Installation

This guide walks you through installing Cartographer into your Dataverse environment. Most users will be done in under five minutes.

Prerequisites

Before installing, make sure you have the following:

  • A Microsoft Dataverse environment (Power Apps, Dynamics 365, or standalone Dataverse)
  • System Administrator security role in the target environment
  • Permission to install solutions (some organizations restrict this via tenant settings)
  • A modern browser — Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
Cartographer installs as a managed solution. It does not modify any existing tables, forms, or views in your environment. Uninstalling removes all Cartographer components cleanly.

What Gets Installed

Cartographer consists of two managed solutions that install into your environment:

VerseBlocks Core

Required

Shared foundation used by all VerseBlocks products. Contains core tables, security roles, and utility components. Must be installed first.

VBCore_1_0_0_10_managed.zip

Cartographer

Main App

The full Cartographer product: Component Dashboard, AI Summaries, Automation Map, Compass, User Guides, and Best Practice Analysis.

Cartographer_1_0_0_13_managed.zip
VerseBlocks Core must be installed before Cartographer. Cartographer depends on components in VBCore. Attempting to install Cartographer first will fail with a missing dependency error.

Installation Steps

Download the managed solution files and import them into your Dataverse environment.

  1. 1

    Download the solution files

    Visit the VerseBlocks downloads page and download both managed solution files:

    VBCore_1_0_0_10_managed.zip — VerseBlocks Core (install FIRST)Cartographer_1_0_0_13_managed.zip — Cartographer
    Go to Downloads
  2. 2

    Import VerseBlocks Core first

    Go to make.powerapps.com, select your environment, and navigate to Solutions.

    1. Click Import solution in the command bar
    2. Click Browse and select VBCore_1_0_0_10_managed.zip
    3. Click Next
    4. Click Import
    5. Wait for the import to complete — you will see a success notification
    Solution import dialog in Power Apps
  3. 3

    Import Cartographer

    After VBCore completes successfully, repeat the import process:

    1. Click Import solution
    2. Browse and select Cartographer_1_0_0_13_managed.zip
    3. Click Next, then Import
    4. Wait for completion
    Do NOT import Cartographer before VerseBlocks Core. The import will fail with a missing dependency error. Always install VBCore first, verify it completed successfully, and then import Cartographer.
  4. 4

    Publish all customizations

    After both solutions are imported, click Publish all customizations in the Solutions area. This ensures all components are active and visible in the environment.

  5. 5

    Open the Cartographer app

    Navigate to Apps in the left navigation. Find the Cartographer model-driven app and click to open it. You'll see a sidebar with all pages: Solution Manager, Component Dashboard, Automation Map, Compass, Best Practices, and License & Billing.

Post-Install Setup

After installation, follow these steps to configure Cartographer for your environment.

  1. 1

    Open the Cartographer app

    Open Power Apps (apps.powerapps.com) and find Cartographer in your app list — it's a model-driven app with the VerseBlocks icon. Click to open it. You'll see a sidebar with all the Cartographer pages: Solution Manager, Component Dashboard, Automation Map, Compass, Best Practices, and License & Billing.

  2. 2

    Activate your license

    On the Configuration page, navigate to License & Billing.

    • Enter your license key in the format CARTO-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
    • Click Activate
    • The license status will update to show your plan tier and expiration date
    Free plan? No license key needed. Just install Cartographer and start using it immediately. You get 20 components and BYOK AI summaries at no cost.

    Don't have a license key yet? Visit verseblocks.com/pricing to purchase a Professional or Enterprise plan. Your key will be emailed to you immediately after purchase.

    License activation screen
  3. 3

    Configure AI settings

    AI Summaries require an AI backend. You have two options:

    BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)

    Enter your own OpenAI or Azure OpenAI API key. You pay OpenAI directly for token usage. Available on all plans.

    Setup guide →

    Hosted AI

    We handle the AI infrastructure. No API key needed. Available as an add-on ($149/mo) for Professional and Enterprise plans.

    Learn more →
  4. 4

    Add your first solution

    Navigate to Solution Manager in the sidebar and click Add Solution. Select the Dataverse solution you want to crawl. Then click Crawl Now to start discovering components.

  5. 5

    Explore your documentation

    After the crawl completes, navigate to the Component Dashboard to see all discovered components. Click any component to view its details, and use the AI Summary button to generate a human-readable description.

Upgrading Cartographer

When a new version of Cartographer is released, you can upgrade without losing any data.

Download the latest managed solution files from our downloads page and import them into your environment using the same process as the initial installation. Power Platform will detect the existing solution and perform an upgrade automatically.

Data is always preserved. Upgrading imports a newer version of the managed solution over the existing one. All your crawl data, AI summaries, user guides, and configuration settings are retained.

Uninstalling

To remove Cartographer from your environment:

  1. Go to Solutions in Power Apps
  2. Select Cartographer and click Delete
  3. After Cartographer is removed, select VerseBlocks Core and click Delete
Uninstalling Cartographer permanently deletes all crawl data, AI summaries, user guides, and configuration. Export any data you need before uninstalling. Uninstall Cartographer before VerseBlocks Core — Core cannot be removed while Cartographer depends on it.

Troubleshooting Installation

"Missing dependency" error during import

This means VerseBlocks Core was not installed, or the installation failed silently. Go to Solutions, verify that VBCore appears in the list with a "Managed" status, then try importing Cartographer again.

Cartographer does not appear in the Apps list

Make sure you have a security role that grants access to the Cartographer app. System Administrator and System Customizer have access by default. You may need to assign the Cartographer User security role to other users who need access.

"You are not authorized" error when opening the app

This indicates a missing security role. Ask your System Administrator to assign the Cartographer User or Cartographer Admin security role to your user account.

Next Steps

Cartographer is installed and ready. Configure your AI settings and start crawling.

Configuration GuideCrawling Solutions