table-scaffolding

name	table-scaffolding
description	Create AxTable XML in D365 Finance & Operations using business-role pattern presets (Main / Transaction / Parameter / Group / Reference / WorksheetHeader / WorksheetLine), or add fields / indexes / relations to existing tables. Use whenever the user asks to "create a table", "scaffold a master/transaction/parameter table", "add a field", or "set TableGroup / TableType".
applies_when	User intent mentions creating a table, choosing TableGroup / TableType, adding fields / indexes / relations, or temporary (TempDB / InMemory) tables.

⛔ NEVER write X++ AOT XML files directly via PowerShell, terminal file commands (Set-Content, Out-File, New-Item), editor write tools, or any raw text approach. The XML schema (<AxClass>, <AxTable>, <AxForm>, <Methods>, <SourceCode>) is proprietary — LLMs have not been trained on it reliably. ALWAYS use d365fo generate … commands to produce correct AOT XML. If d365fo is unavailable in PATH, stop and ask the user to install it.

Creating & modifying AxTable definitions

The CLI's d365fo generate table mirrors d365fo-mcp-server's generate_object (objectType=table). Pattern presets pre-populate the table with the canonical TableGroup, a sensible default field skeleton, and an alternate-key index — so the scaffold passes BP BPCheckAlternateKeyAbsent out of the box.

Pre-flight (always — ONE call)

d365fo prepare create <Name> --type table --field <F1> --field <F2> --goal "<why>" --output json

This single call returns the name-collision check, naming validation, similar existing tables to copy patterns from, EDT suggestions per planned field, reusable labels, mined property defaults (what % of STANDARD tables set Label/TableGroup/ClusteredIndex and the most common TableGroup values), and a grounding token — pass it to d365fo generate table … --grounding-token <token>.

Fallback (prepare unavailable):

d365fo search table <namePart> --output json     # name collision check
d365fo get edt <Edt>           --output json     # confirm any EDT you intend to use
d365fo labels search "<text>"   --output json     # reuse label first; only create on miss

Pattern-driven scaffolding (P1)

# Master table (CustTable-style)
d365fo generate table FmCustomer \
    --pattern master \
    --label "@Fleet:Customer" \
    --install-to FleetManagement

# Transaction table (CustTrans-style)
d365fo generate table FmTrans \
    --pattern transaction \
    --label "@Fleet:Transaction" \
    --install-to FleetManagement

# Parameter table (CustParameters-style; one record per company)
d365fo generate table FmParameters \
    --pattern parameter \
    --label "@Fleet:Parameters" \
    --install-to FleetManagement

# Worksheet header + lines pair (SalesTable / SalesLine-style)
d365fo generate table FmOrderHeader --pattern worksheet-header --install-to FleetManagement
d365fo generate table FmOrderLine   --pattern worksheet-line   --install-to FleetManagement

# Temp table — TempDB is a TableType, NOT a TableGroup. Combine:
d365fo generate table FmTmpStaging \
    --pattern main \
    --table-type TempDB \
    --install-to FleetManagement

Aliases recognised: master → Main, setup/config → Parameter, transactional → Transaction, lookup → Reference, header/line for worksheets, misc → Miscellaneous. Full list: main|transaction|parameter|group|worksheetheader|worksheetline|reference|framework|miscellaneous.

When --field is supplied, caller fields win — pattern defaults are skipped entirely:

d365fo generate table FmVehicle \
    --pattern master \
    --field VIN:VinEdt:mandatory \
    --field Make:Name             \
    --field Year:Yr               \
    --primary-key VIN             \
    --label "@Fleet:Vehicle"      \
    --install-to FleetManagement

--primary-key <Field> is repeatable. Falls back to "all mandatory fields", then "first field" so BPCheckAlternateKeyAbsent never trips.

The CLI returns a JSON summary {path, bytes, backup, pattern, tableType, usedPatternDefaults, fieldCount} — never request the full XML back.

❗ TableGroup vs TableType

Property	Meaning	Allowed values
TableGroup	Business role	Main, Transaction, Parameter, Group, WorksheetHeader, WorksheetLine, Reference, Framework, Miscellaneous
TableType	Storage kind	RegularTable, TempDB, InMemory

❌ Passing --pattern TempDB is rejected — the CLI returns BAD_INPUT with a hint to use --table-type TempDB --pattern main instead.

Label-on-field exception

When a field's EDT already carries a Label, do NOT pass a label on the field — it inherits from the EDT. Override only when the table genuinely needs a different caption.

Pattern defaults (when no --field is supplied)

Pattern	Default fields
main	AccountNum(mandatory), Name, Description
transaction	AccountNum(mandatory), TransDate(mandatory), Voucher, Amount
parameter	Key(mandatory), Enabled
group	GroupId(mandatory), Description
worksheetheader	HeaderId(mandatory), DocDate(mandatory), AccountNum
worksheetline	HeaderId(mandatory), LineNum(mandatory), Quantity, Amount
reference	Code(mandatory), Description

Treat the defaults as a starting point — always replace placeholder fields (e.g. Key, Code) with names that fit the domain.

Related AOT objects

AOT Query for joining related tables

After scaffolding a table, you often need an AOT Query to drive forms, reports, or data entities:

# Inner join — SalesTable driving, SalesLine joined
d365fo generate query SalesTableWithLines \
  --ds SalesTable --join "SalesLine:InnerJoin:SalesTable" \
  --out c:/AOT/MyModel/AxQuery/SalesTableWithLines.xml

# Check for existing queries on the same table first
d365fo search query <NamePart> --output json

--join target:joinKind:parentDs (repeatable). JoinKind: InnerJoin, OuterJoin, ExistsJoin, NotExistsJoin.

Number sequence integration

If the table needs an auto-generated document number:

# Generate the module extension class, the EDT, and the form handler
d365fo generate number-sequence <ModuleName> \
  --edt <NumEdtName> --scope Company --table <YourTable> \
  --out         c:/AOT/MyModel/AxClass/NumberSeqModuleExtension_<ModuleName>.xml \
  --out-edt     c:/AOT/MyModel/AxEdt/<NumEdtName>.xml \
  --out-handler c:/AOT/MyModel/AxClass/<YourTable>_NumberSeqFormHandler.xml

This emits:

• A CoC extension of NumberSeqApplicationModule that registers the new sequence.
• An EDT with NumberSequence=Yes and NumberSequenceModule set.
• A NumberSeqFormHandler extension class for the target form's init().

Manual consumption in X++:

NumberSeq numSeq = NumberSeq::newGetNum(CompanyInfo::numRefMySequence());
str nextNum = numSeq.num();
numSeq.used();   // or numSeq.abort() to roll back

Hard rules

• Never guess EDTs — d365fo get edt <Name> first.
• Never duplicate a field name — d365fo get table first.
• Never pass tableGroup="TempDB" (or --pattern TempDB).
• Never override the EDT label on a field unless deliberately captioned.
• Never ship a table without an alternate-key index (BP).
• Never inline UI strings — labels only (BP BPErrorLabelIsText).
• After scaffolding, run d365fo build && d365fo sync only on user request.