--- schema_version: "1" id: 0e31111896f4361d5715a42393d7f6c3d35ee985d378d0434631e5a94832595f title: Salesforce Connect collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/platform_connect_about.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 8033f178319a99f1128ce9b32c89565c39707a4924779fcd599c1fbcd21197da description: 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. products: - Salesforce Platform - Security release: "264" --- # Salesforce Connect 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. ### Required Editions
Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience (not for high-data-volume external objects)

Available in: Developer Edition

Available for an extra cost in: Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions
Traditionally, we’ve recommended importing or copying data into your Salesforce org to let your users access that data. For example, extract, transform, and load (ETL) tools can integrate third-party systems with Salesforce. However, doing so copies data into your org that you don’t need or that quickly becomes stale. In contrast, Salesforce Connect maps Salesforce external objects to data tables in external systems. Instead of copying the data into your org, Salesforce Connect accesses the data on demand and in real time. The data is never stale, and we access only what you need. We recommend that you use Salesforce Connect when: - You have a large amount of data that you don’t want to copy into your Salesforce org. - You need small amounts of data at any one time. - You want real-time access to the latest data. Even though the data is stored outside your org, Salesforce Connect provides seamless integration with the Lightning Platform. External objects are available to Salesforce tools, such as global search, lookup relationships, record feeds, and the Salesforce mobile app. External objects are also available to Apex, SOSL, SOQL queries, Salesforce APIs, and deployment via the Metadata API, change sets, and packages. For example, you store product order information in a back-office ERP system. You want to view those orders as a related list on each customer record in your Salesforce org. Salesforce Connect enables you to set up a lookup relationship between the customer object (parent) and the external object (child) for orders. Then you can set up the page layouts for the parent object to include a related list that displays child records. Going a step further, you can update the orders directly from the related list on the customer record. By default, external object records are read only. But you can define the external data source to enable writable external objects. For information about using Apex DML write operations on external object records, see the [Apex Developer Guide](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/). ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_click-264-0-0-production-enus/5f7d9219-b7b1-4552-8891-f1aba9b289fc/images/icon_note.png) Note If transmitting potentially sensitive information, including sensitive or regulated data such as personal health data or financial data, Salesforce recommends that customers encrypt their external data sources at rest. Transmissions through the Salesforce Connect service are already encrypted using mTLS. ![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_click-264-0-0-production-enus/5f7d9219-b7b1-4552-8891-f1aba9b289fc/images/icon_example.png) Example This screenshot shows how Salesforce Connect can provide a seamless view of data across system boundaries. A record detail page for the Business\_Partner external object includes two related lists of child objects. The external lookup relationships and page layouts enable users to view related data from inside and from outside the Salesforce org on a single page. - Account standard object (1) - Sales\_Order external object (2) ![External object record detail page with standard object Account related list and external object Sales\_Order related list](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_click-264-0-0-production-enus/5f7d9219-b7b1-4552-8891-f1aba9b289fc/extend_click/images/external_lookup_parent_detail.png) - **[Choose Which Salesforce Connect Adapter to Use](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_adapters.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Salesforce Connect uses a protocol-specific adapter to connect to an external system and access its data. When you define an external data source in your organization, you specify the adapter in the Type field. - **[Salesforce Connect Adapters Included per Add-On License](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_license.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Using Salesforce Connect to access external data in an org requires one or more Salesforce Connect add-on licenses. - **[General Limits for Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_general_limits.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Understand the limits that apply to all Salesforce Connect adapters. - **[Salesforce Connect Learning Map](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_learning_map.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)** Follow along the Salesforce Connect learning map to explore all the relevant trails, docs, and reference resources you need to integrate external data sources into your apps! #### See Also - [External Data Sources With Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_writable_external_objects.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce Connect uses external data sources to access data that's stored outside your Salesforce org. You must configure an external data source and synchronize it to map its tables with external objects in Salesforce.") - [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.") - [Salesforce Platform Features Supported by Salesforce Connect](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_connect_considerations.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce Connect provides seamless integration with the Salesforce Platform and enables users to view, search, and modify external object data.")