---
schema_version: "1"
id: d6c47b7d736d2aef862fe0d6ebf70a5a025f33cb288989379e354bcefa489134
title: Create External Objects for Salesforce Connect Adapter for Amazon DynamoDB
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/dynamodb_external_object_define.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dynamodb_external_object_define.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 6f7ea1a9512ec1e9bd2adf41408a38aa8a9712cad3b96c6e93e9f96a98e4c9b0
description: Tables in Amazon DynamoDB map to one or more external objects in Salesforce, combining all your data and content for users in your org. The external objects associated with Amazon DynamoDB data source are searchable objects. Use the search box at the top of every page to search by a specific external object or for a global search across Salesforce. You can also use other search tools available in the Salesforce Platform to find external object records mapped to an Amazon DynamoDB table.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Create External Objects for Salesforce Connect Adapter for Amazon DynamoDB

Tables in Amazon DynamoDB map to one or more external objects in Salesforce, combining all your data and content for users in your org. The external objects associated with Amazon DynamoDB data source are searchable objects. Use the search box at the top of every page to search by a specific external object or for a global search across Salesforce. You can also use other search tools available in the Salesforce Platform to find external object records mapped to an Amazon DynamoDB table.

### Required Editions

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            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience (not for
              high-data-volume external objects)</td>

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              <p>Available in: <strong>Developer</strong> Edition</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Available for an extra
                cost in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and
                <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions
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      </table> <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
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            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d221146e74">User
              Permissions Needed</th>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d221146e74 ">To create or edit external objects:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d221146e74 ">Customize Application</td>

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For external object fields defined for an Amazon DynamoDB data source, the attribute values in DynamoDB must be appropriately mapped to the data type defined for the external object fields. See [Supported Data Types](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dynamodb_external_object_datatypes.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "External object fields of Salesforce Connect Adapter for Amazon DynamoDB can be mapped to attributes of string, number, and boolean scalar types. If an attribute of string type that represents a date or a timestamp is mapped to an external object field, then date, dateTime, or time must be stored in ISO 8601 format.").

To create or modify an external object:

1. From Setup, enter External Objects in the Quick Find box, then select **External Objects**.
2. Click **New External Object**, or click **Edit** to modify an existing external object.
3. Enter the following:
    
     
    | Field | Description |
    | --- | --- |
    | Label | A user-friendly name for the external object. The label is displayed in the Salesforce user interface. |
    | Plural Label | The plural name of the external object. When you create a tab for this object, this name is used for the tab. |
    | Object Name | A unique identifier used to refer to this external object definition when using the API. Object names must be unique across all standard, custom, and external objects in the org. |
    | External Data Source | The external data source definition that contains the connection details you want to use for this external object. |
    | Table Name | Table in Amazon DynamoDB data source that the external object maps to. |
4. Click **Save**.
5. On the external object detail page, view and modify the external object’s custom fields and relationships, page layouts, field sets, search layouts, and buttons and links.
    - To create field mappings or add fields to an external object, click **New** on the Custom Fields & Relationships related list.
    - To assign different page layouts by user profile, click **Page Layout Assignments**.

After the external object and its fields are created, you may have to provide additional configuration so that Salesforce can apply a schema-like concept on top of data that’s inherently schemaless. Single-table schema designs often require developers to populate attribute values with prefixes that must be parsed for end users. See [Manage Qualifiers for Salesforce Connect Adapter for Amazon DynamoDB](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dynamodb_manage_qualifiers.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Amazon DynamoDB uses unique design patterns to model data efficiently that support multiple table and single table designs. To make data stored in Amazon DynamoDB table accessible to external objects, use qualifiers to reinterpret external data. The qualifiers describe the item attributes and indicates whether an item belongs to the schema represented by the external object. For multiple-table schema designs, the table qualifier is optional.").

#### See Also

- [Define External Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.external_object_define.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Tables in external systems map to external objects in Salesforce, combining all your data and content for users in your org.")
- [External Object Relationships](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.external_object_relationships.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "External objects support standard lookup relationships, which use the 18-character Salesforce record IDs to associate related records with each other. However, data that’s stored outside your Salesforce org often doesn’t contain those record IDs. Therefore, two special types of lookup relationships are available for external objects: external lookups and indirect lookups.")
- [Manage Custom Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=dev_objectedit.htm&language=en_US)
- [Salesforce Connect Adapter for Amazon DynamoDB](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dynamodb_adapter_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Connect to Amazon DynamoDB to access and integrate DynamoDB data into Salesforce applications. With this adapter, take advantage of the flexible data storage capabilities of Amazon DynamoDB that provides fast and predictable performance combined with customer 360-degree view captured in Salesforce.")