dct-toolkit covers a wide range of functionality, and it can be overwhelming at first. The tips below cover the most important behaviors and patterns to understand before diving into day-to-day workflows.

This guide assumes dct-toolkit is already installed and configured. See Install and configure if you have not completed setup.

Help and documentation

The command line is self-documenting. Append -h or --help to any command to see its documentation inline:

dct-toolkit -h
			dct-toolkit <command> -h

For more detail on reading command help output, see Find and use commands.

Finding commands quickly

Three methods are available for locating a command when you don't know the exact name:

  • Tab completion — Press Tab to auto-complete commands and options. See Auto-completion support for setup instructions.

  • Suggestions — Type an unknown or partial command and dct-toolkit returns a list of matches. For example, dct-toolkit search returns suggestions like search_vdbs and search_dsources.

  • grep — Pipe help output through grep to filter by keyword:

    dct-toolkit -h | grep <command_word>
					dct-toolkit <command> -h | grep <argument>

search_* is stronger than get_*

search_* commands support more query permutations and are the better choice for automation. get_* commands cover common tailored scenarios and are more readable for interactive use. Anything available through a get_* command is also available through the equivalent search_* command, but not always the other way around.

For scripting and automation, search_* commands provide more consistent and flexible behavior. For more detail, see Find and use commands.

Output format

All list commands support three output formats:

Format Best used for
Table (default) Quick interactive review in the terminal
JSON (--json / -js) Scripting, or when you need to see all available fields
CSV (--csv / -cs) Exporting results to a spreadsheet for further analysis

JSON and CSV output include all response properties. The --columns and -A arguments cannot be used alongside --json, -js, --csv, or -cs.

Controlling table columns

By default, table output shows the seven most common columns. Any field in the response can be added as a column using the --columns argument. Columns can also be reordered to match your preference:

dct-toolkit get_vdbs --columns=id,name,database_type,status,engine_name

Simple filtering and sorting

Any column value can be used to filter results. Use the sort argument to control the order of results. Prefix the field name with a minus sign (-) for descending order.

Sorting is case-sensitive. For example, to list VDBs sorted by name descending:

dct-toolkit search_vdbs sort=-name

Combining sort with limit is useful for finding the first or last value in a list — for example, the most recent snapshot for a given dSource.

Get by name or ID

get_* commands accept either a name or an ID in the identifier field:

dct-toolkit get_vdb_by_id vdb_id=My_Oracle_VDB
			dct-toolkit get_vdb_by_id vdb_id=40-ORACLE_DB_CONTAINER-30

If the name is not unique, dct-toolkit returns an error listing the matching IDs. Use the full ID in that case:

Multiple objects found matching the name 'CDOMLOSRD013PDB1_CNW': 40-ORACLE_DB_CONTAINER-16, 41-ORACLE_DB_CONTAINER-6. Set an ID instead of name.

Pagination

dct-toolkit returns a maximum of 1000 items per response to limit database impact. If a result set exceeds this, use the next_cursor value from the response metadata and pass it into the next command as the cursor argument:

dct-toolkit search_vdbs -js cursor=Af3cn8LUMGWd1XXbqQSj0OP...

Where possible, use filtering to reduce the result set before resorting to pagination.

Advanced filtering

The --body parameter enables full expression-based filtering, mirroring the equivalent API call's request body:

--body='{"filter_expression":"last_refresh_date GE 2025-10-01T04:00:00.000Z"}'

The DCT UI's Advanced Search filter is a useful tool for building and validating filter expressions before using them in the CLI. Craft the query in the UI, then pass it to the CLI using the syntax above.

CLI and API parity

Every new or updated DCT API call has a corresponding dct-toolkit command. If a CLI command is difficult to work through, the Swagger UI (https://{DCT_IP_ADDRESS}/dct/api) is a useful visual companion — confirm the inputs and behavior in Swagger, then return to the CLI.

Dynamic updates

dct-toolkit reads its command definitions from the connected DCT instance at runtime. Upgrading DCT is sufficient to gain access to new commands — no toolkit reinstallation is required.

Timestamps

Timestamps in dct-toolkit follow ISO 8601 format with the Zulu (UTC) offset:

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ

			Example: 2026-10-20T17:06:23Z

Do not append a timezone offset such as -04:00. Always use the Z suffix.

Last updated
Oct 8, 2026