---
schema_version: "1"
id: cd24fd6f718be09389b3060b49cfde4e8601c556d90451e936f89667446c9b36
title: "Searchable Fields: External Object"
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ai/264-0-0/search_fields_external_object.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_fields_external_object.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: b39f072795706b06e3695149d99093f0fe118633ddbcb6d501152381a1f56dad
description: Searchable fields for External Object Salesforce Classic include a custom field that is relevant to the external object. This field can depend on an organization's configuration and customization.
products:
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Searchable Fields: External Object

Searchable fields for External Object Salesforce Classic include a custom field that is relevant to the external object. This field can depend on an organization's configuration and customization.

### 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: both Salesforce Classic and
            Lightning Experience</td>

        </tr>
        <tr class="">
          <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">
            <p>Salesforce Connect is available in: <strong>Developer</strong> Edition and for an extra cost in:
              <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions
            </p>
            <p><span id="search_fields_external_object__files_connect_cloud_editions"><a name="search_fields_external_object__files_connect_cloud_editions"><!-- --></a>Files Connect for cloud-based external data sources is
                available in: <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>,
                and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</span></p>
            <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Federated Search is available in:
              <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong>
              Editions
            </p>
          </td>

        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>

An external object accesses data that’s stored outside your Salesforce org. Your Salesforce admin designates which external objects are searchable. Which external object fields are searched depends on how the external system handles searches. If the search results aren’t as you expected, use case-sensitive search strings that contain only alphanumeric characters. If the results still aren’t as expected, contact your admin for recommendations on searching your specific external system.

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ai-search-264-0-0-production-enus/6a28c936-3b68-4186-bc09-7ab905f33ef3/images/icon_note.png)

Note

- Lookup search isn’t available for external lookup relationship fields. To edit an external lookup relationship field, manually enter the value of the External ID standard field for the parent record. This limitation doesn’t apply when the parent external object is associated with the cross-org adapter for Salesforce Connect.
- Lookup search isn’t available for indirect lookup relationship fields. To edit an indirect lookup relationship field, manually enter the value of the target field of the parent record. The target field is the custom field with External ID and Unique attributes that was selected when the indirect lookup relationship was created. To determine related records, Salesforce matches target field values against the values of the indirect lookup relationship field on the child object.

   
| Searchable Fields | Sidebar Search | Advanced Search | Global Search |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Text, text area, and long text area fields |   |   | ![Check](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ai-search-264-0-0-production-enus/6a28c936-3b68-4186-bc09-7ab905f33ef3/resources-global/_corporate/images/checkmark.png) |

#### See Also

- [Searchable Fields by Object in Salesforce Classic](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_fields_cex.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Your search results for a particular object depend on two factors: the type of search and the searchable fields for that object. Salesforce Classic has several search types—sidebar, advanced, global, and lookup.— Each type searches a unique set of fields for each object. Learn which search types and searchable fields are available for a given object.")