DataPackageKitObject in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

The DataPackageKitObject metadata type represents an individual constituent artifact bundled within a parent Salesforce Data Cloud Data Kit (DataPackageKitDefinition). In Data Cloud packaging architectures, solutions are structured hierarchically: the DataPackageKitDefinition serves as the top-level manifest, while multiple DataPackageKitObject records declare specific schema assets participating in the kit.

Participating assets include Data Model Objects (DMOs), custom fields added to standard entities, Data Lake Objects (DLOs), data stream mappings, and Calculated Insights. By formalizing component inclusion through DataPackageKitObject, the metadata deployment and packaging runtime tracks asset versions and verifies that dependent objects are consistently packaged into 2GP managed and unlocked packages.

Directory and File Suffix Conventions#

In SFDX source format, DataPackageKitObject files reside in the dataPackageKitObjects directory:

Key Metadata Fields#

Declarative XML and Manifest Examples#

Source Format XML (FinServ_Customer_DMO_KitObject.dataPackageKitObject-meta.xml)#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DataPackageKitObject xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <developerName>FinServ_Customer_DMO_KitObject</developerName>
    <masterLabel>Financial Services Customer DMO Kit Member</masterLabel>
    <dataPackageKitDefinition>FinancialServices_Analytics_Kit</dataPackageKitDefinition>
    <objectType>DataModelObject</objectType>
    <targetObjectName>Financial_Customer_DMO</targetObjectName>
    <objectVersion>1.0</objectVersion>
</DataPackageKitObject>

Manifest (package.xml)#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>FinServ_Customer_DMO_KitObject</members>
        <name>DataPackageKitObject</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

Retrieval and Deployment Commands#

Use the Salesforce CLI to retrieve and deploy DataPackageKitObject metadata:

# Retrieve all Data Kit object members
sf project retrieve start --metadata DataPackageKitObject

# Retrieve a specific kit object member
sf project retrieve start --metadata DataPackageKitObject:FinServ_Customer_DMO_KitObject

# Deploy kit object member metadata to target environment
sf project deploy start --metadata DataPackageKitObject:FinServ_Customer_DMO_KitObject

Senior Architect Best Practices and Gotchas#

• Parent Container Synchronization: Never deploy a DataPackageKitObject without its associated DataPackageKitDefinition. Missing parent containers result in fatal metadata deployment errors.
• Granular Modularity: When building enterprise kits, break down packages by domain (e.g., separating Billing models from Marketing models) and declare corresponding kit objects deliberately to prevent monolithic package bloat.
• Schema Reference Integrity: Ensure that the targetObjectName exists in the packaging org before building second-generation package versions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the role of DataPackageKitObject in Data Cloud?

It establishes the membership link associating an individual Data Lake Object, DMO, or Calculated Insight to a parent Data Kit definition.

Where are DataPackageKitObject files stored in SFDX?

They are stored in force-app/main/default/dataPackageKitObjects/ with the file suffix .dataPackageKitObject-meta.xml.

Can DataPackageKitObject package standard data model objects?

Yes. It can package custom extensions to standard Data Cloud entities as well as completely custom DMOs and Calculated Insights.

How do you retrieve DataPackageKitObject metadata?

Execute sf project retrieve start with the metadata flag DataPackageKitObject.