#Objective

The Salesforce connector extracts data from your Salesforce org: standard and custom sObjects (Account, Contact, Opportunity, Lead, Case, custom *__c objects), SOQL queries, SOSL searches, sObject metadata, org API limits, and report listings.

7 endpoint types covering the Salesforce REST API surface most useful for analytics.

The connector returns raw JSON from the Salesforce API. The OVHcloud Data Platform automatically flattens nested objects into columns and stores the result in the lakehouse. No manual schema definition needed.

#1. Create an External Client App for API access

The connector authenticates via OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials Flow, which requires an External Client App (or legacy Connected App) configured in your Salesforce org.

#Steps

1. In Salesforce, open Setup (gear icon, top right).
2. Search for App Manager in the Quick Find box.
3. Click New External Client App (top right). If you see a legacy org with only "New Connected App", that works too, choose Connected App and enable "Client Credentials Flow" under OAuth Settings.
4. Fill in:
   • App name: any descriptive name (e.g. DPE Data Platform)
   • Contact email: your email
5. In the OAuth section:
   • ☑️ Enable OAuth
   • Callback URL: https://login.salesforce.com/services/oauth2/success (required even though unused for Client Credentials)
   • OAuth scopes: add at minimum Manage user data via APIs (api)
6. Save the app.
7. Open the newly created app → Policies tab → Edit.
8. Enable Client Credentials Flow and select a Run As user (typically your admin user on a Developer org).
9. Save.

#Retrieve credentials

1. Back on the app page, open the Settings tab → OAuth Settings.
2. Click Consumer Key and Secret. Salesforce will ask for email verification.
3. Copy the Consumer Key (your client_id) and Consumer Secret (your client_secret).

#Find your instance URL

• Top-right profile menu in Salesforce shows your My Domain URL.
• Or: Setup → Quick Find → My Domain → the value under "Current My Domain URL".

Format: https://<something>.my.salesforce.com (e.g. https://orgfarm-XXXXXX-dev-ed.develop.my.salesforce.com on a Developer Edition).

#2. Configure the connector on the platform

In the OVHcloud Data Platform UI, connect a new Salesforce source and fill in:

Save: the connector will exchange these for an access token automatically on every run. Tokens aren't stored; the exchange happens each time data is extracted.

#3. Available endpoints

Add one table per endpoint type you want to extract. You can add the same endpoint type multiple times (e.g. one sobject_records per sObject).

#Data extraction

#Metadata

#4. Quick example: extract Accounts

1. Endpoint type: sobject_records
2. sObject name: Account
3. Fields filter (optional): Id, Name, Industry, AnnualRevenue, CreatedDate
4. Max items: 100 (or leave empty to extract everything)

The connector returns raw JSON from Salesforce. The platform flattens nested fields (Salesforce responses include an attributes object with type and url, which becomes attributes.type / attributes.url columns) and loads the result into your lakehouse.

#5. Best practices

#Use fields_filter for large sObjects

When fields_filter is empty, the connector introspects the sObject and selects all queryable fields. Some standard sObjects have 50–100+ fields, which makes extraction slow and the resulting table very wide. For analytics, list the 5–20 fields you actually need.

#Use where_clause for incremental extraction

Add a filter like LastModifiedDate > LAST_N_DAYS:1 to pull only recently changed records. Salesforce SOQL date literals like LAST_N_DAYS:N, TODAY, YESTERDAY, THIS_WEEK are particularly handy here.

You can type the filter with or without the leading WHERE keyword. Both work.

#Prefer sobject_records over soql_query when possible

sobject_records is simpler (fill fields + optional WHERE) and works identically under the hood. Reserve soql_query for:

• Sub-queries (e.g. SELECT Id, (SELECT Id FROM Contacts) FROM Account)
• Aggregates (SELECT COUNT(Id) FROM Case GROUP BY Status)
• Cross-object joins

#Discover available sObjects with sobjects_list

Run sobjects_list once: it returns the full catalog of sObjects in your org, including every custom object ending in __c. Use it to figure out the exact API name to put in sobject_name.

#Start with max_items set low

Use max_items: 10 when setting up a new table, then raise or clear it once the output looks right.

#6. Limitations

• Read-only. The connector does not create, update, or delete records. It only extracts.
• REST API v60.0: modern enough to cover all documented sObjects and queries. Newer Salesforce Spring '26 features are accessible via the general REST endpoints but may not be surfaced through specialized connector endpoints.
• No Bulk API 2.0: for single-query extractions above a few million rows, Bulk would be more efficient. Not supported in this version.
• No streaming / Platform Events / Pub/Sub: this is a batch extraction connector, not a real-time event listener.
• Reports are listed, not executed. The reports_list endpoint returns the catalog of reports, not their results. To pull report data, replicate the equivalent SOQL query via soql_query.
• Org-level API quotas apply. Salesforce enforces a daily API request limit per org (different per edition). Extractions count against it, see the limits endpoint for current usage.
• Errors are not silently swallowed. If your query has a SOQL syntax error, references a field the Run As user can't see, or hits a permission issue, the extraction fails with the Salesforce error message.

#Go further

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