Introduction to Salesforce-to-Salesforce Integration

In today’s business landscape, many organizations rely on multiple Salesforce environments, either due to mergers, partnerships, or business needs. Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration, commonly referred to as S2S, provides a native solution for connecting two Salesforce instances, allowing them to share records such as accounts, leads, opportunities, and custom objects. This integration improves collaboration and ensures that teams working on different platforms or in different geographies can access and update the same data in real-time.

The integration can be particularly beneficial for businesses with partner networks, subsidiaries, or external vendors who use separate Salesforce organizations. Instead of manual data entry or batch imports, records can flow automatically between Salesforce orgs, keeping data consistent and up to date.

Key Concepts and Benefits of Salesforce-to-Salesforce Integration

Before diving into the technical steps of implementation, it’s essential to understand the primary benefits and key concepts of Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration:

1. Data Sharing and Visibility: S2S allows Salesforce instances to share specific records without granting full access to the external organization’s environment. You can define what data is shared and how it is updated, giving complete control over data visibility and security.

2. Efficiency and Collaboration: Automating the process of sharing records reduces the manual workload on teams and ensures that critical business data is up-to-date and accurate across organizations. This improves decision-making and collaboration, especially between partners and customers.

3. Customizable: The integration is flexible, allowing organizations to customize the types of records shared, the fields visible, and when updates occur.

4. Cost-Effective: As S2S is a native Salesforce feature, there is no need for costly third-party solutions or middleware. Organizations can leverage existing Salesforce infrastructure to set up the integration.

Step-by-Step Implementation of Salesforce-to-Salesforce Integration

Let’s go through the steps required to implement Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration:

1. Enable Salesforce-to-Salesforce Feature

The first step is to enable the Salesforce-to-Salesforce feature in both Salesforce organizations. This step is necessary for each Salesforce org that will participate in the integration.

How to Enable:

• Go to Setup in your Salesforce org.
• In the Quick Find box, search for Salesforce-to-Salesforce Settings.
• Enable the Salesforce-to-Salesforce feature by checking the box next to Enable Salesforce-to-Salesforce.

After enabling this feature, you’ll be able to configure settings related to the integration.

2. Create a Connection between Salesforce Orgs

The next step involves setting up a connection between the two Salesforce orgs that will exchange data.

How to Create a Connection:

• In Setup, go to Connections.
• Click New to create a new connection.
• Provide the recipient org’s details (email, org ID, etc.), and send an invitation to establish the connection.
• The receiving Salesforce org will accept the connection request from their Connections settings.

Once the connection is established, the two Salesforce instances can start sharing records.

3. Configure Sharing Settings

The core of S2S integration is the ability to share specific objects and records. Salesforce allows you to select which records will be shared between orgs.

How to Configure Sharing Settings:

• Go to the Object Manager and select the object you want to share (e.g., Leads, Accounts, Opportunities).
• In the object’s settings, navigate to the Salesforce-to-Salesforce Settings section.
• Specify the fields and data that can be shared with the connected org.
• Configure sharing rules and field mappings to control how data is synchronized between the two systems.

You can choose to share records manually or automate the sharing process by creating triggers or workflows.

4. Publish and Subscribe to Records

Salesforce-to-Salesforce uses the concept of “publishing” and “subscribing” to manage data sharing between orgs.

• Publishing Records: The sending org can publish records they want to share with the receiving org. You can choose to publish records manually or set up rules to automatically publish them.
• Subscribing to Records: The receiving org subscribes to the records and can choose how they want to handle them (e.g., accept all changes or only specific fields). Subscribed records are synchronized between the two Salesforce instances, and updates made in one org will reflect in the other.

You can manage subscriptions and publications for different objects and even create custom workflows to determine when records should be shared.

5. Set Up Field Mappings

When records are shared between Salesforce orgs, it is essential to map fields correctly. Field mapping ensures that the data from one org populates the correct fields in the other org.

How to Set Up Field Mapping:

• In the Salesforce-to-Salesforce Settings, navigate to the Field Mapping section.
• Select the object and choose which fields to map from one org to the other.
• Ensure that fields with different names or types are mapped correctly to avoid data inconsistencies.

6. Automate the Process with Flows and Triggers

Automation is critical to ensure that data is shared in real-time between Salesforce instances. You can automate the process using Salesforce Flows, Apex triggers, or Process Builder.

Examples of Automation:

• Flows: You can create Salesforce Flows to trigger the publication of records based on specific criteria, such as when an opportunity reaches a certain stage.
• Apex Triggers: Apex triggers can be set up to automatically publish or subscribe to records based on business logic.

Automation reduces the need for manual intervention and ensures that data is always up-to-date across Salesforce instances.

Best Practices for Salesforce-to-Salesforce Integration

1. Data Security: Always ensure that sensitive data is protected by limiting which fields and records are shared between Salesforce orgs. Use Salesforce’s built-in security settings to manage permissions effectively.

2. Field Mapping: Pay careful attention to field mappings, especially if the two Salesforce orgs have customized data models. Ensure that fields are mapped accurately to avoid data integrity issues.

3. Automate Where Possible: Automating the sharing of records using Flows, Process Builder, or Apex ensures that data is transferred in real-time and reduces the risk of manual errors.

4. Monitor Data Syncing: Regularly monitor the records being shared to ensure that data is syncing as expected. Use Salesforce’s reporting features to track any discrepancies.

Why Hire Salesforce Integration Services?

Although Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration offers a native and cost-effective solution for sharing records between Salesforce orgs, it can still be a complex process that requires careful planning and configuration. For businesses with complex data models, custom objects, or unique workflows, hire Salesforce integration services can be a valuable investment.

Experienced Salesforce integration consultants can help ensure that the integration is set up correctly, with optimal performance and data security. Additionally, consultants can provide guidance on best practices, automation, and error handling, saving businesses time and reducing the risk of costly mistakes.

Conclusion

Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration offers a powerful way for organizations to share data between different Salesforce environments. With the right setup and configuration, it can streamline collaboration, reduce manual work, and improve data accuracy. However, given the complexity of some implementations, hiring Salesforce integration services may be the best route for ensuring success.

By leveraging the expertise of Salesforce consultants, businesses can unlock the full potential of Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration and avoid common pitfalls during implementation.