Definition
Database.com is a feature or product within the Salesforce platform ecosystem that extends its core capabilities. It provides additional functionality, infrastructure, or services that organizations use to build, connect, or scale their Salesforce implementation.
Real-World Example
Consider a scenario where an architect at Skyline Consulting is working with Database.com to extend their Salesforce implementation to meet growing business demands. Database.com provides the additional capability they need without requiring a separate third-party system, keeping everything within the trusted Salesforce ecosystem and reducing integration complexity.
Why Database.com Matters
Database.com was a cloud database service offered by Salesforce that provided the same multi-tenant database infrastructure powering the core CRM platform as a standalone service for external applications. It allowed developers to build applications on any platform or language while leveraging Salesforce's enterprise-grade database for data storage, security, and APIs. The service included features like REST and SOAP APIs, Apex triggers, workflow rules, and the full Salesforce security model, making it possible to build non-CRM applications that benefited from the same infrastructure reliability as Salesforce itself.
While Database.com as a standalone product has been largely superseded by the broader Salesforce Platform and Heroku offerings, its concepts remain relevant in understanding Salesforce's evolution as a platform company. The idea of exposing the Salesforce database as a service influenced the development of External Objects, Salesforce Connect, and the Heroku Postgres integration, all of which extend Salesforce data capabilities beyond the traditional CRM boundary. Organizations evaluating data architecture should understand that Salesforce's platform capabilities extend well beyond CRM, and the principles behind Database.com live on in modern features that connect Salesforce data with external applications and services.
How Organizations Use Database.com
- Skyline Consulting — Skyline Consulting originally used Database.com to power a client-facing mobile app that needed enterprise security and API access without the full CRM interface. The app stored customer support tickets in Database.com and used REST APIs to sync data with Salesforce CRM, giving clients self-service access while agents worked in the familiar Salesforce UI.
- CloudForge Studios — CloudForge Studios built a gaming leaderboard application that stored player statistics in Database.com, leveraging its built-in authentication and API rate limiting. The database handled 50,000 concurrent player sessions with Salesforce's multi-tenant architecture managing the infrastructure scaling automatically.
- MedConnect Health — MedConnect Health used Database.com to create a HIPAA-compliant patient portal where data was stored with the same security model as their Salesforce Health Cloud instance. The shared infrastructure meant that patient records updated through the portal were immediately available to care coordinators in Salesforce without requiring a separate integration layer.