---
schema_version: "1"
id: 55e63d6a85991a45d546436ef5df0c0db6e26de3323a98ae32dff58e6f6ae2e2
title: Set Up Salesforce Connect to Access External Data Exposed via GraphQL
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/graphql_setup.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_setup.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 461c70962038f57fa90217ad2fcaadc739392a733f59a0300f00b1e021522abd
description: Provide users access to external databases managed via GraphQL and integrate data in Salesforce so that they have a complete view of the business.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Set Up Salesforce Connect to Access External Data Exposed via GraphQL

Provide users access to external databases managed via GraphQL and integrate data in Salesforce so that they have a complete view of the business.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition">
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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>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">
              <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
              </p>
            </td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table> <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
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        </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="d186568e74">User
              Permissions Needed</th>
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        </thead>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To create and edit external data sources:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">Customize Application</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To create and edit external objects:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">Customize Application</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To view named credentials:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">View Setup and Configuration</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To create, edit, or delete named credentials:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">Customize Application</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To create and edit custom fields:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">Customize Application</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To edit permission sets and user profiles:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">Manage Profiles and Permission Sets</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">To edit another user’s authentication settings for external
              systems:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d186568e74 ">Manage Users</td>

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

Before you begin, review GraphQL and AWS AppSync resources:

- To know about GraphQL and explore how it works, see [Introduction to GraphQL](https://graphql.org/learn/).
- To know about AWS AppSync, see [What is AWS AppSync?](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/appsync/latest/devguide/what-is-appsync.html)

If you’re using AWS AppSync to enable GraphQL API implementation and access Amazon RDS-hosted databases, work with your Amazon administrator to configure AWS AppSync using the setup template.

- **[Define a Named Credential for Salesforce Connect Adapter for GraphQL](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_named_credentials_external_credentials.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Create a named credential that specifies the endpoint URL of a GraphQL API and an external credential to provide the required authentication parameters.
- **[Create an External Data Source for Salesforce Connect Adapter for GraphQL](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_add_external_data_source.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Connect your Salesforce org to data that’s stored in external databases managed via GraphQL.
- **[Sync an External Data Source for Salesforce Connect Adapter for GraphQL](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_sync_external_data_source.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    After you create an external data source, synchronize it to map the database tables with external objects in your Salesforce org.

#### See Also

- [Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce Connect provides seamless integration of data across system boundaries by letting your users view, search, and modify data that’s stored outside your Salesforce org. For example, perhaps you have data that’s stored on premises in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Instead of copying the data into your org, you can use external objects to access the data in real time via web service callouts.")
- [Salesforce Connect Adapter for GraphQL](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_adapter_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "GraphQL is a standard query language that allows applications to flexibly access required data and provides a modern way to integrate applications. Unlike traditional REST APIs, GraphQL provides granularity in specifying fields and relationships and is more efficient.")
- [Manage Qualifiers and External IDs for Salesforce Connect Adapter for GraphQL](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_manage_qualifiers_extids.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When you sync a database table to create a Salesforce external object, a table qualifier is automatically generated. The qualifier constructs an external ID for the external object based on the global id field in the GraphQL schema. You can also configure the external ID based on any of the ID field types in the GraphQL schema.")
- [Considerations for Salesforce Connect Adapters for GraphQL](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.graphql_considerations.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Understand the special behaviors, limits, and recommendations for using the Salesforce Connect adapter for Amazon GraphQL.")