---
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id: 83eeac3cb362e58e1e932ef7629d5764aaed08c7ef998f895cf140f74117ad4b
title: Site.com Data Services Overview
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/siteforce_data_overview.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_overview.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: e91f1655c9fe2348b6b9b7704f67cc4b6d105da9870ef7feefc855c7ce428ec9
description: Site.com data services combine many features that let you connect to standard and custom Salesforce objects. Retrieve data from your organization's objects and dynamically display it on your site pages, or alternatively, gather and submit data from your customers. And when you update data in your Salesforce object, the changes are reflected automatically on the live site—no site updates required!
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Site.com Data Services Overview

Site.com data services combine many features that let you connect to standard and custom Salesforce objects. Retrieve data from your organization's objects and dynamically display it on your site pages, or alternatively, gather and submit data from your customers. And when you update data in your Salesforce object, the changes are reflected automatically on the live site—no site updates required!

### Required Editions

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          <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Salesforce Classic</td>

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            <p>Available for purchase in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and
              <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions
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            <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Available (with limitations) in:
              <strong>Developer</strong> Edition
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Here are a few ways you can use Site.com data services:

- Publish a catalog of products—List your company's products and include information, such as model numbers and prices, pulled dynamically from your organization.
- Post company press releases—Publish your company's press releases and sort by publication date.
- Create a realtor website—Display current listings filtered by city or price.
- Create a recruiting website—Post job openings to a public site and allow visitors to submit applications and resumes.

So how does it all work? Several data-bound page elements let you retrieve and display your data, or collect data from your site visitors.

[Data tables](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_table.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use a data table to connect to a standard or custom Salesforce object, retrieve a dataset based on the filter criteria that you specify, and display one or more record as rows in the table.") connect to Salesforce objects, retrieve a dataset based on the filter criteria that you specify, and display one or more record as rows in the table.

[Data Repeaters](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_repeater.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use a data repeater to connect to a standard or custom Salesforce object and retrieve a dataset based on the filter criteria that you specify.") and [data elements](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_repeater_element.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "You can use a data element to display the data retrieved by a page data connection or a data repeater. The data element binds to a field in the object and acts as a placeholder that's replaced with the field's data when the page loads.") combine to let you connect to standard and custom objects, retrieve data, and dynamically display it on your site's pages. Together, the data repeater and data elements result in a "repeating template" that offers you the greatest flexibility for displaying one or more records on the page.

[Data functions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_function.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "A data function lets you connect to a standard or custom Salesforce object, perform calculations on the returned results, and display the calculation on the page. For example, for a particular field in an object, you can use a data function to calculate the total value or the average amount of all returned records.") let you perform calculations on data retrieved from objects and display the result on the page. For example, for a particular field in an object, you can use a data function to calculate the total value or the average amount of all returned records.

[Nested repeaters](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_nested_add.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "You can retrieve data from any child object of a parent object using a data repeater that contains another data repeater, data table, or data function.") let you retrieve data from objects with a parent-to-child relationship.

[Forms](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_form.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use forms to collect data from your site visitors and submit the data to standard or custom Salesforce objects. Create web-to-lead forms, capture customer details, or gather feedback on your products or services.") and [form fields](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_form_fields.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Add additional input fields to an existing form. Each input field binds to a field in the object the form is connected to. Add input fields directly to a page, panel, data repeater, or data table to build your own custom features using") combine to let you collect data from your site visitors and submit the data to standard or custom Salesforce objects. Create web-to-lead forms, capture customer details, or gather feedback on your products or services.

## Data Services Considerations

- To allow guest users to view the data in or submit data to a Salesforce object, you must [set the object's data access permissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_access_perms.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Sites built with Site.com are publicly available, so visitors access the site via the Guest User license that's associated with the site.").
- When working with assets, the easiest way to take advantage of Site.com data services is to import the files into your website, and store a relative URL to these assets in your standard or custom object. See [Storing Assets to Use with Salesforce Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_assets_storage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Because websites built with Site.com are publicly available, site visitors don't have the security privileges required to view images and documents stored in your Salesforce objects, which are available to authenticated users only.").
- If you add a data-bound page element to your site and then subsequently change a field type in the Salesforce object it's connected to—for example, changing a text field to a picklist—the data-bound page element no longer works. You must reconfigure the data-bound page element to reference the updated field.
- If you update data in an object that's connected to a data table, data repeater, or data function, the changes are reflected automatically on the live site. To control this, you can add a picklist field to the object to specify when a record is approved to go live. Then you can use the field to [filter the records](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_operators.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When you add a data repeater, a data table, or a data function to a page, you don't have to limit the records it retrieves. However, if you're working with a Salesforce object that has thousands of records, you can limit the returned results using filter criteria.") by approved status, so only approved records appear on the live site.

- **[Setting Data Access Permissions for Salesforce Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_access_perms.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Sites built with Site.com are publicly available, so visitors access the site via the Guest User license that's associated with the site.
- **[Storing Assets to Use with Salesforce Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_assets_storage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Because websites built with Site.com are publicly available, site visitors don't have the security privileges required to view images and documents stored in your Salesforce objects, which are available to authenticated users only.
- **[Dynamically Retrieve Data with Data Repeaters](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_repeater.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Use a data repeater to connect to a standard or custom Salesforce object and retrieve a dataset based on the filter criteria that you specify.
- **[Adding a Form to the Page](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_form.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Use forms to collect data from your site visitors and submit the data to standard or custom Salesforce objects. Create web-to-lead forms, capture customer details, or gather feedback on your products or services.
- **[The Default, Error, and No Data Views](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_views.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    When working with data repeaters, data tables, data functions, and forms, you can customize what your site visitors see if an error occurs when connecting to the data source.
- **[Repairing Data Connections](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_repair.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    If you or another user modifies the object that an existing data repeater, data table, data function, or form is connected to, the data connection might break. For example, this can happen if a connected object or field is renamed or deleted, or if its permissions are changed.

#### See Also

- [Access Data in Related Objects Overview](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_nested_overview.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Standard and custom objects have relationships that define how records in one object relate to records in another. For example, the Accounts object has a one-to-many relationship with the Contacts object—that is, each account can have one or more contacts associated with it. This relationship is also known as a parent-to-child or a master-detail relationship.")
- [Add Pagination to Data Repeaters and Data Tables](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_events_pagination.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Events let you add interactive and animated effects to the pages and page elements of your website. When using data repeaters and data tables, you can add pagination events so users can easily page through the displayed data. Pagination events are particularly useful when working with large amounts of data.")
- [The Default, Error, and No Data Views](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.siteforce_data_views.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When working with data repeaters, data tables, data functions, and forms, you can customize what your site visitors see if an error occurs when connecting to the data source.")