Salesforce External Object Reports: Oracle, SQL Server and More

After attending Dreamforce, the two things we are most excited about are Hybrid Data Pipeline and Salesforce External Objects. Here is why they matter.

We had an amazing time at Dreamforce 2016! We met lots of new faces and made quite a few new friends. If you met us at the event, you know how excited we are for both our new lightweight connector, “Hybrid Data Pipeline,” as well as support for Salesforce External Objects, which is pending release later next year. For more information about Hybrid Data Pipeline as well as your chance to preview it, read our blog post.

Convenience of Salesforce Reporting, Powered by Real-Time Access to On-Premises Data

Why are we so excited for Salesforce External Objects? Salesforce shops, including ourselves, have been impatiently waiting for reporting to support external objects. Progress DataDirect has tens of thousands of users accessing back office data with the DataDirect Cloud OData service for external objects, and all of us are excited about this new development being released in winter 2017.

What This Means

Salesforce users can now run reports that access external data from cloud and on-premises sources, including warehouses, marts, lakes and more. With Salesforce Connect External Objects, you get real-time connectivity that is self-service for Salesforce Report developers. The most popular reporting databases we’re already getting requests for include:

• Oracle [Exadata]
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Greenplum
• Amazon Redshift
• IBM DB2
• Hadoop Hive (including Cloudera, Hortonworks, IBM BigInsights or MapR)

This new reporting feature is available in both Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic.

Who Does What?

Salesforce: External Object Reports is a feature of Salesforce Connect. Salesforce Connect is an offering from Salesforce that provides seamless integration of data across boundaries.

Progress: External objects require an OData adapter for reporting databases, and this is provided by DataDirect Cloud. Progress DataDirect is the undisputed leader in data connectivity for reporting (eight of the top nine leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for BI run on our connectivity), and we’re excited to expand our growing footprint in the cloud with the Salesforce Platform.

Real-time Oracle integration with Salesforce Connect and DataDirect Cloud

Get Started with Your Winter 2017 Org

• Configure external objects with DataDirect Cloud for Salesforce Reports
• Read about Report Considerations for Salesforce Connect

• Learn how to configure external reports from Salesforce

Discover the BIGGEST Salesforce Object Ever Seen at Dreamforce

In Suit's blog post, he further discuses his Dreamforce session on the best practices and lessons learned in accessing external data sets in Hadoop or Spark using Salesforce Connect. This enables you to leave your big data behind the firewall and but still provide users on-demand access to big data insights using External Objects via Salesforce Connect. The slides from his session are located in Slideshare.

Highlights from Dreamforce 2016

Disrupting Salesforce integration here at #DF16. All explained in this awesome video from @stormshipLTD @anniedampy pic.twitter.com/WBKp9oqWHX

— Suzanne Rose (@swordmaven) October 4, 2016

Big crowd at @SAsInSumit session about #OData and external big data objects. #DF16 pic.twitter.com/eYJjQL3xU3

— Suzanne Rose (@swordmaven) October 4, 2016

Sumit and his big data object session at #DF16. @DataDirect_News @SAsInSumit pic.twitter.com/2h1QOzaNPW

— Suzanne Rose (@swordmaven) October 4, 2016