---
schema_version: "1"
id: 0bf11eaa975e7c93b6cd0cc51ef26adce83c1a2fce8a4f6007a13458249808a3
title: Define an External Data Source for SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/experience/264-0-0/admin_files_connect_sp_online_xds.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.admin_files_connect_sp_online_xds.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: a6d149b34a54f40afc8e5ed972908418e1cfc79c14f2015ac203692aac5623c0
description: With Files Connect and Chatter, Salesforce can access content from Microsoft’s cloud-based systems.
products:
  - Experiences
release: "264"
---
# Define an External Data Source for SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business

With Files Connect and Chatter, Salesforce can access content from Microsoft’s cloud-based systems.

### 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;">Available in: <strong>Professional</strong>, <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%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d27157e73">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e73 ">To define an external data source:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e73 ">Customize Application</td>

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

1. From Setup, enter External Data Sources in the Quick Find box, then select **External Data Sources**.
2. Click **New External Data Source**. Then set the following options.
    
    <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:50%">
              <col style="width:50%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d27157e133">Field</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d27157e136">Description</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Label</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">A user-friendly name for the data source displayed in the Salesforce user
                  interface.</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Name</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">
                  <p>A unique identifier used to refer to this external data source definition
                    through the API. The <strong class="uicontrol">Name</strong> field can contain only
                    underscores and alphanumeric characters. It must be unique, begin with a letter,
                    not include spaces, not end with an underscore, and not contain two consecutive
                    underscores. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">This entry must match the value entered in the SharePoint
                    fields, <span class="menucascade"><strong class="uicontrol">Managed Properties</strong> | <strong class="uicontrol">Property Name</strong></span> and <strong class="uicontrol">Alias</strong>.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Type</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">Choose <strong class="uicontrol">Files Connect: Microsoft SharePoint Online</strong> or
                  <strong class="uicontrol">Files Connect: Microsoft OneDrive for Business</strong>.
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Site URL</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">
                  <p>The URL of your SharePoint site, site collection, or web app. </p>
                  <p>The URL
                    must begin with <em>https</em>. It should look like this:
                    <samp class="filepath">https://salesforce.sharepoint​.com/HRSite</samp>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">(Don’t
                    copy the URL seen in the browser when accessing SharePoint. It should not look
                    like this:
                    <samp class="filepath">https://salesforce.sharepoint.​com/HRSite/SitePages​/Home.aspx</samp>)
                  </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Exclude Other Site Collections</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">Accesses only the site collection specified by the URL, ignoring any other
                  site collections. This should always be enabled if any users are currently
                  allowed to access the root site collection.</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Identity Type</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">
                  <p>The identity type used to authenticate to the external data source.
                  </p>
                  <p>Select <strong class="uicontrol">Per User</strong> to require separate credentials for
                    each user who accesses the data source. (Administrators must enable the data
                    source for specific permission sets and profiles. Users then enter their
                    credentials when first accessing the data source.) </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Select
                    <strong class="uicontrol">Named Principal</strong> to use the same set of credentials
                    for every user who accesses the data source from Salesforce.
                  </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Authentication Protocol</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">
                  <p>The protocol used to access SharePoint Online. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Select <strong class="uicontrol">OAuth
                      2.0</strong>.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Authentication Provider</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">Enter the <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=admin_files_connect_sp_online_auth.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business
                    authentication provider</a>.</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Scope</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">Leave blank.</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e133 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Start Authentication Flow on Save</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d27157e136 ">Select to immediately test your settings or to create an external object
                  for this external data source. </td>

              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>
    
    Custom columns defined on SharePoint should not have spaces in the name. Files from a SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business data source can’t be previewed in the file preview player.

#### 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.")