--- schema_version: "1" id: 51951ab75344faed5155efa2969e3b090ba0685a5b1384e97e315708706d02ce title: Include a Files Connect Data Source in Global Search collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/experience/264-0-0/admin_files_connect_search.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_search.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 9ff8c18dfd380946b38565ecfca7652810dd9a4a193477618e6c3a81c081378a description: Combine searches for Salesforce data with external data from Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, or Box. Developers can automate the process with supported SOQL or SOSL queries with the API. products: - Experiences release: "264" --- # Include a Files Connect Data Source in Global Search Combine searches for Salesforce data with external data from Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, or Box. Developers can automate the process with supported SOQL or SOSL queries with the API. ### Required Editions
Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience
Files Connect for cloud-based external data sources is available in: Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
User Permissions Needed
To create an external object and provide access to its fields: Customize Application
To include external data in global searches or API queries, first create a related external object. External objects behave similarly to custom objects, but map to data stored outside Salesforce in an external system like SharePoint. Each external object maps to a data table, and the object fields map to accessible table columns. ![Tip](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-experience-collaboration-264-0-0-production-enus/1aab5b5e-c990-4b8c-840a-6fb18af49709/images/icon_tip.png) Tip External objects support lookup relationships similar to custom objects, letting you integrate external data into related lists and other areas throughout Salesforce. For details, see [External Object Relationships](https://help.salesforce.com/HTViewHelpDoc?id=external_object_relationships.htm&language=en_US). To fully configure global search, you have to - Choose the layout for global search results - Create an external object from an external data source - Give users access to the external object fields - Create a custom tab for the external object (Lightning Experience Only) By default, Files Connect external objects use the standard search results layout for Chatter and the Files tab. If you want to display customized search layouts for these objects, complete these steps. 1. From Setup, enter Files Connect Settings in the Quick Find box, and select **Files Connect Settings**. 2. Select **Use External Object Search Layout**. 3. Define an external data source that supports search: - [SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_sp_online_xds.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "With Files Connect and Chatter, Salesforce can access content from Microsoft’s cloud-based systems.") - [Google Drive](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_google_xds.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Let Chatter users access their Google Drive content from the Files tab, feed posts, and search. Salesforce supports Google documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings.") - [Box](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_box_xds.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Let users access their Box content from Files home, feed posts, and search.") 4. From Setup, enter External Data Sources in the Quick Find box, and select **External Data Sources**. 5. To access the details page, click the data source name. 6. Click **Validate and Sync**. If the **Validate and Sync** button is disabled, edit the [Authentication Settings for External Systems](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.external_authentication.htm&type=5&language=en_US) to enable the Start Authentication Flow on Save checkbox. 7. Select the table named “items\_\[data source\].” Then, click **Sync** and create an external object that maps to the entire source. Now deploy the object to make the data it contains available to users. 8. Choose **Build** | **Develop** | **External Objects**. 9. Click **Edit** next to the new external object. 10. At the bottom of the page, click **Deployed**, and then click **Save**. 11. To give users access to the external object fields: 1. From Setup, enter Permission Sets in the Quick Find box, and select **Permission Sets**. 2. Click a permission set in which you enabled Files Connect. 3. In the Apps section, click **Object Settings**. 4. Click the name of the external object. 5. Click **Edit**, and enable the necessary Read permissions (for the object itself, and all fields you want to reveal in Salesforce). 6. Click **Save**. 12. Next, create a custom tab for the external object (Lightning Experience Only): 1. From Setup, enter Tabs in the search bar, and select **Tabs**. 2. Click **New** in the Custom Object Tabs section. 3. In Step 1 of the setup wizard, enter the name of the custom object you created from your external data source. 4. In Step 2, choose the availability and visibility of the tab to profiles. The tab doesn’t need to be visible, but it does need to be accessible. Choose either **Default On** or **Tab Hidden**. 5. Complete Step 3 and click **Save**. To automate search with SOQL or SOSL, review the supported queries for your data source. SharePoint and OneDrive external objects support these standard fields and any custom fields you enable. Queries on specific fields return only documents that the external data source indexed. SOQL and SOSL Support for SharePoint and OneDrive External Objects | Field Name | Queryable | Sortable | | --- | --- | --- | | Author | Yes | Yes | | Comment | No | Yes | | ContentLength | Yes | Yes | | CreationDate | Yes | Yes | | DisplayUrl | No | Yes | | DownloadUrl | No | No | | ExternalId | Yes | Yes | | IsFolder | Yes | Yes | | MimeType | Yes | Yes | | Name | Yes | Yes | | UpdateDate | Yes | Yes | | UpdatedBy | Yes | Yes | You can also use ParentId\_c as query criteria to retrieve the list of documents in a folder. However, that field isn’t displayed in query results unless your query specifies a ParentId\_\_c value. Files Connect supports all standard Google Drive properties, but not custom properties. The following properties have different field names in Salesforce external objects: SOQL and SOSL Support for Google Drive External Objects | Google Property | Salesforce Field | | --- | --- | | alternateLink | DisplayUrl | | createDate | CreationDate | | description | Comment | | downloadURL | contentStreamUri | | editable | readOnly | | fileSize | ContentLength | | id | ExternalId | | lastModifyingUserName | UpdatedBy | | mimeType | MimeType | | modifiedDate | UpdateDate | | ownerNames | Author | | originalFilename | contentStreamFileName | | title | Name | This subset of fields supports SOQL and SOSL queries. (None are sortable, reflecting limitations in the Google Drive API.) - CreationDate - lastViewedByMeDate - MimeType - Name ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-experience-collaboration-264-0-0-production-enus/1aab5b5e-c990-4b8c-840a-6fb18af49709/images/icon_note.png) Note Google Drive queries on the Name field support only one wildcard, %. Searches using this wildcard match only name prefixes. For example, the title "HelloWorld" would be returned with the query Name LIKE "Hello%" but not Name LIKE "%World". - sharedWithMe ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-experience-collaboration-264-0-0-production-enus/1aab5b5e-c990-4b8c-840a-6fb18af49709/images/icon_note.png) Note Queries on the sharedWithMe field with a value of "false" are not supported, protecting confidential data. - starred - UpdateDate #### See Also - [The Files Connect Setup Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_overview.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The setup process for Files Connect varies by external data source.") - [Include SharePoint Custom Properties in Search, SOQL, and SOSL Queries](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_sp_custom_props.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "After you create an external object for a SharePoint data source, some special steps are needed to search or query any custom properties it contains.")