Integrating External Data Seamlessly with Salesforce External Objects

Helloo flocks, Today we will explore Integrating External Data Seamlessly with Salesforce External Objects. External objects are similar to custom objects, but external object record data is stored outside of the Salesforce org. We can access External object data with the use of Salesforce connect.

Also check this: A Comprehensive Guide to OAuth Authorization Flows in Salesforce

What are Salesforce External Objects?

1. External objects in Salesforce are similar to custom objects but specifically store data from external systems. They allow for seamless integration without duplicating data.
2. Each external object is associated with an external data source definition in your Salesforce organization.
3. External objects are best used when you have a large amount of data that you can’t or don’t want to store in your Salesforce organization, and you need to use only a small amount of data at any one time.
4. External objects are identified by a suffix of two underscores immediately followed by a lowercase
   “x” character. (accountInfo__x, contactInfo__x)

External Object Relationships

There are two special types of lookup relationships are available for External Objects

1. External Lookups: These allow a relationship to be formed between two external objects. Your two friends from outside your group are now in a relationship.
2. Indirect Lookups: This lookup relationship to be formed between a Salesforce object and an external object.

External Object Limitation

1. Maximum External Objects per org is 200.
2. Each SOQL query can have upto 4 joins across external objects.
3. External objects don’t support following aggregate functions and clauses (MAX), MIN(), SUM(), AVG) & COUNT(fieldname), however support COUNT).
4. HAVING Clause & GROUP BY clause

Importance of Salesforce Connect for External Object

1. Salesforce Connect is a powerful App Cloud integration service, which enables users of Salesforce applications to seamlessly access and handle data stored in external sources, without leaving the Salesforce native environment.
2. Traditional Approach is importing or copying data into your Salesforce org.
3. By using Salesforce Connect Instead of copying the data into your org, Salesforce Connect accesses the data on demand and in real time. The data is never stale, and we access only what you need.
4. By default, external object records are read only. But you can define the external data soúrce to enable writable external objects.

Use Cases for Salesforce External Objects

1. Integrating ERP Systems
2. Connecting with Legacy Databases
3. Accessing Third-Party Application Data

Reference:

1. External Objects
2. External Objects in Salesforce Connect