When do you use Heroku Connect vs Salesforce Connect?

Both bring external data into Salesforce, but with different approaches.

Salesforce Connect:

• Exposes external data as External Objects (__x suffix).
• Read-only by default; some write support with extra config.
• Each query goes to the external system in real time (or with light caching).
• Best for: occasional access, current data needed, large external datasets you don't want to copy.
• OData adapter, REST adapter, or custom adapter.

Heroku Connect:

• Bidirectional sync between Salesforce and a Heroku Postgres database.
• Data is copied (not virtual).
• Sync runs continuously; Postgres is kept current.
• Best for: high-volume data needs, Heroku-based apps that read/write Salesforce data, custom analytics on Postgres.

Architectural comparison:

| | Salesforce Connect | Heroku Connect | |---|---|---| | Direction | Mostly read | Bidirectional | | Data location | External | Postgres copy | | Latency | Real-time | Sync interval | | Read performance | External-system-bound | Fast (local Postgres) | | Volume | Limited per query | High | | Cost | Per-license | Heroku Connect SKU |

Use cases:

Salesforce Connect:

• Showing inventory from ERP in Salesforce account view.
• Read-only browsing of legacy mainframe data.
• Cross-system search.
• Reading from a data warehouse.

Heroku Connect:

• Heroku web app needing Salesforce data with low latency.
• Complex analytics on Postgres replicas of Salesforce data.
• Mobile app backend with Postgres for performance.
• Bidirectional integration for Heroku-hosted services.

Other alternatives:

• Custom REST callouts — for specific data, not general access.
• Mulesoft / iPaaS — orchestrated integration.
• CDC + custom subscriber — replicate changes to anywhere.
• Bulk API — periodic full sync.

Architectural insight:

• Don't copy data unnecessarily — Salesforce Connect for read-mostly access.
• Don't proxy data unnecessarily — Heroku Connect for high-traffic.
• Match tool to access pattern.

Common mistakes:

• Salesforce Connect for high-traffic read — external system gets hammered.
• Heroku Connect for occasional read — overkill; sync overhead.

Senior architect insight: pick based on read frequency, write needs, latency tolerance, and data volume. No tool is universally best; each has its sweet spot.