Setup takes about 10–15 minutes.
Introduction
Connecting Salesforce to Foundational allows Foundational to determine lineage and downstream impact for Salesforce objects and reports.
To make the connection, you need to:
Assign Salesforce permissions to Foundational
Choose an authentication method using either a Salesforce user or an external Salesforce application
Connect to Foundational using your Salesforce URL and credentials
Prerequisites
Ensure you have:
Salesforce API enabled
A Salesforce user with Run Reports permission
Salesforce admin access if you plan to create an external Salesforce application
Added Foundational IP addresses to the allowlist, see the article Allowing IP access to Foundational.
Access permissions
The permissions you assign enable Foundational to:
Read Salesforce object metadata
Access report definitions
Extract lineage and relationships between Salesforce objects and reports
Salesforce authentication methods
Salesforce supports two authentication methods.
Salesforce user credentials: Requires username, password, and security token.
External Salesforce application (OAuth): Use this option if you use SSO or if your organization prefers to configure access using an external Salesforce app (and not by users).
Option 1: Authenticate with user credentials
Option 1: Authenticate with user credentials
Step 1: Create or use an existing user
Create a new Salesforce user for Foundational or select an existing user.
Ensure the user has:
Salesforce API access
Run Reports permission
Access to the objects and reports you want Foundational to ingest
Locate the user’s Salesforce security token.
You need the security token to set up the connection with Foundational. However, you cannot view a security token, so if you don’t have it, you need to reset it. Check out the Salesforce documentation Reset Your Security Token.
Step 2: Connect Foundational to Salesforce
In Foundational, open the Connectors & Integrations page.
In CRM & ERP, select the Salesforce card, and click Connect.
Click Add Account.
The initial setup screen opens. Click Start Setup.
The Set Up New Connection screen opens.
Enter the details:
Salesforce URL: The URL of your Salesforce instance.
Authentication Method: User and password.
User Name: The username that you want Foundational to use to access Salesforce. This user must have API access enabled.
Password: The user’s password.
User Token: The value you saved earlier.
Click Next.
The final setup screen opens. Click Save to complete the connection.
Option 2: Authenticate with an external app (OAuth)
Option 2: Authenticate with an external app (OAuth)
Step 1: Create and configure the OAuth app
In Salesforce, click the Gear icon and select Setup.
Open External Client App Manager.
Enter these details:
External Client App Name: Foundational
API Name: Foundational
Contact Email: Your email or the app owner’s email
Under API (Enable OAuth Settings), enable the Enable OAuth checkbox.
In App Settings, set Callback URL to:
https://app.foundational.io.
Select these OAuth scopes:
Add to the right pane:
Manage user data via APIs (api)
Access identity URL service (id, profile, email)
Perform requests at any time (refresh_token)
Access Lightning applications (lightning).
In Flow Enablement, enable the Client Credentials Flow checkbox.
Click Create.
Step 2: Configure policies and credentials
Still in Salesforce, go to External Client App Manager and select the app you just created.
In Policies, select Edit.
The OAuth Policies screen opens.
Enable Client Credentials Flow: Enable the checkbox.
Run As (Username): Enter the username that the Foundational app will run as. The user must have Salesforce API access and Run Reports permission.
In App Authorization, set the refresh token validity to 720 days.
Save the changes.
In the app, select the Settings tab.
In OAuth Settings, click Consumer Key and Secret. Copy the Consumer Key and the Consumer Secret and store them safely. You’ll need them to set up the connection.
Step 3: Connect Foundational to Salesforce
In Foundational, open the Connectors & Integrations page.
In CRM & ERP, select the Salesforce card, and click Connect.
Click Add Account.
The initial setup screen opens. Click Start Setup.
The Set Up New Connection screen opens.
Enter the details:
Salesforce URL: The URL of your Salesforce instance.
Authentication Method: External App Authentication.
Consumer Key: The consumer key from your Salesforce connected app.
Consumer Secret: The consumer secret from your Salesforce connected app.
Click Next.
The final setup screen opens. Click Save to complete the connection.
Whichever method you used, Foundational is now connected to Salesforce.