Setting up a Connection requires both orgs to participate. The local admin enables S2S, sends an invitation, and once the partner accepts, both sides configure their publish/subscribe lists.
- Enable Salesforce to Salesforce in the local org
Setup, Salesforce to Salesforce Settings, Enable. This is one-way; once enabled, it cannot be disabled cleanly. Plan accordingly in production.
- Designate a Connection User
A special internal user account owns all inbound records from the partner org. Create or designate this user, typically named Connection User, and document who can access the inbound queue.
- Send the invitation
Setup, Connections, New. Enter the partner admin email and the partner Account record (from your Accounts in the local org that represents the partner company). Salesforce sends an email invitation; the partner admin accepts inside their own org.
- Configure published objects and fields
From the Connection detail page, click Edit on the Publish list. Add objects (Lead, Opportunity, custom objects). For each object, pick the fields to publish. Do not publish more than the partner needs; minimal publication is the safer default.
- Configure subscribed objects and fields
Click Edit on the Subscribe list. Add the same objects from the partner side (matching the partner published objects). Map each inbound field to a local field; fields with no mapping are dropped.
- Forward records to start sharing
Open a record (a Lead, for example) and click Share, Connection. Pick the partner Connection. The record now flows to the partner org. Repeat per record or use Flow or Apex to automate.
- Monitor sync health
From Setup, Connections, the Health tab shows pending and failed records, sync lag, and connection status. Build a custom alert (Flow on the External Activity object) if you need real-time monitoring.
- Salesforce to Salesforce cannot be disabled once enabled in production. Test in a sandbox first.
- Field types must match between orgs. A Text(255) on one side cannot map to a Long Text Area on the other; the field is dropped during sync.
- Sync is best-effort and eventually consistent. Do not build dependencies that assume real-time propagation.
- Custom objects must exist on both sides with matching API names. Field API names also matter; renaming a field after the connection is configured breaks the mapping.
- Records shared through S2S can show old data if the connection is paused or the partner org is in a refresh window. Field history on the local copy will show the gap.