functionality
Unified Schema Extraction: It connects to your CRM 2011 organization via the Organization Data Service and extracts full system blueprints.
Excel Exporting: Converts raw XML/SOAP metadata into clean, well-formatted Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Word Document Support: Generates professional Word-based data dictionaries for technical and client documentation.
Multi-Language Support: It allows you to choose which installed CRM language pack labels you want to use for the output. Key Metadata Retrieved
The tool extracts everything required to understand the system’s underlying structure:
Entities (Tables): Logical names, schema names, display names, and descriptions.
Attributes (Fields): Data types (e.g., text, picklist, lookup), requirement levels, and field lengths.
Option Sets (Dropdowns): All internal integer values mapped directly to their display text labels.
Relationships: Complete mappings for 1-to-Many, Many-to-1, and Many-to-Many entity associations. Common Use Cases
Data Migration: Mapping old CRM 2011 system fields into newer target platforms like Dynamics 365 Cloud, Salesforce, or relational SQL databases.
Reporting & Power BI: Giving reporting teams a centralized reference sheet to find exact table joins and field names.
Environment Auditing: Exporting schemas from development and production environments to manually check for differences. Modern Relevance
While it initially launched to solve the schema export challenges of Dynamics CRM 2011, this plugin remains actively maintained today. It has evolved to support all modern variations of the platform, including Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and Microsoft Dataverse.
If you are dealing with a legacy system or need to configure a fresh report, you can easily use it by downloading the XrmToolBox, searching for the Metadata Document Generator in the tool store, and connecting it to your environment. If you are planning an update or a migration, tell me: Are you moving data out of CRM 2011 into a newer system?
Do you need to target specific custom entities, or the entire database?
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