Integration Basics for Salesforce Suites

How Salesforce Suites Connect to Your External Apps

To integrate external apps with Salesforce Suites, three distinct elements work together to move data between the systems.

• The connector element does the heavy lifting by handling the complex code needed to link your apps. While the connector lets Salesforce talk to an external app, you still authenticate your credentials to complete the link between the two systems. Salesforce provides prebuilt connectors for the apps that you use, like Zendesk, HubSpot, and Google Sheets.
• The connection element authenticates your external app account information. It's where you log in or enter your credentials to create a safe, authorized link between your Salesforce system and an external app account.
• The flow element, which consists of trigger and action logic, determines exactly when and how data moves between your systems. For example, the flow is what says, "Whenever an opportunity moves past the negotiation phase, create a corresponding customer in QuickBooks Online."
  

  Note Salesforce provides template flows for apps such as Google Sheets, HubSpot, Jira, QuickBooks Online, and Zendesk. For apps without templates, you build the flows yourself.

To summarize: The connector provides the capability, the connection provides the authorization, and the flow provides the logic to transfer data.

Note Prebuilt integrations sync only new or modified data between systems. Have existing data to bring along? No problem. A quick, one-time import with familiar tools like Salesforce Data Loader or CSV file import can get the job done. See Setup Best Practices.

Prebuilt Connectors, Flow Templates, and the Guided Wizard

Salesforce provides prebuilt connectors that take the technical guesswork off your plate. All you do is create the corresponding flow. As an added benefit, for the most popular external apps, Salesforce provides prebuilt flow templates and a guided wizard to make the integration process even easier.

• Prebuilt flow templates are ready-to-use flows that come with all the triggers, actions, and parameters already built in to move data between Salesforce and your external apps. For example, for Jira, a template flow creates a Jira issue when you open a Salesforce case and updates that issue when you modify the case. You can even create custom fields if needed.
  
  
• The guided wizard acts as a digital assistant that takes you through the integration setup and assembly process step by step. It helps you choose an appropriate flow template, guides you through secure login to your external account, and shows you how to fill in your flow settings and data fields.

Prebuilt flow templates and the guided wizard are available for these apps.

• Google Sheets
• HubSpot
• Jira
• QuickBooks Online
• Zendesk

Accessing Prebuilt Connectors in Salesforce Suites

To access prebuilt connectors powered by MuleSoft, go to the Suites Home page and open the Automation app.

From there, you have two options: the Automation - Home tab or the Automation - Integrations tab. Both offer similar starting points, but the Integrations tab shows you all the connections that you already set up.

To add a new connection to an external app, see Connect Your External Apps to Salesforce Suites.

Considerations

Before you set up your integrations, keep these Salesforce Suites allowances and limits in mind.