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hardis:doc:data-dictionary

Description

Command Behavior

Generates an Excel (.xlsx) data dictionary for one or more Salesforce objects, read live from the target org, including Data Cloud (Data 360) Data Model Objects and Data Lake Objects.

This command describes the selected objects and exports their definitions into a single multi-sheet workbook, useful for documentation, audits, and onboarding.

The Index sheet lists every documented object with its field, validation rule and record type counts, and links to each object sheet.

Data dictionary index sheet

Each object sheet details its fields (type, required, unique, reference target, picklist values, and more).

Data dictionary object fields sheet

  • Target Org: Use --target-org to pick the org connection context.
  • Object selection: Provide one or more API names via --objects (comma-separated, e.g. Account,Contact,MyObject__c). If omitted in interactive mode, a prompt lists available objects.
  • Data Cloud objects: Data Model Objects (__dlm) and Data Lake Objects (__dll) can be listed in --objects like any other object. Use --datacloud to document every Data Model Object and Data Lake Object the org lists. In interactive mode, the prompt also lists them when Data Cloud is enabled.
  • Customized objects only: Use --customizedonly to exclude objects that have no local customizations. This drops standard objects without custom fields and managed package objects without local custom fields, while keeping local custom objects and any object that has at least one local custom field. In interactive mode, a prompt offers the same filter.
  • Workbook structure: One Index sheet listing the objects, one fields sheet per object, plus consolidated Validation Rules and Record Types sheets. When Data Cloud objects are documented, the Index sheet also shows their object type, category and relationship count, and a Data Cloud Relationships sheet lists the relationships of the Data Model Objects (from and to object, field and object type, cardinality, status, origin), including relationships to CRM objects on either side.
  • Navigation: The Index sheet links to each object, Validation Rules and Record Types sheet, and every other sheet has a "Back to Index" link below its data.
  • Fields detail: API name, label, type, required, unique, external id, length/precision, reference target, picklist values, default value, formula, help text, description, and custom flag. Fields are sorted alphabetically by API name.
  • Data Cloud fields detail: API name, label, type, data type, primary key, key qualifier, and custom flag.
  • Output: The XLSX is generated alongside the intermediate CSV files in the report directory. Use --outputfile to force the consolidated report path.
Technical explanations
  • Fields: Retrieved with connection.describe(objectName), then sorted alphabetically by API name. Field types are mapped to their Salesforce names (e.g. reference becomes Lookup or MasterDetail, int/double become Number), and formula / roll-up summary fields are tagged. Required is derived from nillable === false; picklist values are the active values, capped at 50 with an overflow note.
  • Validation Rules: Retrieved via the Metadata API (metadata.list then metadata.read in batches of 10) to include the error condition formula, which is not exposed by describe.
  • Record Types: Retrieved with a single SOQL query on RecordType filtered by SobjectType.
  • Data Cloud objects: Data Model Objects and Data Lake Objects are not in EntityDefinition, and their describe shows relationships as generated reference fields and primary keys as optional. They are read from ssot/metadata instead, one call per object type, which returns the field types, primary keys and key qualifiers. This listing only contains the objects the org uses: a standard Data Model Object that nothing is mapped to is reported as not found.
  • Data Cloud relationships: Retrieved for each documented Data Model Object with ssot/data-model-objects/<name>/relationships, which returns both directions with their status and includes relationships to CRM objects. That response also contains the standard relationships the org never activated (origin Standard, status INACTIVE): they are left out. A relationship listed by two documented objects appears once.
  • Reporting: Each sheet is first written as a CSV, then consolidated into one XLSX via createXlsxFromCsvFiles, with explicit worksheet names.
  • Resilience: Objects that cannot be described, Data Cloud objects the org does not list, and validation rule / record type / Data Cloud relationship retrieval failures are logged as warnings and skipped without aborting the run. On an org without Data Cloud, --datacloud only logs a warning.

Agent Mode

Supports non-interactive execution with --agent:

sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --agent --objects Account,Contact

In agent mode: - The --objects flag or the --datacloud flag is required (no interactive prompt for object selection). - No other prompt is displayed; the workbook is generated directly. - Pass --customizedonly to restrict the workbook to objects that have local customizations (the prompt is skipped).

Parameters

Name Type Description Default Required Options
agent boolean Run in non-interactive mode for agents and automation
customizedonly boolean Exclude objects that have no local customizations (standard objects without custom fields and managed package objects without local custom fields). Local custom objects and objects with at least one local custom field are kept.
datacloud boolean Also document every Data Cloud (Data 360) Data Model Object (__dlm) and Data Lake Object (__dll) listed by the org, with a Data Cloud Relationships sheet
flags-dir option Import flag values from a directory.
json boolean Format output as json.
objects
-o		 option Comma-separated API names of the objects to document (e.g. Account,Contact,CustomObject__c). If omitted, an interactive prompt lists available objects.
outputfile
-f		 option Force the path and name of the consolidated output report file (the XLSX is generated alongside)
skipauth boolean Skip authentication check when a default username is required
target-org
-o		 option Username or alias of the target org. Not required if the target-org configuration variable is already set. true
websocket option Websocket host:port for VsCode SFDX Hardis UI integration

Examples

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --objects Account,Contact

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --target-org myOrgAlias --objects CustomObject__c

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --customizedonly

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --agent --objects Account,Contact --customizedonly

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --objects Account,ssot__Individual__dlm,Crm_Contact__dll

$ sf hardis:doc:data-dictionary --agent --datacloud

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