Define External Objects
Tables in external systems map to external objects in Salesforce, combining all your data and content for users in your org.
Required Editions
| User Permissions Needed | |
|---|---|
| To create or edit external objects: | Customize Application |
External objects are similar to custom objects, except that they map to data that’s stored outside your Salesforce org. Each external object relies on an external data source definition to connect with the external system’s data. Each external object definition maps to a data table on the external system. Each of the external object’s fields maps to a table column on the external system. External objects enable your users and the Lightning Platform to search and interact with the external data.
- Each org can have up to 200 external objects. External objects don’t count toward the amount for custom objects.
- If the external system allows it, we recommend that you sync the external data source to automatically create related external objects. You can instead choose to manually define external objects to customize the external object names and manually create the custom fields.
To create or modify an external object:
- From Setup, enter External Objects in the Quick Find box, then select External Objects.
- Click New External Object, or click Edit to modify an existing external object.
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Enter the following:
Field Description Label A user-friendly name for the external object. The label is displayed in the Salesforce user interface, such as in list views.
We recommend that you make object labels unique across all standard, custom, and external objects in the org.
Plural Label The plural name of the external object. If you create a tab for this object, this name is used for the tab. Starts with vowel sound If it’s appropriate for your org’s default language, select to precede your label with “an” instead of “a” for any automated messages. Object Name A unique identifier used to refer to this external object definition when using the API. Object names must be unique across all standard, custom, and external objects in the org.
The Object Name field can contain only underscores and alphanumeric characters. It must be unique, begin with a letter, not include spaces, not end with an underscore, and not contain two consecutive underscores.
Description An optional description of the external object. A meaningful description helps you distinguish among your external objects when you view them in a list. Context-Sensitive Help Setting Defines what appears when users click Help for this Page from the external object record home (overview) and detail pages, as well as list views and related lists.
We recommend that you select Open a window using a Visualforce page to display custom help that you create for your users.
If you instead keep the default value, your users only see Salesforce Help, which doesn’t provide any information about your external data.
This setting doesn’t affect the Help & Training link at the top of each page, which always opens Salesforce Help.
Content Name Select the Visualforce page that best describes the data that’s provided by this external object.
This field is available only when you select Open a window using a Visualforce page.
External Data Source The external data source definition that contains the connection details you want to use for this external object. Table Name Table in the external system that the external object maps to.
For SharePoint, the table name must match the related scope name.
Display URL Reference Field Available only for Salesforce Connect. The external object’s Display URL standard field values are automatically generated from the external system. For example, with the OData 2.0 adapter for Salesforce Connect, the value is based on the
link hrefthat’s defined on the OData producer.You can override the default values with the values of a custom field on the same external object. Select the field name, and make sure that the custom field’s values are valid URLs.
Allow Reports Available only for Salesforce Connect. Deployment Status Indicates whether the external object is visible to other users. Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this external object If selected, the custom tab wizard starts after you save the external object. Allow Search If search is also enabled on the external data source, selecting this option lets users find the external object’s records via SOSL and Salesforce global searches.
By default, search is disabled for new external objects. However, you can validate and sync an external data source to automatically create external objects. Syncing always enables search on the external object when search is enabled on the external data source, and vice versa.
However, syncing always overwrites the external object’s search status to match the search status of the external data source.
- Click Save.
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On the external object detail page, view and modify the external object’s custom fields
and relationships, page layouts, field sets, search layouts, and buttons and links.
- To create field mappings or add fields to an external object, click New on the Custom Fields & Relationships related list.
- To assign different page layouts by user profile, click Page Layout Assignments.
