te2-cli

# Tabular Editor 2 CLI Command-line interface for Tabular Editor 2 (TE2). This skill covers the `TabularEditor.exe` executable; TE3 has its own CLI and is a separate product. > [!NOTE] > The TE2 CLI (`TabularEditor.exe`) is still supported and stable, and remains a solid choice for existing Windows CI/CD pipelines. It is now considered outdated against the newer cross-platform Tabular Editor CLI (`te`), which is built on TE3 and is in preview until Q4 2026. For the `te` command set and a flag-by-flag migration, see the `te-cli` skill. Download `te` preview binaries from the [Tabular Editor CLI downloads page](https://tabulareditor.com/download-tabular-editor-cli). ## Installation ### Tabular Editor 2 (Free) - Download: https://github.com/TabularEditor/TabularEditor/releases - Extract to preferred location or use Chocolatey: `choco install tabulareditor2` ## Executable `TabularEditor.exe` -- free, Windows-only. For Mac/Linux, run via a Windows VM or container. ## Connection Sources ### Local Files ```bash # model.bim (JSON format) TabularEditor.exe Model.bim # TMDL folder TabularEditor.exe definition/ # PBIP project TabularEditor.exe MyReport.pbip ``` ### Remote XMLA Endpoints ```bash # Analysis Services TabularEditor.exe "localhost\tabular" "AdventureWorks" # Power BI Premium/Fabric TabularEditor.exe "powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/WorkspaceName" "ModelName" ``` ### Power BI Desktop ```bash # Auto-detect running instance TabularEditor.exe localhost:PORT DatabaseName ``` Note: Find the port in PBIDesktop diagnostic files or use tools like DAX Studio. ## Command-Line Reference ### Basic Syntax ```bash TabularEditor.exe <source> [options] ``` ### Script Execution ```bash # Inline C# script TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S "Info(Model.Name);" # Script file TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S script.csx # Multiple scripts (executed in order) TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S script1.csx -S script2.csx ``` ### Deployment ```bash # Deploy to XMLA endpoint TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -D "server" "database" # Deploy with options TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -D "server" "database" -O -C -P -R -M -E -V -W ``` ### Deployment Options | Flag | Long Form | Description | |------|-----------|-------------| | `-O` | `-OVERWRITE` | Overwrite existing database | | `-C` | `-CONNECTIONS` | Deploy/overwrite data sources (supports connection string placeholder substitution) | | `-P` | `-PARTITIONS` | Deploy/overwrite existing table partitions | | `-R` | `-ROLES` | Deploy roles | | `-M` | `-MEMBERS` | Deploy role members | | `-S` | `-SHARED` | Deploy shared expressions (within `-D` context; note: `-S` also means script outside `-D`) | | `-E` | `-ERR` | Return non-zero exit code if AS returns error messages after deployment | | `-V` | `-VSTS` | Output Azure DevOps logging commands | | `-W` | `-WARN` | Output warnings for unprocessed objects | | `-F` | `-FULL` | Full deployment (equivalent to `-O -C -P -S -R -M`) | | `-X` | `-XMLA` | Generate XMLA/TMSL script instead of deploying | | `-L` | `-LOGIN` | Disable integrated security for deployment | | `-Y` | `-SKIPPOLICY` | Skip incremental refresh policy partitions | ### Save Output ```bash # Save to model.bim TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S script.csx -B Output.bim # Save to TMDL folder TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S script.csx -TMDL output/ # Save to legacy folder structure TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S script.csx -F output/ ``` ### Best Practice Analyzer ```bash # Run BPA rules TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -A rules.json # Run BPA with Azure DevOps logging output TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -A rules.json -V # Run BPA with GitHub Actions logging output TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -A rules.json -G # Analyze excluding rules embedded in model annotations TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -AX rules.json ``` ### Schema Check ```bash # Validate data source schemas against the model TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -SC ``` ## Common Operations ### 1. Deploy Local Model to Service ```bash TabularEditor.exe Model.bim ^ -D "powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/Workspace" "SemanticModel" ^ -O -C ``` ### 2. Run Script and Save ```bash TabularEditor.exe Model.bim -S format-dax.csx -B Model.bim ``` ### 3. Run BPA Analysis ```bash TabularEditor.exe Model.bim ^ -A https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/Analysis-Services/master/BestPracticeRules/BPARules.json ^ -V ``` ### 4. Refresh Model Data ```bash TabularEditor.exe "server" "database" ^ -S "Model.RequestRefresh(RefreshType.Full);" ^ -D "server" "database" ``` ### 5. Export Model from Service ```bash TabularEditor.exe "powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/Workspace" "Model" ^ -TMDL output/definition ``` ## Authentication For authentication methods (Windows, Service Principal, Interactive) and CI/CD integration (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions), see **`references/auth-and-cicd.md`**. ## Exit Codes | Code | Description | |------|-------------| | 0 | Success | | 1 | Any error-level output (script error, deployment failure, BPA violations at severity >= 3) | ## File Formats ### Input Formats - `model.bim` - Tabular JSON (legacy) - `definition/` - TMDL folder (modern) - `*.pbip` - Power BI Project (TE3) ### Output Formats | Flag | Format | Description | |------|--------|-------------| | `-B` | `.bim` | Tabular JSON | | `-TMDL` | folder | TMDL | | `-F` | folder | Legacy folder structure | ## Troubleshooting For common errors (database not found, authentication failed, script execution failed), see **`references/auth-and-cicd.md`**. ## Quick Reference Card ``` +---------------------------------------------------------+ | TABULAR EDITOR CLI QUICK REFERENCE | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | SOURCES | | Model.bim Local JSON model | | definition/ TMDL folder | | "server" "db" XMLA connection | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | SCRIPTS | | -S "code" Inline C# script | | -S file.csx Script file | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | DEPLOYMENT | | -D "server" "db" Deploy to target | | -O Overwrite existing | | -C Create if not exists | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | OUTPUT | | -B output.bim Save as JSON | | -TMDL folder/ Save as TMDL | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | BPA | | -A rules.json Run BPA analysis | | -G results.sarif Output BPA results | +---------------------------------------------------------+ ``` ## References To retrieve current XMLA and deployment docs, search https://learn.microsoft.com and fetch the relevant pages. Search based on the user's request and run multiple searches as needed to ensure sufficient context before proceeding. - [TE2 CLI Documentation](https://docs.tabulareditor.com/features/Command-line-Options.html) - [XMLA Endpoints](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/enterprise/service-premium-connect-tools)