A Complete Guide to Salesforce Connect for Your Business

When teams rely on different tools, it becomes easy for data to vanish between platforms. They’re trying to put together a puzzle, but everyone works with a different image. The result? You spend a lot of time trying to make things align, but some pieces stubbornly don’t fit, no matter how hard and long you try. 

Salesforce Connect syncs third-party records with Salesforce to make teams’ lives easier. Your teams always work with accurate, up-to-date information in real time on a single platform without manual updates. 

In this article, we’ll explore how Salesforce Connect works, the benefits and limitations it brings, and how to set it up to optimize your operations. Also, we will pull back the curtain to take a look at other tools that may prove to be a better solution for real-time data integration. 

Table of Contents 

1. What is Salesforce Connect?
2. How Does Salesforce Connect Work?
3. The Difference Between Salesforce Connect and Lightning Connect 
4. Benefits of Salesforce Connect and When to Use It
5. How to Set Up Salesforce Connect
6. A Step-by-Step Guide to Salesforce External Data Sources Setup 
7. Creating Your Connection: How to Use a Skyvia Connect Endpoint 
8. Salesforce Connect Limitations
9. Best Alternatives to Salesforce Connect
10. Key Takeaways

What is Salesforce Connect? 

No platform can work on its own, no matter how advanced it is. Businesses use toolkits of services, and Salesforce is usually one of many. For example, in 2023, the average company used 112 different SaaS tools. The number is truly tremendous, yet it varies from niche to niche and company to company. However, no matter how many tools you have in your arsenal, it’s essential to have a conductor to orchestrate them. 

Salesforce Connect is a tool for interacting with off-site sources as if they were native to the CRM. It saves teams from implementing ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes and streamlines their experience within one usually well-known workspace.  

In November 2014, “Lightning Connect” was introduced, primarily allowing read-only access via OData. Salesforce Connect branched off from it and is available for users with both Lightning and Classic interfaces; however, the catch lies in edition types. If you have an Enterprise or Unlimited package, you will be charged $4,000 per connection per month, billed annually. Only users with the Developer edition can enjoy it by default.

Salesforce Connect supports read-only and read-write data sources, connecting to them through several adapters:  

• OData 2.0 or 4.0. For off-site sources that expose OData endpoints.  
• Cross-Org Adapter. For different Salesforce orgs.  
• Apex Custom Adapter. When OData isn’t supported, like with bespoke or legacy systems. 

How Does Salesforce Connect Work?

Salesforce Connect is a live portal to data beyond your CRM – “External Objects.” It allows you to access and interact with external information in real time without creating copies. For example, when you open a list view or create a report, Salesforce doesn’t import the data into its internal database. Instead, it queries the external system, retrieving exactly what you need at that moment and displaying it within your Salesforce interface. 

Though data in some systems has different structures, sometimes nothing like what Salesforce supports, the connection can still happen through lookup or indirect relationships, allowing integration based on shared values rather than Salesforce-specific IDs. 

The Difference Between Salesforce Connect and Lightning Connect 

At a glance, Salesforce Connect and Lightning Connect can look like two versions of the same idea. In reality, what Salesforce did here was evolve the technology. Lightning Connect was the early approach, Salesforce Connect is the grown-up version that teams actually rely on today. Let’s break it down aspect by aspect, without the marketing gloss. 

Data Access 

One of the most important Salesforce Connect features is full read and write access. External data does not just show up in Salesforce. It can be edited, updated, and acted on like native records. That means workflows, updates, and day-to-day operations can flow both ways. 

Lightning Connect, on the other hand, is strictly read-only. You can view external data, but you can’t update it from Salesforce. This is one of the biggest Lightning Connect limitations and often the first reason teams outgrow it. 

Adapters Supported 

Salesforce Connect supports multiple adapters, including OData, Apex-based adapters, and cross-org connections. This opens the door to more complex integrations and a wider range of external systems. 

Lightning Connect only works with OData. If your external system doesn’t expose data via OData, you’re already stuck. That narrow adapter support was fine early on, but it doesn’t age well as architectures get more complex. 

Reporting and Automation 

With Salesforce Connect, external objects can participate in reports, workflows, and automation almost like standard Salesforce objects. You can trigger processes, build reports, and wire external data into real business logic. 

Lightning Connect offers very limited support here. You can see the data, but involving it in automation or meaningful reporting is where things start to fall apart. 

Integration Protocols 

Salesforce Connect supports a broader set of integration protocols, including OData, REST, SOAP, and Bulk APIs. This makes it far more flexible when dealing with large data volumes or systems that already rely on Salesforce-friendly APIs. 

Lightning Connect is limited to OData only. That makes it simpler, but also much less adaptable in real-world integration scenarios. 

Use Cases 

Salesforce Connect is designed for real-time integration and complex updates. It’s a solid choice when Salesforce needs to interact with external data dynamically, not just display it. 

Lightning Connect is better suited for simple, read-only scenarios where users just need visibility into external data without interacting with it. Think dashboards or reference views, not operational workflows. 

Platform Support 

Salesforce Connect works across both Classic and Lightning experiences, which is useful if your org still spans both worlds. 

Lightning Connect is tightly integrated into Salesforce Connect itself and lives squarely in the Lightning ecosystem, with no standalone future of its own. 

Licensing 

Salesforce Connect requires separate licenses, which can be a hurdle, but that cost comes with expanded functionality and flexibility. 

Lightning Connect does not require separate licensing because it’s effectively bundled as part of Salesforce Connect. That lower barrier to entry is appealing, but it comes with clear functional trade-offs. 

Benefits of Salesforce Connect and When to Use It 

• Real-time access: The data is always fresh, so your decisions can be faster. 
• Seamless integration: View, update, and report on external data directly within the familiar interface. 
• Cost efficiency: When dealing with massive datasets or compliance requirements, this costs significantly less than Salesforce’s native storage. 
• Improved security: With fewer unnecessary data transfers, sensitive information is protected, making it easier to comply with safety standards. 
• Automatic sync: Data stays up-to-date without constant intervention or complex maintenance efforts. 
• Simplified management: The “Validate & Sync” feature imports metadata into Salesforce to create or update External Objects with matching fields, simplifying the management process. 

Based on years of experience in data integration, we understand that different industries have different needs when it comes to integrating external data with Salesforce. Now, let’s see where and when you can use Salesforce Connect so the advantages we just described can fully support your operations:  

• E-Commerce Integration  

An e-commerce company connects its CRM with the ERP system hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) through Salesforce Private Connect. They can track inventory levels, coordinate customer orders, and update any information instantly. Additionally, all the data they work with remains secure and private. As a result, they can forget about manual data entry, achieve better accuracy, and the sales team can respond to customer needs more quickly.  

• Manufacturing and Supply Chain Integration  

A manufacturer can access and work with the information from their supply chain management system within the Salesforce interface. They perform all types of operations, including real-time updates of inventory levels, shipping information, and production schedules. Then, when needed, they can make proactive adjustments to the production line and customer orders. 

How to Set Up Salesforce Connect

Prerequisites 

1. Find out whether your edition supports Salesforce Connect. Navigate to the Setup section in the upper right corner of the page. Then, search for the Company section and choose Company Information. 

2. Identify the external data source you want to connect to.  
3. Enable permissions in Salesforce and the source you plan to import.  
4. To create permission and grant it to a user who will work with off-site sources, go to Setup again and find Permission Sets. Click New. 

5. Add the relevant data to connect to the third-party source you plan to use. Also, you can select the type of users who will use the new permission set from the Licenses dropdown list and then click Save.

6. In the new permission set overview, activate the needed access using the menu. You can grant Read, Create, Edit, and Delete permissions on external objects created via Salesforce Connect, depending on your needs. 

A Step-by-Step Guide to Salesforce External Data Sources Setup 

Creating an External Data Source in Salesforce

1. Log in to the account. Then, in the top right corner of the page, click the Setup menu item. 

2. In the menu on the left, under Platform Tools, click Integrations, and then click External Data Sources. This screen is your entry point for Salesforce integration with third-party databases, APIs, and external content systems. 

Note: If you don’t see External Data Sources, it’s often a permissions issue. Enure your user profile has access to Salesforce Connect features. 

3. Click New External Data Source. Salesforce will ask for a name, the data source type, and an endpoint URL. This is where you tell Salesforce what system you want to connect to. 

Note: Salesforce expects a compatible endpoint URL, typically the OData 2.0 or 4.0 endpoint. Many databases and business applications don’t expose OData by default.

4. Create an External Data Source and assign a unique identifier to it for the Name.  

5. In the Type list, select Salesforce Connect: OData 2.0 or 4.0, depending on the OData version used by your endpoint.  

6. Specify your OData endpoint URL and configure authentication, such as OAuth or basic authentication, depending on the external system.  

Note: If your database or application only provides SQL access, REST APIs, or proprietary interfaces, Salesforce can’t connect directly. At this stage, you’ll need to build or maintain an extra service just to translate data into OData. 

7. Configure the endpoint Authentication.  

8. If you use an endpoint to a writable data source, select the Writable External Objects checkbox.  

9. Optionally configure other endpoint settings, such as High Data Volume and Use Free-Text Search Expressions. 
10. Click Save. If the endpoint and credentials check out, the data source is registered and ready for use. 

Note:  Even when validation passes, performance, data shape, and update behavior can later become an issue, especially with legacy systems. 

Creating Your Connection: How to Use a Skyvia Connect Endpoint 

A Skyvia Connect endpoint is a secure OData endpoint that Skyvia generates on top of virtually any data source: cloud apps, databases, data warehouses, even legacy systems. Instead of forcing your source system to expose OData on its own, Skyvia does the heavy lifting and makes the data instantly compatible with Salesforce Connect. 

1. Once the endpoint is created in Skyvia, Salesforce treats it like any other external OData source.  

2. Inside Salesforce Setup, after configuring the External Data Source with the Skyvia endpoint, the next step is to validate the external data source.  

3. Just click Validate and Sync, then select the endpoint tables you want to sync and confirm.  

4. Salesforce connects to the Skyvia endpoint, checks access, and pulls in the available schema. If everything lines up, the status switches to Success. 

5. From there, you choose which tables you want to expose as external objects. In the example shown, objects like Customer and Order are selected.  

6. When you click Sync, Salesforce creates corresponding external objects that behave almost like native records but stay securely connected to the underlying source through Skyvia. 

This is the moment where data synchronization with Salesforce really clicks. You’re not copying data around or writing custom middleware. Salesforce is simply reading and writing through the Skyvia integration layer, with Skyvia handling connectivity, security, and data formatting behind the scenes. 

That combination is what makes the approach powerful. Salesforce stays focused on CRM and automation, Skyvia acts as the translation and transport layer, and your original data source remains the single source of truth. No fragile workarounds required. 

Let’s create tabs for these objects: 

1. Under Platform Tools, in the menu on the left, click Integrations, and then click External Data Sources. 
2. In the Custom Object Tabs pane, click New. 
3. Select the required Object and set the Tab Style and Description. 

4. Click Next. 
5. Specify the tab visibility settings and click Next. 
6. Configure the tab availability for custom apps and click Save.

How to Connect Databases and Cloud Apps That Don’t Support OData

Sometimes, the data source you wish to access from Salesforce does not support OData. So, what to do in this case?  

1. Create a custom Salesforce Connect adapter. 
2. Develop an OData server that directly connects to your data source and publishes its data as an OData endpoint.  
3. Use some third-party software to publish your data as an OData endpoint.  

The first two options require you to have a developer or be one yourself. If they seem like too much trouble just from reading about them, the third one is a way to go. 

Let’a consider Skyvia Salesforce Connect would be a good choice. It’s a web API-as-a-service solution where you won’t need hosting or a server. Just configure an endpoint visually in a few simple steps using a convenient wizard: 

1. Connect Skyvia to the data source.  
2. Select the records. Also, it is possible to select tables and separate fields to publish or hide.  
3. Configure an additional security layer for the endpoint. You can create users with passwords for basic authentication and limit access to the endpoint by IP. Note that if you add authentication to the endpoint, using Named Principal authentication in the Salesforce Connect external data source is a must.
4. Specify the default endpoint protocol version and whether the endpoint is writable. 

5. After this, you can copy the result endpoint link and paste it into Salesforce. 

Skyvia fills the gap perfectly when sources lack OData capabilities, thanks to its 200+ cloud apps and databases, including SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, Amazon Redshift, and Google BigQuery. It allows you to easily bridge these data sources to Salesforce in just a few minutes. 

Salesforce Connect Limitations

When the list of benefits is long enough, it’s easy to miss constraints. However, knowing what you won’t be able to do with the product is equally important. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions about when and how to use it effectively or seek alternatives. So, let’s consider Salesforce Connect limitations and their potential effect on your workflow: 

Limit Type	Description	What It Means for Business
External Object Limits	You can create up to 100 external objects per Salesforce org (200 if you purchase additional licenses). A piece of good news here is that they don’t add up to your custom object number.	If your business relies on syncing large external datasets, you may quickly hit this limit.
Query Joins Limit	When querying external objects alongside Salesforce data, only four joins are allowed.	If you want to run complex queries, you will need to break them down into simpler ones first. One additional step in the workflow, yet it takes not only time. It may reduce efficiency, especially if you need to access multifaceted data in one go.
Page Size Restrictions	For server-driven paging, the maximum number of rows per page is 2,000.	If you need to access large datasets, such as product catalogs or customer lists, you will also need to break them down into smaller parts.
Maximum HTTP Request/Response Sizes	If you want to run complex queries, you will need to break them down into simpler ones first. One additional step in the workflow, yet it takes not only time. It may reduce efficiency, especially if you need to access multifaceted data in one go.	You will once again need to split the data before sending.
OAuth Token Length Limit	OAuth authentication tokens are limited to 4,000 characters.	When authentication processes exceed this token length, companies will need to simplify or adjust their security configurations.
Caching and Syncing Solutions	External data callouts are always entered in real time.	Frequent, repetitive queries can increase latency and place a strain on external systems.
Rate Limits for Apex Adapters	You can do a maximum of 100 callouts per transaction. If you have Developer Edition orgs, you will be granted only 20 concurrent callouts to endpoints outside your Salesforce domain.	It will lead to delays in data synchronization and potentially impact real-time operations.

Best Alternatives to Salesforce Connect

Finding two businesses with the exact data integration needs can be quite a challenge. That’s why one native product sometimes can’t satisfy everyone. Thankfully, there’s no need to look for extravagant schemes to align your unique needs with standard solutions.  

Many third-party tools for Salesforce data integration can extend the platform’s functionality, automate workflows, and optimize your processes. Here are some of them:

Skyvia

Overview 

We’ve already mentioned Skyvia, an integration platform that simplifies Salesforce data synchronization with various sources; now, let’s explore its strengths and when it helps to obtain the best results.  

Skyvia’s Integration offers a set of features from intuitive wizard-based tools to drag-and-drop functionality. It lets you automate data loading into and out of Salesforce and synchronize it with external systems – whether you’re building simple integrations or complex, logic-driven workflows. 

Best for 

• Bulk data migration and synchronization.  
• Complex data transformations across sources.  
• Exposing non-OData data as OData endpoints.  
• Automated scheduled data integration.  
• Data export to spreadsheets and reporting.  
• Integration with multiple cloud and on-premises systems. 

Pros 

• Powerful and diverse data integration features. 
• Versatile data transformation capabilities. 
• 4.8 customer satisfaction rating in G2 Crowd and a 4.9 rating in Gartner Peer Insights. 
• No-code solution perfect for non-technical users. 
• Includes free period and flexible cost models. 

Cons 

• Not enough video and community tutorials. 
• May not be suitable for complex queries or advanced filtering. 

Tableau

Overview 

Tableau is a data analysis and visualization service that offers a range of advanced features tailored to meet your Salesforce data requirements. Additionally, Tableau provides a user-friendly interface suitable for users of all skill levels. 

Best for 

• Interactive, customizable dashboards. 
• Multi-source data analysis. 
• Complex data preparation. 
• Large data volume reporting. 

Pros 

• Advanced data visualization features. 
• Direct connection to Salesforce. 
• High-level customization capabilities. 

Cons 

• It can be costly, particularly for larger enterprises. 
• Non-technical users and those unfamiliar with the system recognize its steep learning curve. 
• It has limitations in data transformation. 

Smartsheet

Overview 

Smartsheet is a cloud-based platform for collaboration, reporting, and management. It integrates with Salesforce and improves the data analysis process. 

Best for 

• Salesforce data-driven workflows. 
• Resource and workload management. 
• Lightweight integration needs. 

Pros 

• Reports can be customized to fit business requirements. 
• Collaborative environment. 
• Built-in Gantt chart functionalities to visualize project timelines and dependencies. 

Cons 

• Limited data transformations. 
• Advanced reporting results in a steep learning curve. 

G-Connector

Overview 

G-Connector connects Salesforce and Google Sheets. It provides two-way synchronization, letting you effortlessly share Salesforce reports and import data into Salesforce, even with users outside your organization. 

Best for 

• Teams managing Salesforce data in spreadsheets. 
• Automated reporting and dashboarding in Google Sheets. 
• Non-technical users requiring Salesforce data access. 

Pros 

• Effortless bidirectional data flow. 
• Both automatic and manual data exchange options are available. 
• User-friendly drag-and-drop interface. 

Cons 

• Limited advanced reporting and customization features. 

Klipfolio

Overview 

Klipfolio is a cloud-based dashboard service for data reporting. It connects to various data sources and visualizes data to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics in a unified manner. 

Best for 

• Real-time business dashboards. 
• Flexible API-based data connections. 
• Combining multiple data sources. 

Pros 

• Customization capabilities to tailor reporting according to business needs.  
• Easy integration with Salesforce and various services.  
• Scheduled reporting and automated report distribution via emails and shared links. 

Cons 

• Limitations of data integration capabilities.  
• The learning process can be challenging for non-technical users.   

Key Takeaways

Salesforce Connect is a powerful tool when you need to access off-site data via your CRM. If the source contains a vast number of records and only small pieces of it are required at any given time, its advantages become even more significant. The world would be too perfect a place if we had to deal with tasks that always aligned with other tool functionality.  

When you need to transfer data to the CRM or connect to a source that doesn’t support OData, you likely will need something more flexible and versatile. Actually, the growing number of available alternatives proves that Salesforce Connect can’t fill all the gaps. Third-party solutions can support some of your data integration needs more efficiently. 

Regardless of the option you choose, Skyvia can serve as both a data integration alternative to Salesforce Connect and a helpful tool for connecting databases and cloud applications. Try Skyvia for free to see how well it matches your data requirements.