There is a Smarter (and Cheaper) Way to Integrate External Data into Salesforce

Salesforce is a giant in the CRM space, holding around 21% of the market share and generating more CRM revenue than its four closest competitors combined. More than 150,000 organizations worldwide rely on Salesforce to manage their customer relationships, streamline sales operations, and integrate data across business systems.

Many of those organizations also use Salesforce Connect to integrate external data sources, whether in the cloud or on-premises. This provides unified access to all their relevant data through Salesforce. But it can come with a big price tag.

Salesforce Connect charges for each external object connection. This translates to one license for every unique external data source. One license costs $48,000 per year ($4,000/month). For companies with just one external source, it's an expensive but perhaps justifiable convenience. But if a company grows enough to need more external sources, the price can quickly drain an entire budget.

You can rest easy because there are ways to connect multiple external sources to Salesforce without buying multiple licenses. Here is how.

How Salesforce Connect pricing works

Salesforce Connect enables data integration with external sources, giving you real-time data visibility entirely within the Salesforce experience. This is very convenient as it doesn't require migration, which can surface challenges with old, erroneous data or accidental duplication.

While this makes data access within Salesforce much easier, the cost model can produce sticker shock, even with the most generous budgets. Pricing is based on the number of external data sources you want to integrate. The more external data sources you connect, the more licenses you need to purchase. So, if you need to integrate multiple external sources, such as a database in the cloud, another database on-premises, and an ERP system, you'd need to buy three separate licenses.

Because Salesforce is so widely used, some growing companies assume they have no choice but to stick with Salesforce's built-in options and keep buying more licenses. If they didn't account for the added expense upfront, they may find themselves caught off guard by the unexpected spike in costs.

CData solutions for taming Salesforce Connect costs

Salesforce Connect requires external data sources to expose data through specific protocols, OData (Open Data Protocol) being the most common. The source system must natively support OData or be exposed as an OData API. We won't get into the details in this article, but you can read up on that here.

CData has you covered with data solutions that simplify the connectivity you need with only one Salesforce Connect endpoint. Instead of paying for multiple Salesforce Connect licenses, businesses can consolidate their external data sources into a single virtualized connection. By creating a unified layer that integrates data from all your external sources, whether on-premises, cloud, ERP, or otherwise, Salesforce sees only one source. You can't avoid buying a Salesforce Connect license entirely, but you don't have to buy more than one.

Some databases and applications, like SAP and SharePoint, already provide OData endpoints. Others, like SQL Server or Oracle, need an intermediary layer to translate queries into an OData-compatible format. CData makes it easy to bypass that requirement. We offer two solutions based on your architecture and data needs.

Solution 1: Seamlessly integrate multiple SaaS data sources with Salesforce Connect with minimal coding

If you want to connect your existing data systems, select your data, and quickly get it into Salesforce, live data connectivity with CData Connect AI is the way to go. There is little to no coding involved, and you can get started in just a few minutes. It's the fastest way to expose your external data in Salesforce with just one license. From there, you can link any data source through a single platform, Connect AI, querying the destination directly. By using caching and scheduled queries, you can also control the volume of calls to Salesforce. Think of Connect AI as a single virtual layer between your SaaS systems and Salesforce, putting all your data exactly where you need it.

Solution 2: Consolidate multiple databases and data warehouses using an OData API gateway

If the data you need to integrate into Salesforce primarily lives in databases and data warehouses, CData API Server is the ideal solution. You can build an OData API endpoint from any database or data warehouse, consolidating multiple sources into a single API. This lets Salesforce Connect access your data without requiring multiple direct connections.

CData API Server acts as a unified access layer, exposing multiple data sources as a single OData API and reducing the number of Salesforce Connect access points and licenses you need. This makes integration more cost-efficient while keeping data access seamless.

The benefits: More than just cost savings

When you're not locked into multiple Salesforce Connect licenses, you can save an enormous amount of money, up to tens of thousands annually. But the benefits go beyond cost savings.

Scaling is easy and seamless

Growing companies have growing data needs. With CData solutions working as a centralized hub, you can add new external data sources to Salesforce without modifying existing connections, rewriting queries, or overhauling integration logic. The process stays streamlined and consistent as your data ecosystem expands.

No copying or moving data

Data remains in its original location, reducing the complexity and risk associated with duplication or migration. Teams always work with the most current data from a single, accurate source of truth.

Simplifies IT management

CData solutions manage external connections centrally, so IT teams spend less time adjusting individual integrations and troubleshooting problems. Centralized management also streamlines data governance and security.

Extends data accessibility

The same connections you use for Salesforce can power analytics, reporting, business intelligence, and more. Different teams across the organization can access the same real-time data without building custom integrations for each tool.

CData data solutions: Smarter, simpler Salesforce connectivity

CData Connect AI gives you a fast, cost-effective way to bring all your external data into Salesforce through a single connection. Connect to more than 350 data sources, skip the multiple licenses, and give your teams live, unified access to the data they need.

Start a 14-day free trial today and see how easy Salesforce data integration can be.