---
schema_version: "1"
id: b3902ec4c48fd69cced58f589f41301706707054231eb4498f51a77562eb187b
title: Create the External Object
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ai/264-0-0/search_experience_create_obj.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_experience_create_obj.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: c2b619e8c04052d812c5ea1fdfb9c785c97d5ea12fb59bfe8f1154da0ca9bd89
description: Enabling federated search is a two-phase process. First include the external site in the search engine scope, and then expose the results to your customers.
products:
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Create the External Object

Enabling federated search is a two-phase process. First include the external site in the search engine scope, and then expose the results to your customers.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
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            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d17929e74">User Permissions Needed</th>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d17929e74 ">To create and edit an external data source:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d17929e74 ">Customize Application</td>

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1. In Setup, in the Quick Find Box, enter External Data Sources, and then select **External Data Sources**.
2. Click **New External Data Source**.
3. Enter a name for the connection. The name you enter here appears on the search results tab in Salesforce for customers.
4. Select **Federated Search: OpenSearch** for the Type.
5. Provide the fully qualified URL to the OSD file from your target site.
To find the location of your OSD file, view the page source of the home page on your site and search for OpenSearch to find a link similar to: <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="https://capricorncafeblog.wordpress.com/osd.xml" title="Capricorn Cafe" /> The “href” reference is the address you need. In this example: **https://capricorncafeblog.wordpress.com/osd.xml**
6. Select the appropriate authentication method for your source site.
7. To complete the connection, click **Validate and Sync**.
8. Select the tables from the validated connection and click **Sync**.
9. In Setup, in the Quick Find Box, enter External Object, and then select **External Object**.
10. Click **Edit** for the object created when you saved and synced your External Data Source. The new object has the same or similar name as your data source.
11. Select **Deployed** in Deployment Status.
12. Save your changes.