diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f7ff0378..ca4415be 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 # CMake build configuration for Access Layer core
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.21)
 
+if(POLICY CMP0144)
+  cmake_policy(SET CMP0144 NEW)
+endif()
+
 if(${CMAKE_VERSION} VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.30)
   cmake_policy(SET CMP0167 NEW) # Use system BoostConfig instead of cmake FindBoost
 endif()
@@ -81,7 +85,42 @@ endif()
 # ##############################################################################
 
 if(WIN32)
-  find_package(PThreads4W CONFIG REQUIRED)
+  # Ensure vcpkg paths are in CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH for finding packages
+  if(DEFINED VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR AND DEFINED VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET)
+    list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}")
+    message(STATUS "al-core: Added CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH: ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}")
+  else()
+    # Try to auto-detect vcpkg installed directory from build path
+    if(CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR MATCHES "(.*/build)/")
+      set(_BUILD_DIR "${CMAKE_MATCH_1}")
+      set(_VCPKG_PATH "${_BUILD_DIR}/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows")
+      if(EXISTS "${_VCPKG_PATH}")
+        list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${_VCPKG_PATH}")
+        message(STATUS "al-core: Auto-detected vcpkg path: ${_VCPKG_PATH}")
+        
+        # Set PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE for vcpkg's pkgconf
+        if(EXISTS "${_VCPKG_PATH}/tools/pkgconf/pkgconf.exe")
+          set(PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE "${_VCPKG_PATH}/tools/pkgconf/pkgconf.exe" CACHE FILEPATH "pkg-config executable")
+          message(STATUS "al-core: Set PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE to ${PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE}")
+        endif()
+      endif()
+    endif()
+  endif()
+  
+  message(STATUS "al-core: CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH = ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}")
+  
+  # Add cmake module path for FindPThreads4W.cmake fallback
+  list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/common/cmake")
+  
+  # Try CONFIG mode first, fall back to MODULE mode
+  find_package(PThreads4W CONFIG QUIET)
+  if(NOT PThreads4W_FOUND)
+    message(STATUS "PThreads4W CONFIG not found, trying MODULE mode")
+    find_package(PThreads4W MODULE REQUIRED)
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Found PThreads4W via CONFIG mode")
+  endif()
+  
   find_package(dlfcn-win32 CONFIG REQUIRED)
 endif()
 
@@ -115,6 +154,7 @@ set(PUBLIC_HEADER_FILES
     include/readback_plugin_feature.h
     include/uri_parser.h
     include/data_interpolation.h
+    include/fix_include_windows.h
     # al_defs.h is generated in the binary folder with configure_file:
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/include/al_defs.h)
 
diff --git a/common/cmake/ALBuildDataDictionary.cmake b/common/cmake/ALBuildDataDictionary.cmake
index 6aff7f7a..7961b623 100644
--- a/common/cmake/ALBuildDataDictionary.cmake
+++ b/common/cmake/ALBuildDataDictionary.cmake
@@ -11,18 +11,95 @@ if( AL_DOCS_ONLY )
 endif()
 
 # Find Python for the xsltproc.py program
-find_package(Python REQUIRED COMPONENTS Interpreter Development.Module)
-# Find LibXslt for the xsltproc program
-find_package( LibXslt QUIET )
-if( NOT LIBXSLT_XSLTPROC_EXECUTABLE )
-  message( FATAL_ERROR "Could not find xsltproc" )
+if(WIN32)
+  if(NOT Python3_FOUND AND NOT PYTHON_EXECUTABLE)
+	  # Check if Python is in PATH
+	  find_program(PYTHON_EXECUTABLE NAMES python3.exe python.exe python3 python DOC "Python interpreter")
+	  if(NOT PYTHON_EXECUTABLE)
+	    message(FATAL_ERROR "Could not find Python. Please ensure Python is installed and in PATH.")
+	  endif()
+  else()
+	  set(PYTHON_EXECUTABLE ${Python3_EXECUTABLE})
+  endif()
+else()
+	find_package(Python REQUIRED COMPONENTS Interpreter Development.Module)
+	set(PYTHON_EXECUTABLE ${Python_EXECUTABLE})
+endif()
+
+message(STATUS "Found Python: ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE}")
+
+# Set up Python venv paths for saxonche (used for all XSLT transformations)
+if(WIN32)
+  set(_VENV_PYTHON "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/Scripts/python.exe")
+  set(_VENV_PIP "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/Scripts/pip.exe")
+else()
+  set(_VENV_PYTHON "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/bin/python")
+  set(_VENV_PIP "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/bin/pip")
 endif()
 
 if( NOT AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES AND NOT AL_DEVELOPMENT_LAYOUT )
   # The DD easybuild module should be loaded, use that module:
-  # Use idsinfo idspath command to get the path to IDSDef.xml or data_dictionary.xml
+  # Create Python venv first and install imas_data_dictionary
+  if(NOT EXISTS "${_VENV_PYTHON}")
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} -m venv dd_build_env
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _VENV_EXITCODE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _VENV_OUTPUT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _VENV_ERROR
+    )
+    
+    if(_VENV_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "venv stdout: ${_VENV_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "venv stderr: ${_VENV_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to create venv (exit code: ${_VENV_EXITCODE}). Ensure Python has venv module installed: python -m venv --help")
+    endif()
+    
+    if(DEFINED DD_VERSION)
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND ${_VENV_PIP} install imas_data_dictionary==${DD_VERSION}
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
+        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _PIP_OUTPUT
+        ERROR_VARIABLE _PIP_ERROR
+      )
+    else()
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND ${_VENV_PIP} install imas_data_dictionary
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
+        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _PIP_OUTPUT
+        ERROR_VARIABLE _PIP_ERROR
+      )
+    endif()
+    
+    if(_PIP_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "imas_data_dictionary pip output: ${_PIP_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "imas_data_dictionary pip error: ${_PIP_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to install imas_data_dictionary dependency (exit code: ${_PIP_EXITCODE}). Check network connectivity and Python wheel compatibility.")
+    endif()
+    
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${_VENV_PIP} install saxonche
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _PIP_OUTPUT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _PIP_ERROR
+    )
+    
+    if(_PIP_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "saxonche pip output: ${_PIP_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "saxonche pip error: ${_PIP_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to install saxonche dependency (exit code: ${_PIP_EXITCODE}). Check network connectivity and Python wheel compatibility.")
+    endif()
+  endif()
+# Set up idsinfo command path
+if(WIN32)
+  set(_IDSINFO_COMMAND "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/Scripts/idsinfo.exe")
+else()
+  set(_IDSINFO_COMMAND "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/bin/idsinfo")
+endif()
+
+  # Use idsinfo idspath command from venv to get the path to IDSDef.xml or data_dictionary.xml
   execute_process(
-    COMMAND idsinfo idspath
+    COMMAND ${_IDSINFO_COMMAND} idspath
     OUTPUT_VARIABLE IDSDEF
     OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
     RESULT_VARIABLE _IDSINFO_EXITCODE
@@ -58,37 +135,115 @@ if( NOT AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES AND NOT AL_DEVELOPMENT_LAYOUT )
   if( NOT DD_IDENTIFIER_FILES )
     message( WARNING "No identifier XML files found in Data Dictionary at: ${IDSDEF}" )
   endif()
-else()
-  # Build the DD from source:
-  include(FetchContent)
-
-  if( AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
-    # Download the Data Dictionary from the ITER git:
-    FetchContent_Declare(
-      data-dictionary
-      GIT_REPOSITORY  ${DD_GIT_REPOSITORY}
-      GIT_TAG         ${DD_VERSION}
+  
+  # When using pre-installed DD, we still need venv for extracting IDS names and version
+  # Create Python venv and install saxonche if not already done
+  if(NOT EXISTS "${_VENV_PYTHON}")
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} -m venv dd_build_env
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _VENV_EXITCODE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _VENV_OUTPUT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _VENV_ERROR
     )
-  else()
-    # Look in ../data-dictionary for the data dictionary
-    if( NOT( AL_PARENT_FOLDER ) )
-      set( AL_PARENT_FOLDER ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.. )
-    endif()
-    set( DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${AL_PARENT_FOLDER}/data-dictionary )
-    if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
-      message( FATAL_ERROR
-        "${DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} does not exist. Please clone the "
-        "data-dictionary repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
-      )
+    
+    if(_VENV_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "venv stdout: ${_VENV_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "venv stderr: ${_VENV_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to create venv (exit code: ${_VENV_EXITCODE}). Ensure Python has venv module installed: python -m venv --help")
     endif()
 
-    FetchContent_Declare(
-      data-dictionary
-      SOURCE_DIR      ${DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY}
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${_VENV_PIP} install saxonche
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _PIP_OUTPUT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _PIP_ERROR
     )
-    set( DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY )  # unset temporary var
+    
+    if(_PIP_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "saxonche pip output: ${_PIP_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "saxonche pip error: ${_PIP_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to install saxonche dependency (exit code: ${_PIP_EXITCODE}). Check network connectivity and Python wheel compatibility.")
+    endif()
   endif()
-  FetchContent_MakeAvailable( data-dictionary )
+else()
+  if(WIN32)
+    # Build the DD from source using direct git commands:
+    if( AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
+      # Download the Data Dictionary from the ITER git:
+      set( data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/_deps/data-dictionary-src" )
+      if( NOT EXISTS "${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR}/.git" )
+        message( STATUS "Cloning data-dictionary from ${DD_GIT_REPOSITORY}" )
+        execute_process(
+          COMMAND git clone "${DD_GIT_REPOSITORY}" "${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR}"
+          RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_CLONE_RESULT
+          ERROR_VARIABLE _GIT_CLONE_ERROR
+        )
+        if( _GIT_CLONE_RESULT )
+          message( FATAL_ERROR "Failed to clone data-dictionary: ${_GIT_CLONE_ERROR}" )
+        endif()
+      endif()
+      # Checkout the specified version
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND git fetch origin
+        WORKING_DIRECTORY "${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR}"
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_FETCH_RESULT
+      )
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND git checkout "${DD_VERSION}"
+        WORKING_DIRECTORY "${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR}"
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_CHECKOUT_RESULT
+        ERROR_VARIABLE _GIT_CHECKOUT_ERROR
+      )
+      if( _GIT_CHECKOUT_RESULT )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR "Failed to checkout ${DD_VERSION}: ${_GIT_CHECKOUT_ERROR}" )
+      endif()
+    else()
+      # Look in ../data-dictionary for the data dictionary
+      if( NOT( AL_PARENT_FOLDER ) )
+        set( AL_PARENT_FOLDER ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.. )
+      endif()
+      set( data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR ${AL_PARENT_FOLDER}/data-dictionary )
+      if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR} )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR
+          "${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR} does not exist. Please clone the "
+          "data-dictionary repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+        )
+      endif()
+    endif() 
+  else()
+    # Build the DD from source:
+    include(FetchContent)
+
+    if( AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
+      # Download the Data Dictionary from the ITER git:
+      FetchContent_Declare(
+        data-dictionary
+        GIT_REPOSITORY  ${DD_GIT_REPOSITORY}
+        GIT_TAG         ${DD_VERSION}
+      )
+    else()
+      # Look in ../data-dictionary for the data dictionary
+      if( NOT( AL_PARENT_FOLDER ) )
+        set( AL_PARENT_FOLDER ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.. )
+      endif()
+      set( DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${AL_PARENT_FOLDER}/data-dictionary )
+      if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR
+          "${DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} does not exist. Please clone the "
+          "data-dictionary repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+        )
+      endif()
+
+      FetchContent_Declare(
+        data-dictionary
+        SOURCE_DIR      ${DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY}
+      )
+      set( DD_SOURCE_DIRECTORY )  # unset temporary var
+    endif()
+    FetchContent_MakeAvailable( data-dictionary )
+  endif()
+
 
   # get version of the data dictionary
   execute_process(
@@ -108,33 +263,52 @@ else()
   endif()
 
   # We need the IDSDef.xml at configure time, ensure it is built
-  execute_process(
-    COMMAND ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m venv dd_build_env
-    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
-  )
-  
-  execute_process(
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/bin/pip install saxonche
-    RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
-  )
-  
-  if(_PIP_EXITCODE)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to install saxonche dependency")
+  # Create Python venv and install saxonche if not already done
+  if(NOT EXISTS "${_VENV_PYTHON}")
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} -m venv dd_build_env
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _VENV_EXITCODE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _VENV_OUTPUT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _VENV_ERROR
+    )
+    
+    if(_VENV_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "venv stdout: ${_VENV_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "venv stderr: ${_VENV_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to create venv (exit code: ${_VENV_EXITCODE}). Ensure Python has venv module installed: python -m venv --help")
+    endif()
+
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${_VENV_PIP} install saxonche
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _PIP_OUTPUT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _PIP_ERROR
+    )
+    
+    if(_PIP_EXITCODE)
+      message(STATUS "saxonche pip output: ${_PIP_OUTPUT}")
+      message(STATUS "saxonche pip error: ${_PIP_ERROR}")
+      message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to install saxonche dependency (exit code: ${_PIP_EXITCODE}). Check network connectivity and Python wheel compatibility.")
+    endif()
   endif()
   
   execute_process(
-    COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_build_env/bin/python "${al-core_SOURCE_DIR}/xsltproc.py"
+    COMMAND ${_VENV_PYTHON} "${al-common_SOURCE_DIR}/xsltproc.py"
       -xsl "dd_data_dictionary.xml.xsl"
       -o "IDSDef.xml"
       -s "dd_data_dictionary.xml.xsd"
       DD_GIT_DESCRIBE=${DD_GIT_DESCRIBE}
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${data-dictionary_SOURCE_DIR}
     RESULT_VARIABLE _MAKE_DD_EXITCODE
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE _MAKE_DD_OUTPUT
+    ERROR_VARIABLE _MAKE_DD_ERROR
   )
 
   if( _MAKE_DD_EXITCODE )
-    # make did not succeed:
-    message( FATAL_ERROR "Error while building the Data Dictionary. See output on previous lines." )
+    message(STATUS "xsltproc.py output: ${_MAKE_DD_OUTPUT}")
+    message(STATUS "xsltproc.py error: ${_MAKE_DD_ERROR}")
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Error while building the Data Dictionary (exit code: ${_MAKE_DD_EXITCODE}). Check paths and Saxon-HE configuration.")
   endif()
 
   # Populate IDSDEF filename
@@ -149,19 +323,74 @@ else()
 endif()
 
 # Find out which IDSs exist and populate IDS_NAMES
+# Ensure saxonche is installed before using xsltproc.py
+# Check if saxonche is available in the venv
+execute_process(
+  COMMAND ${_VENV_PYTHON} -c "import saxonche"
+  RESULT_VARIABLE _SAXONCHE_CHECK
+  OUTPUT_QUIET
+  ERROR_QUIET
+)
+
+if(_SAXONCHE_CHECK)
+  message(STATUS "Installing saxonche in venv...")
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${_VENV_PIP} install saxonche
+    RESULT_VARIABLE _PIP_EXITCODE
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE _PIP_OUTPUT
+    ERROR_VARIABLE _PIP_ERROR
+  )
+  
+  if(_PIP_EXITCODE)
+    message(STATUS "saxonche pip output: ${_PIP_OUTPUT}")
+    message(STATUS "saxonche pip error: ${_PIP_ERROR}")
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to install saxonche dependency (exit code: ${_PIP_EXITCODE}). Check network connectivity and Python wheel compatibility.")
+  endif()
+endif()
+
 set( list_idss_file ${al-common_SOURCE_DIR}/list_idss.xsl )
 set( CMAKE_CONFIGURE_DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CONFIGURE_DEPENDS};${list_idss_file};${IDSDEF} )
+set( ids_names_tmpfile "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ids_names_tmp.txt" )
 execute_process( COMMAND
-  ${LIBXSLT_XSLTPROC_EXECUTABLE} ${list_idss_file} ${IDSDEF}
-  OUTPUT_VARIABLE IDS_NAMES
+  ${_VENV_PYTHON} "${al-common_SOURCE_DIR}/xsltproc.py"
+    -xsl ${list_idss_file}
+    -s ${IDSDEF}
+    -o ${ids_names_tmpfile}
+  RESULT_VARIABLE _XSLT_RESULT
+  ERROR_VARIABLE _XSLT_ERROR
 )
+if(_XSLT_RESULT)
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to extract IDS names: ${_XSLT_ERROR}")
+endif()
+if(EXISTS ${ids_names_tmpfile})
+  file(READ ${ids_names_tmpfile} IDS_NAMES)
+  string(STRIP "${IDS_NAMES}" IDS_NAMES)
+  file(REMOVE ${ids_names_tmpfile})
+else()
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "IDS names output file not created")
+endif()
 set( list_idss_file )  # unset temporary var
 
 # DD version
 set( dd_version_file ${al-common_SOURCE_DIR}/dd_version.xsl )
+set( dd_version_tmpfile "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/dd_version_tmp.txt" )
 execute_process( COMMAND
-  ${LIBXSLT_XSLTPROC_EXECUTABLE} ${dd_version_file} ${IDSDEF}
-  OUTPUT_VARIABLE DD_VERSION
+  ${_VENV_PYTHON} "${al-common_SOURCE_DIR}/xsltproc.py"
+    -xsl ${dd_version_file}
+    -s ${IDSDEF}
+    -o ${dd_version_tmpfile}
+  RESULT_VARIABLE _XSLT_RESULT
+  ERROR_VARIABLE _XSLT_ERROR
 )
-string( REGEX REPLACE "[+-]" "_" DD_SAFE_VERSION ${DD_VERSION} )
+if(_XSLT_RESULT)
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to extract DD version: ${_XSLT_ERROR}")
+endif()
+if(EXISTS ${dd_version_tmpfile})
+  file(READ ${dd_version_tmpfile} DD_VERSION)
+  string(STRIP "${DD_VERSION}" DD_VERSION)
+  file(REMOVE ${dd_version_tmpfile})
+else()
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "DD version output file not created")
+endif()
+string( REGEX REPLACE "[+-]" "_" DD_SAFE_VERSION "${DD_VERSION}" )
 set( dd_version_file )  # unset temporary var
diff --git a/common/cmake/ALCommonConfig.cmake b/common/cmake/ALCommonConfig.cmake
index badee05b..2431a5d9 100644
--- a/common/cmake/ALCommonConfig.cmake
+++ b/common/cmake/ALCommonConfig.cmake
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ option( AL_PLUGINS "Enable plugin framework for tests and examples" OFF )
 option( AL_HLI_DOCS "Build the Sphinx-based High Level Interface documentation" OFF )
 option( AL_DOCS_ONLY "Don't build anything, except the Sphinx-based High Level Interface documentation" OFF )
 
-# Find Saxon XSLT processor
-find_package( SaxonHE REQUIRED )
+# Saxon XSLT processor has been replaced with Python saxonche
+# No longer need to find SaxonHE - saxonche is installed automatically via pip in virtual environments
 
 if( NOT AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
   if( DEFINED ENV{AL_COMMON_PATH} )
diff --git a/common/cmake/ALCore.cmake b/common/cmake/ALCore.cmake
index 9492263e..21c6bc74 100644
--- a/common/cmake/ALCore.cmake
+++ b/common/cmake/ALCore.cmake
@@ -11,69 +11,176 @@ if( NOT AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES AND NOT AL_DEVELOPMENT_LAYOUT )
   # Stop processing
   return()
 endif()
-
-include(FetchContent)
-
-if( AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
-  # Download the AL core from the ITER git:
-  FetchContent_Declare(
-    al-core
-    GIT_REPOSITORY  ${AL_CORE_GIT_REPOSITORY}
-    GIT_TAG         ${AL_CORE_VERSION}
-  )
-else()
-  # Look in ../al-core
-  set( AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-core )
-  if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
-    # Repository used to be called "al-lowlevel", check this directory as well for
-    # backwards compatibility:
-    set( AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-lowlevel )
-    if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
-      message( FATAL_ERROR
-        "${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} does not exist. Please clone the "
-        "al-core repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+if(WIN32)
+  if( AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
+    # Download the AL core from the ITER git using direct git commands:
+    set( al-core_SOURCE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/_deps/al-core-src" )
+    if( NOT EXISTS "${al-core_SOURCE_DIR}/.git" )
+      message( STATUS "Cloning al-core from ${AL_CORE_GIT_REPOSITORY}" )
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND git clone "${AL_CORE_GIT_REPOSITORY}" "${al-core_SOURCE_DIR}"
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_CLONE_RESULT
+        ERROR_VARIABLE _GIT_CLONE_ERROR
       )
+      if( _GIT_CLONE_RESULT )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR "Failed to clone al-core: ${_GIT_CLONE_ERROR}" )
+      endif()
+    endif()
+    # Checkout the specified version
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND git fetch origin
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY "${al-core_SOURCE_DIR}"
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_FETCH_RESULT
+    )
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND git checkout "${AL_CORE_VERSION}"
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY "${al-core_SOURCE_DIR}"
+      RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_CHECKOUT_RESULT
+      ERROR_VARIABLE _GIT_CHECKOUT_ERROR
+    )
+    if( _GIT_CHECKOUT_RESULT )
+      message( FATAL_ERROR "Failed to checkout ${AL_CORE_VERSION}: ${_GIT_CHECKOUT_ERROR}" )
+    endif()
+  else()
+    # Look in ../al-core
+    set( al-core_SOURCE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-core )
+    if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${al-core_SOURCE_DIR} )
+      # Repository used to be called "al-lowlevel", check this directory as well for
+      # backwards compatibility:
+      set( al-core_SOURCE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-lowlevel )
+      if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${al-core_SOURCE_DIR} )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR
+          "${al-core_SOURCE_DIR} does not exist. Please clone the "
+          "al-core repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+        )
+      endif()
     endif()
   endif()
+else()
+  include(FetchContent)
+
+  if( AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES )
+    # Download the AL core from the ITER git:
+    FetchContent_Declare(
+      al-core
+      GIT_REPOSITORY  ${AL_CORE_GIT_REPOSITORY}
+      GIT_TAG         ${AL_CORE_VERSION}
+    )
+  else()
+    # Look in ../al-core
+    set( AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-core )
+    if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
+      # Repository used to be called "al-lowlevel", check this directory as well for
+      # backwards compatibility:
+      set( AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-lowlevel )
+      if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR
+          "${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} does not exist. Please clone the "
+          "al-core repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+        )
+      endif()
+    endif()
 
-  FetchContent_Declare(
-    al-core
-    SOURCE_DIR      ${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY}
-  )
-  set( AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY )  # unset temporary var
+    FetchContent_Declare(
+      al-core
+      SOURCE_DIR      ${AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY}
+    )
+    set( AL_SOURCE_DIRECTORY )  # unset temporary var
+  endif()
 endif()
+
 # Don't load the AL core when only building documentation
 if( NOT AL_DOCS_ONLY )
-  FetchContent_MakeAvailable( al-core )
+  # Ensure vcpkg packages are found in the subdirectory
+  if(WIN32)
+    # On Windows, ensure vcpkg packages are available to the subdirectory
+    if(DEFINED VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR AND DEFINED VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET)
+      # Add vcpkg installed directory to CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH for the subdirectory
+      set(CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET};${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}")
+      # Pass vcpkg variables to subdirectory by setting them in parent scope
+      set(VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR "${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}" CACHE STRING "vcpkg installed dir" FORCE)
+      set(VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET "${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}" CACHE STRING "vcpkg triplet" FORCE)
+      message(STATUS "ALCore: Passing vcpkg paths to al-core subdirectory")
+      message(STATUS "  VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR: ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}")
+      message(STATUS "  VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET: ${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}")
+      message(STATUS "  CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH: ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}")
+    endif()
+    add_subdirectory( ${al-core_SOURCE_DIR} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/_deps/al-core-build )
+  else()
+    FetchContent_MakeAvailable( al-core )
+  endif()
   get_target_property( AL_CORE_VERSION al VERSION )
 endif()
 
 
 if( ${AL_PLUGINS} )
-  if( ${AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES} )
-    # Download the AL plugins from the ITER git:
-    FetchContent_Declare(
-      al-plugins
-      GIT_REPOSITORY  ${AL_PLUGINS_GIT_REPOSITORY}
-      GIT_TAG         ${AL_PLUGINS_VERSION}
-    )
-  else()
-    # Look in ../plugins
-    set( PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-plugins )
-    if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
-      message( FATAL_ERROR
-        "${PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} does not exist. Please clone the "
-        "al-plugins repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+  if(WIN32)
+    if( ${AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES} )
+      # Download the AL plugins from the ITER git using direct git commands:
+      set( al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/_deps/al-plugins-src" )
+      if( NOT EXISTS "${al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR}/.git" )
+        message( STATUS "Cloning al-plugins from ${AL_PLUGINS_GIT_REPOSITORY}" )
+        execute_process(
+          COMMAND git clone "${AL_PLUGINS_GIT_REPOSITORY}" "${al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR}"
+          RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_CLONE_RESULT
+          ERROR_VARIABLE _GIT_CLONE_ERROR
+        )
+        if( _GIT_CLONE_RESULT )
+          message( FATAL_ERROR "Failed to clone al-plugins: ${_GIT_CLONE_ERROR}" )
+        endif()
+      endif()
+      # Checkout the specified version
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND git fetch origin
+        WORKING_DIRECTORY "${al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR}"
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_FETCH_RESULT
       )
+      execute_process(
+        COMMAND git checkout "${AL_PLUGINS_VERSION}"
+        WORKING_DIRECTORY "${al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR}"
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _GIT_CHECKOUT_RESULT
+        ERROR_VARIABLE _GIT_CHECKOUT_ERROR
+      )
+      if( _GIT_CHECKOUT_RESULT )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR "Failed to checkout ${AL_PLUGINS_VERSION}: ${_GIT_CHECKOUT_ERROR}" )
+      endif()
+    else()
+      # Look in ../plugins
+      set( al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-plugins )
+      if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR} )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR
+          "${al-plugins_SOURCE_DIR} does not exist. Please clone the "
+          "al-plugins repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+        )
+      endif()
     endif()
 
-    FetchContent_Declare(
-      al-plugins
-      SOURCE_DIR      ${PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY}
-    )
-    set( PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY )  # unset temporary var
+  else()
+    if( ${AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES} )
+      # Download the AL plugins from the ITER git:
+      FetchContent_Declare(
+        al-plugins
+        GIT_REPOSITORY  ${AL_PLUGINS_GIT_REPOSITORY}
+        GIT_TAG         ${AL_PLUGINS_VERSION}
+      )
+    else()
+      # Look in ../plugins
+      set( PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../al-plugins )
+      if( NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} )
+        message( FATAL_ERROR
+          "${PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY} does not exist. Please clone the "
+          "al-plugins repository or set AL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON."
+        )
+      endif()
+
+      FetchContent_Declare(
+        al-plugins
+        SOURCE_DIR      ${PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY}
+      )
+      set( PLUGINS_SOURCE_DIRECTORY )  # unset temporary var
+    endif()
+    FetchContent_MakeAvailable( al-plugins )
   endif()
-  FetchContent_MakeAvailable( al-plugins )
 endif()
 
 if( AL_HLI_DOCS )
diff --git a/common/cmake/ALSetCompilerFlags.cmake b/common/cmake/ALSetCompilerFlags.cmake
index 4bd88c3b..b821ffce 100644
--- a/common/cmake/ALSetCompilerFlags.cmake
+++ b/common/cmake/ALSetCompilerFlags.cmake
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ endif()
 if(NOT DEFINED CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD)
   set( CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17 )
 endif()
-if( CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Intel" )
-  # icpc options
+if( CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Intel" OR CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "IntelLLVM" )
+  # icpc/icpx options
   string( APPEND CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS
     # " -Wall"
   )
diff --git a/common/cmake/FindPThreads4W.cmake b/common/cmake/FindPThreads4W.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4de1783b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/cmake/FindPThreads4W.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# FindPThreads4W.cmake - Minimal version
+# Find the PThreads-Win32 library
+
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH = ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}")
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR = ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}")
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET = ${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}")
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR = ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}")
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR = ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}")
+
+# Try to determine vcpkg installed directory from build directory structure
+set(_POSSIBLE_VCPKG_PATHS "")
+if(CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR MATCHES "(.*/build)/")
+    set(_BUILD_DIR "${CMAKE_MATCH_1}")
+    list(APPEND _POSSIBLE_VCPKG_PATHS 
+        "${_BUILD_DIR}/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows"
+        "${_BUILD_DIR}/vcpkg_installed/x86-windows"
+    )
+    message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: Detected build dir: ${_BUILD_DIR}")
+endif()
+
+# Find include directory and library
+find_path(PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR
+    NAMES pthread.h
+    HINTS 
+        ${PThreads4W_DIR}
+        ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}
+        ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}
+        ${_POSSIBLE_VCPKG_PATHS}
+    PATH_SUFFIXES include
+)
+
+find_library(PThreads4W_LIBRARY
+    NAMES pthreadVC3 pthreadVCE3 pthreadVSE3 pthread pthreads
+    HINTS
+        ${PThreads4W_DIR}
+        ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}
+        ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}
+        ${_POSSIBLE_VCPKG_PATHS}
+    PATH_SUFFIXES lib
+)
+
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR = ${PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+message(STATUS "FindPThreads4W: PThreads4W_LIBRARY = ${PThreads4W_LIBRARY}")
+
+# Use standard CMake handling
+include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
+find_package_handle_standard_args(PThreads4W
+    REQUIRED_VARS PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR PThreads4W_LIBRARY
+)
+
+if(PThreads4W_FOUND)
+    set(PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIRS ${PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR})
+    set(PThreads4W_LIBRARIES ${PThreads4W_LIBRARY})
+    
+    # Create imported target
+    if(NOT TARGET PThreads4W::PThreads4W)
+        add_library(PThreads4W::PThreads4W UNKNOWN IMPORTED)
+        set_target_properties(PThreads4W::PThreads4W PROPERTIES
+            IMPORTED_LOCATION "${PThreads4W_LIBRARY}"
+            INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR}"
+        )
+        if(WIN32)
+            set_target_properties(PThreads4W::PThreads4W PROPERTIES
+                INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "ws2_32"
+            )
+        endif(WIN32)
+    endif(NOT TARGET PThreads4W::PThreads4W)
+endif(PThreads4W_FOUND)
+
+mark_as_advanced(PThreads4W_INCLUDE_DIR PThreads4W_LIBRARY)
diff --git a/common/cmake/FindSaxonHE.cmake b/common/cmake/FindSaxonHE.cmake
deleted file mode 100644
index af2b5d2f..00000000
--- a/common/cmake/FindSaxonHE.cmake
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-# Find Saxon-HE XSLT processor
-#
-# Sets the following variables
-# - SaxonHE_FOUND
-# - SaxonHE_CLASSPATH
-# - SaxonHE_VERSION
-
-find_package( Java COMPONENTS Runtime )
-include( FindPackageHandleStandardArgs )
-
-macro( TestSaxon CLASSPATH )
-  execute_process(
-    COMMAND ${Java_JAVA_EXECUTABLE} -cp "${CLASSPATH}" net.sf.saxon.Transform -?
-    ERROR_VARIABLE _Saxon_OUTPUT
-    RESULT_VARIABLE _Saxon_RESULT
-    OUTPUT_QUIET
-  )
-  if( _Saxon_RESULT EQUAL 0 )
-    set( SaxonHE_CLASSPATH "${CLASSPATH}" CACHE STRING "Java classpath containing Saxon-HE" FORCE )
-    if( _Saxon_OUTPUT MATCHES "Saxon(-HE)? ([^ ]*) from" )
-      set( SaxonHE_VERSION ${CMAKE_MATCH_2} )
-    else()
-      set( SaxonHE_VERSION "Unknown" )
-    endif()
-  endif()
-endmacro()
-
-if( Java_FOUND AND NOT SaxonHE_CLASSPATH )
-  # Check if saxon is already on the classpath
-  TestSaxon( "$ENV{CLASSPATH}" )
-  if( NOT SaxonHE_CLASSPATH )
-    # Try to find Saxon in /usr/share/java:
-    find_file( SaxonHE_JAR
-      NAMES Saxon-HE.jar saxon-he.jar
-      PATHS
-        /usr/share/java/
-        /usr/local/share/java/
-    )
-    if( SaxonHE_JAR )
-      TestSaxon( "${SaxonHE_JAR}" )
-    endif()
-  endif()
-endif()
-
-if( SaxonHE_CLASSPATH )
-  # Saxon found (or classpath set by user)
-  if( NOT SaxonHE_VERSION )
-    TestSaxon( "${SaxonHE_CLASSPATH}" )
-  endif()
-endif()
-
-find_package_handle_standard_args(
-  SaxonHE
-  REQUIRED_VARS SaxonHE_CLASSPATH SaxonHE_VERSION 
-  VERSION_VAR SaxonHE_VERSION
-)
diff --git a/common/doc_common/building_installing.rst b/common/doc_common/building_installing.rst
index 07b2fe67..a5571fb3 100644
--- a/common/doc_common/building_installing.rst
+++ b/common/doc_common/building_installing.rst
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ Documentation for developers wishing to contribute to the Access Layer can be fo
 the :ref:`Access Layer development guide`. Please refer to that guide if you wish to set
 up a development environment.
 
+.. note::
+
+    For Windows-specific installation instructions, please refer to the
+    :doc:`Windows Installation Guide <windows_setup>`.
+
 
 .. _`build prerequisites`:
 
@@ -404,3 +409,4 @@ Troubleshooting
 **Problem:** ``Target Boost::log already has an imported location``
     This problem is known to occur with the ``2020b`` toolchain on SDCC. Add the CMake
     configuration option ``-D Boost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON`` to work around the problem.
+
diff --git a/common/doc_common/plugins_examples.rst b/common/doc_common/plugins_examples.rst
index 281b5ce4..03bbf340 100644
--- a/common/doc_common/plugins_examples.rst
+++ b/common/doc_common/plugins_examples.rst
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 Plugins examples
 ================
 
+.. note::
+
+   The plugin examples referenced in this documentation are maintained in the al-plugins repository. 
+   Please refer to: https://git.iter.org/projects/IMAS/repos/al-plugins/browse for the complete source code.
+
 
 The ``debug`` plugin
 --------------------
@@ -9,8 +14,7 @@ In this first example, we want to display the value of the field
 ``ids_properties/version_put/access_layer`` for a given IDS during the
 execution of a ``get()`` operation.
 
-The debug plugin is a C++ class named ``Debug_plugin``. `Figure 10`_ shows
-the header code:
+The debug plugin is a C++ class named ``Debug_plugin``. The header code shows:
 
 -  The Debug_plugin class inherits from the access_layer_plugin plugin
    interface
@@ -20,12 +24,11 @@ the header code:
 -  The private attributes shot, dataobjectname and occurrence will be
    initialized during the initialization of the plugin
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/debug_plugin.h
-   :caption: **Figure 10:** Header of the Debug_plugin class
-   :name: Figure 10
-   :language: C++
+.. note::
+
+   The complete source code for the debug_plugin.h header is available in the al-plugins repository.
 
-`Figure 10a`_ shows the plugin implementation code:
+The plugin implementation code includes:
 
 -  Plugin initialization occurs in the ``begin_global_action(...)`` function.
    However, no initialization is required in this example.
@@ -42,19 +45,16 @@ the header code:
    ``getReadbackName(path, index)`` returns an empty string, meaning that
    the ``debug`` plugin does not define any *readback* plugin.
 
+.. note::
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/debug_plugin.cpp
-   :caption: **Figure 10a:** C++ plugin implementation code
-   :name: Figure 10a
-   :language: C++
+   The complete source code for the debug_plugin.cpp implementation is available in the al-plugins repository.
 
 
 Plugin compilation: creating a shared library
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-`Figure 11`_ shows the Makefile for compiling the plugin. This makefile
-will also compile the C++ HLI code ``test_debug_plugin.cpp``, which uses
-this plugin (`Figure 13`_).
+The Makefile for compiling the plugin will also compile the C++ HLI code ``test_debug_plugin.cpp``, which uses
+this plugin.
 
 Executing the Makefile generates the shared library ``debug_plugin.so``
 and creates an executable ``test_debug_plugin`` for the HLI test
@@ -336,25 +336,22 @@ Simplifying plugin code: introducing the ``AL_reader_helper_plugin`` class
 In this section, we show how to simplify the ``debug`` plugin code
 presented previously. For this purpose, we introduce the new helper
 class ``AL_reader_helper_plugin`` whose part of the header (provenance
-feature operations have been removed for clarity) is shown in `Figure 15`_.
-`Figure 16`_ depicts its implementation code.
+feature operations have been removed for clarity) is shown in Figure 15.
+Figure 16 depicts its implementation code.
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/al_reader_helper_plugin.h
-   :caption: **Figure 15:** the ``AL_reader_helper_plugin`` class header
-   :name: Figure 15
-   :language: C++
+.. note::
+
+   The complete source code for the al_reader_helper_plugin.h header is available in the al-plugins repository.
 
 By inheriting the helper class, we obtain the header of the ``Debug_plugin``
-class depicted in `Figure 17`_. The header code declares only the
+class depicted in Figure 17. The header code declares only the
 ``read_data(..)`` function (from the plugin interface) whose implementation
 is overridden in the simplified implementation code of the ``Debug_plugin``
-class (`Figure 18`_).
+class (Figure 18).
 
+.. note::
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/al_reader_helper_plugin.cpp
-   :caption: **Figure 16:** the ``AL_reader_helper_plugin`` class implementation
-   :name: Figure 16
-   :language: C++
+   The complete source code for the al_reader_helper_plugin.cpp implementation is available in the al-plugins repository.
 
 .. code-block:: C++
    :caption: **Figure 17:** the simplified ``Debug_plugin`` class header
@@ -425,20 +422,13 @@ The requirement of IMAS-3121 ITER JIRA ticket is to fill in the
 ``ids_properties/creation_date`` node during a ``put()`` operation with the
 current date in the form YYYY-MM-DD.
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/creation_date_plugin.cpp
-   :caption: **Figure 25:** Creation_date_plugin class implementation
-   :name: Figure 25
-   :language: C++
+.. note::
 
-The ``Creation_date_plugin`` class whose implementation is depicted in
-`Figure 25`_ implements this feature. `Figure 26`_ displays the header file
-content. Provenance feature operations have been removed for clarity in
-these files.
+   The complete source code for the creation_date_plugin.cpp implementation is available in the al-plugins repository.
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/creation_date_plugin.cpp
-   :caption: **Figure 26:** Creation_date_plugin class header
-   :name: Figure 26
-   :language: C++
+The ``Creation_date_plugin`` class implements this feature. The header file
+content is also available in the al-plugins repository. Provenance feature operations have been removed for clarity in
+these files.
 
 .. code-block:: python
    :caption: **Figure 27:** python client of the ``creation_date`` plugin
@@ -789,21 +779,15 @@ Building a partial ``get()`` operation
 Skipping the read of an array of structure
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/partial_get_plugin.cpp
-   :caption: **Figure 31:** the PartialGetPlugin class implementation
-   :name: Figure 31
-   :language: C++
+.. note::
 
-.. literalinclude:: ./plugins/partial_get_plugin.h
-   :caption: **Figure 32:** the PartialGetPlugin header class
-   :name: Figure 32
-   :language: C++
+   The complete source code for the PartialGetPlugin class implementation (partial_get_plugin.cpp) 
+   and header (partial_get_plugin.h) is available in the al-plugins repository.
 
 In a first use-case, the user wants to access only few attributes of the
 ``equilibrium`` IDS for many shots. In order to speed up reading, he
 decides to skip the loading of the ``grids_ggd`` array of structures (AOS).
-The use of the ``PartialGetPlugin`` class implementation (`Figure 31`_) with
-its header (`Figure 32`_) provides an efficient solution. During the ``get()``
+The ``PartialGetPlugin`` class provides an efficient solution. During the ``get()``
 operation, the plugin intercepts the HLI call to the function
 ``al_begin_arraystruct_action(...)`` for the ``grids_ggd`` AOS and sets its size
 (using the arraySize pointer) to 0 after displaying a warning to the
diff --git a/common/xsltproc.py b/common/xsltproc.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..009b7ad4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/xsltproc.py
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# simple net.sf.saxon.Transform cli replacement via saxonche Python bindings
+# example invokation:
+# ./xsltproc.py -xsl IDSDef2MDSpreTree.xsl -s IDSDef.xml -o output.xml DD_GIT_DESCRIBE=1 AL_GIT_DESCRIBE=1
+
+import argparse
+import logging
+
+import saxonche
+
+
+def parse_arguments() -> tuple:
+    """Parse arguments, similar to net.sf.saxon.Transform..."""
+
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="xsltproc.py",
+        description="Imitates Saxon-HE's net.sf.saxon.Transform.",
+        epilog="Additional arguments in format key=value will be set as xml parameters",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-xsl",
+        "--stylesheet_file",
+        type=str,
+        required=True,
+        help="XSL style sheet file",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-s",
+        "--source_file",
+        type=str,
+        required=True,
+        help="source XML document",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-o",
+        "--output_file",
+        type=str,
+        required=True,
+        help="transformed output XML document",
+    )
+
+    args, other_args = parser.parse_known_args()
+    # Convert list of strings "key=value" into dict(key=value, ...)
+    other_kwargs = {k: v for k, v in map(lambda x: x.split("="), other_args)}
+    return (args, other_kwargs)
+
+
+def saxon_xsltproc(
+    source_file: str, stylesheet_file: str, output_file: str, **kwargs
+) -> None:
+    with saxonche.PySaxonProcessor(license=False) as proc:
+        xsltproc = proc.new_xslt30_processor()
+        for key, value in kwargs.items():
+            string_value = proc.make_string_value(value)
+            xsltproc.set_parameter(key, string_value)
+        xsltproc.transform_to_file(
+            source_file=source_file,
+            stylesheet_file=stylesheet_file,
+            output_file=output_file,
+        )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
+    args, other_kwargs = parse_arguments()
+    saxon_xsltproc(
+        source_file=args.source_file,
+        stylesheet_file=args.stylesheet_file,
+        output_file=args.output_file,
+        **other_kwargs,
+    )
diff --git a/docs/requirements.txt b/docs/requirements.txt
index e512142f..d700e884 100644
--- a/docs/requirements.txt
+++ b/docs/requirements.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 sphinx-immaterial>=0.12.0
 sphinx-tabs>=3.4.0
 sphinx-design>=0.5.0
-sphinx>=5.0
+sphinx>=5.0,<9.0
 numpy>=1.20.0
diff --git a/docs/source/user_guide/installation.rst b/docs/source/user_guide/installation.rst
index 3b72bdd0..dc2f77bd 100644
--- a/docs/source/user_guide/installation.rst
+++ b/docs/source/user_guide/installation.rst
@@ -17,11 +17,7 @@ Requirements
 
 - **Python 3.8+** 
 - **Linux** (fully supported)
-- **macOS and Windows** (experimental - in testing)
 
-.. note::
-    macOS and Windows support is still being tested. Linux is the primary supported platform.
-    Please report any issues on `GitHub <https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Core/issues>`_.
 
 Binary wheels are provided for all platforms, so you don't need to compile anything.
 
@@ -51,6 +47,13 @@ To build the IMAS-Core you need:
 -   Boost C++ libraries (1.66 or newer)
 -   PkgConfig
 
+On Windows
+- **Visual Studio 2022** with:
+   - Desktop Development with C++
+   - C++ Make Tools for Windows
+- **CMake** (included with Visual Studio)
+
+
 The following dependencies are only required for some of the components:
 
 -   Backends
@@ -62,9 +65,7 @@ The following dependencies are only required for some of the components:
 
 ..  [#uda_install] When installing UDA, make sure you have 
     `Cap'n'Proto <https://github.com/capnproto/capnproto>`__ installed in your system
-    and add its support by adding the CMake switch `-DENABLE_CAPNP=ON` when configuring UDA. 
-
-
+    and add its support by adding the CMake switch `-DENABLE_CAPNP=ON` when configuring UDA.
 Standard environments:
 
 .. md-tab-set::
@@ -89,6 +90,23 @@ Standard environments:
             details.
         -   MATLAB, which is not freely available.
 
+    .. md-tab-item:: Windows with Visual Studio
+
+        First, set up vcpkg:
+
+        .. code-block:: bash
+
+            git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git
+            cd vcpkg # VCPKG_INSTALLATION_PATH
+            bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
+
+        Then run these commands in PowerShell before building:
+
+        .. code-block:: powershell
+
+            $env:PATH += ";C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\Common7\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\CMake\CMake\bin\"
+            $env:PATH += ";C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.44.35207\bin\HostX86\x86"
+            $env:PATH += ";<VCPKG_INSTALLATION_PATH>"
 
 Building and installing IMAS-Core
 ---------------------------------
@@ -107,18 +125,38 @@ First you need to clone the repository of the IMAS-Core you want to build:
     git clone git@github.com:iterorganization/IMAS-Core.git
 
 
-cmake configuration
+CMake configuration
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Once you have cloned the repository, navigate your shell to the folder and run cmake.
 You can pass configuration options with ``-D OPTION=VALUE``. See below list for an
 overview of configuration options.
 
+On Linux
+''''''''
+
 .. code-block:: bash
 
     cd IMAS-Core
     cmake -B build -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$HOME/install -D OPTION1=VALUE1 -D OPTION2=VALUE2 [...]
 
+On Windows
+''''''''''
+
+**Debug Build:**
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+    cmake -Bbuild -S . -DVCPKG=ON -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="<INSTALL_PATH>" -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="<VCPKG_PATH>/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake" -DAL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON cmake -B build -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$(pwd)/test-install/" -DAL_BACKEND_HDF5=ON -DAL_BACKEND_MDSPLUS=ON -DAL_BACKEND_UDA=ON -DAL_BUILD_MDSPLUS_MODELS=ON -DAL_PYTHON_BINDINGS=no-build-isolation -DAL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON -DDD_GIT_REPOSITORY=https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Data-Dictionary.git -DDD_VERSION=main -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++
+
+**Release Build:**
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+    cmake -Bbuild -S . -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DVCPKG=ON -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="<INSTALL_PATH>" -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="<VCPKG_PATH>/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake" -DAL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON cmake -B build -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$(pwd)/test-install/" -DAL_BACKEND_HDF5=ON -DAL_BACKEND_MDSPLUS=ON -DAL_BACKEND_UDA=ON -DAL_BUILD_MDSPLUS_MODELS=ON -DAL_PYTHON_BINDINGS=no-build-isolation -DAL_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES=ON -DDD_GIT_REPOSITORY=https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Data-Dictionary.git -DDD_VERSION=main -DBoost_NO_BOOST_CMAKE=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17 -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++
+
+
+
 .. note:: 
 
     CMake will automatically fetch dependencies from required repositories
diff --git a/include/fix_include_windows.h b/include/fix_include_windows.h
index 01692d40..db160e10 100644
--- a/include/fix_include_windows.h
+++ b/include/fix_include_windows.h
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ To fix std::min() after any #include "microsoft-mega-api.h"
 
 // use the Standard C++ std::min() and std::max() and ensure to #include <algorithm>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
 #include <algorithm>
 using std::max;
-using std::min;
\ No newline at end of file
+using std::min;
+#endif
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/python/CMakeLists.txt b/python/CMakeLists.txt
index 71f8b780..528e33f6 100644
--- a/python/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,6 +26,62 @@ else()
   set(LIBRARY_DIRS)
 endif()
 
+# Add vcpkg directories on Windows
+if(WIN32)
+  message(STATUS "Searching for vcpkg directories...")
+  message(STATUS "  CMAKE_BINARY_DIR: ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}")
+  message(STATUS "  CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE: ${CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE}")
+  message(STATUS "  VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR: ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}")
+  message(STATUS "  VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET: ${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}")
+  
+  # Method 1: Try VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR variable
+  if(DEFINED VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR AND DEFINED VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET)
+    if(EXISTS "${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}/bin")
+      list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}/bin")
+      list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}/debug/bin")
+      message(STATUS "  Found via VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR: ${VCPKG_INSTALLED_DIR}/${VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET}")
+    endif()
+  endif()
+  
+  # Method 2: Try extracting from CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE
+  if(DEFINED CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE)
+    get_filename_component(VCPKG_ROOT "${CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE}" DIRECTORY)
+    get_filename_component(VCPKG_ROOT "${VCPKG_ROOT}" DIRECTORY)
+    get_filename_component(VCPKG_ROOT "${VCPKG_ROOT}" DIRECTORY)
+    if(EXISTS "${VCPKG_ROOT}/installed/x64-windows/bin")
+      list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "${VCPKG_ROOT}/installed/x64-windows/bin")
+      list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "${VCPKG_ROOT}/installed/x64-windows/debug/bin")
+      message(STATUS "  Found via CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE: ${VCPKG_ROOT}/installed/x64-windows")
+    endif()
+  endif()
+  
+  # Method 3: Search parent directories for vcpkg_installed (FetchContent/ExternalProject builds)
+  set(SEARCH_DIR "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}")
+  foreach(i RANGE 6)
+    get_filename_component(SEARCH_DIR "${SEARCH_DIR}" DIRECTORY)
+    if(EXISTS "${SEARCH_DIR}/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows/bin")
+      list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "${SEARCH_DIR}/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows/bin")
+      list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "${SEARCH_DIR}/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows/debug/bin")
+      message(STATUS "  Found via parent search: ${SEARCH_DIR}/vcpkg_installed")
+      break()
+    endif()
+  endforeach()
+  
+  # Remove duplicates
+  if(LIBRARY_DIRS)
+    list(REMOVE_DUPLICATES LIBRARY_DIRS)
+  endif()
+  
+  # Ensure we have at least some directories (install-time fallback)
+  if(NOT LIBRARY_DIRS)
+    message(WARNING "Could not find vcpkg directories at configure time. Adding PATH as fallback.")
+    # This will be resolved at install time from system PATH
+    list(APPEND LIBRARY_DIRS "$ENV{PATH}")
+  endif()
+  
+  message(STATUS "Python wheel LIBRARY_DIRS: ${LIBRARY_DIRS}")
+endif()
+
 # Build POST_EXCLUDE_REGEXES list based on platform
 set(POST_EXCLUDE_PATTERNS
   ".*system32/.*\\.dll" # Windows system DLLs
diff --git a/src/hdf5/CMakeLists.txt b/src/hdf5/CMakeLists.txt
index dc9c043b..9bc92385 100644
--- a/src/hdf5/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/hdf5/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 # CMake configuration for the HDF5 backend
-
-find_package( HDF5 COMPONENTS C HL REQUIRED )
+if(WIN32)
+	# Try modern CONFIG mode first (vcpkg), fallback to legacy FindHDF5 module
+	find_package( hdf5 CONFIG QUIET )
+	if( NOT hdf5_FOUND )
+	  find_package( HDF5 COMPONENTS C HL REQUIRED )
+	endif()
+else()
+	find_package( HDF5 COMPONENTS C HL REQUIRED )
+endif()
 
 target_sources( al PRIVATE
     hdf5_backend.cpp
@@ -14,8 +21,23 @@ target_sources( al PRIVATE
     hdf5_backend_factory.cpp
 )
 target_compile_definitions( al PRIVATE -DHDF5 )
-
-target_include_directories( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} )
-target_link_libraries( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_LIBRARIES} )
-target_compile_definitions( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_DEFINITIONS} )
+if(WIN32)
+	# Use modern CMake targets if available (vcpkg), otherwise legacy variables
+	if( TARGET hdf5::hdf5-shared )
+	  target_link_libraries( al PRIVATE hdf5::hdf5-shared hdf5::hdf5_hl-shared )
+	elseif( TARGET hdf5::hdf5-static )
+	  target_link_libraries( al PRIVATE hdf5::hdf5-static hdf5::hdf5_hl-static )
+	else()
+	  # Legacy FindHDF5 module
+	  target_include_directories( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_INCLUDE_DIRS} )
+	  target_link_libraries( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_LIBRARIES} )
+	  target_compile_definitions( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_DEFINITIONS} )
+	endif()
+	
+	target_include_directories( al PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} )
+else()
+  target_include_directories( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} )
+  target_link_libraries( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_LIBRARIES} )
+  target_compile_definitions( al PRIVATE ${HDF5_C_DEFINITIONS} )
+endif()