How Federated Search Works

Users can search for data stored in repositories outside of Salesforce while remaining inside the Salesforce user interface. Get a high-level look at how Federated Search works.

The federated search connector runs search requests in Salesforce and connects to an external provider with the Salesforce Federated Search API. The API is based on the OpenSearch standard. The search results are then displayed to users in Salesforce.

• In the Salesforce user interface, an end user searches for a record that is stored outside of Salesforce. (1)
• Salesforce search sends the request to the federated search connector. (2)
• The federated search connector sends a request to the external search provider conforming to the Salesforce Federated Search API. (3)
• The external search provider searches the external data repository index (like DropBox). (4)
• The external search provider gets results from the external data repository index. (5)
• The external search provider returns the results to the federated search connector. (6)
• The federated search connector returns the results in a Salesforce search results page. (7)