Build Automated Salesforce-Connected Workflows in Zapier
Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to live Salesforce data for your workflows. This article shows how to connect to Salesforce and build workflows with live Salesforce data in Zapier.
About Salesforce Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from Salesforce has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Access to custom entities and fields means Salesforce users get access to all of Salesforce.
- Create atomic and batch update operations.
- Read, write, update, and delete their Salesforce data.
- Leverage the latest Salesforce features and functionalities with support for SOAP API versions 30.0.
- See improved performance based on SOQL support to push complex queries down to Salesforce servers.
- Use SQL stored procedures to perform actions like creating, retrieving, aborting, and deleting jobs, uploading and downloading attachments and documents, and more.
Users frequently integrate Salesforce data with:
- other ERPs, marketing automation, HCMs, and more.
- preferred data tools like Power BI, Tableau, Looker, and more.
- databases and data warehouses.
For more information on how CData solutions work with Salesforce, check out our Salesforce integration page.
Getting Started
Connect to Salesforce from Zapier
To work with Salesforce in Zapier, we need to connect to Salesforce from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Salesforce data.
Connect to Salesforce from Connect AI
CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "Salesforce" from the Add Connection panel
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Salesforce uses OAuth to authenticate. Click "Sign in" to authenticate with Salesforce.
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Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Salesforce Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Add a Personal Access Token
When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
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Give the PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
Configure Salesforce Endpoints for Zapier
After connecting to Salesforce, create a workspace for your desired table(s).
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Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
- Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
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Select the Salesforce connection (e.g. Salesforce1) and click Next.
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Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
- Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Salesforce data from Zapier.
Connect to Salesforce Data in Zapier Workflows
To establish a connection from Zapier to CData Connect AI using the OData protocol, follow these steps.
- Log into Zapier.
- Click Create Zap.
- In the dialog that appears, search for "Webhooks by Zapier", and click the option underneath.
- Under Event, select Retrieve Poll.
- Fill in the connection details:
- URL: Enter the OData URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}).
- Key: Enter "value.name."
- Authentication details: Fill in the Basic Auth or Headers. The basic option requires a user (your Connect AI username, e.g. [email protected]) and password (the PAT you've previously created) separated by a pipe symbol: |. The headers option requires a request type header with encoded credentials.
- Click Test. If the connection is set up properly, sample records will appear.
Simplified Access to Salesforce Data from Cloud Applications
At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Salesforce data from Zapier. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Zapier, refer to our Connect AI page.