You define an External Data Source in Setup, then validate and sync it to generate external objects. These steps assume an OData source, which is the most common starting point.
- Open External Data Sources in Setup
From Setup, enter External Data Sources in Quick Find and select it. Click New External Data Source to start a fresh record.
- Pick the adapter type
Set Type to the adapter that matches the source, such as Salesforce Connect: OData 4.01 for a modern OData producer or a cross-org or custom Apex option for other systems.
- Enter the endpoint and identity
Provide the URL of the source. Set Identity Type to Anonymous, Named Principal, or Per User, and choose the authentication protocol, ideally pointing at a Named Credential for OAuth.
- Validate and sync
Save, then click Validate and Sync. Select the tables you want, and confirm to create the matching external objects with the __x suffix in your org.
The protocol Salesforce uses: OData 2.0 / 4.0 / 4.01, cross-org, custom Apex, or a packaged adapter like DynamoDB or SQL.
Whose credentials are used: Anonymous (none), Named Principal (one shared set), or Per User (each user manages their own).
Bypasses most callout rate limits for high-traffic sources, with some behavior tradeoffs you should review first.
- Re-run sync after the source schema changes, or your external objects drift out of date.
- Per User identity means every user must authenticate before their external data shows up; plan the support overhead.
- External objects are only as available as the source; a source outage breaks reports and pages built on them.