Much to brain dump with a question like that. I used to think that Salesforce Connect was this fantangled feature. I’m underwhelmed for sure. It’s essentially the same functionality to Skuid model connecting to the same data source. With Skuid you get additional functionality that aren’t available with Connect. With Connect, no validation rules, formula fields, process builder, etc. Now with Skuid you can do accomplish all of this type of functionality, depending on your commitment to achieving them. Some of these functionalities are easily attained using action framework. Some would potentially require javascript. You could create UI only formula fields that you use to update the records in the external data source fairly easily. The data sets are not stored anywhere really. The records are displayed on the page and stored client side in a model in order to interact with them. Once the records are loaded, you have free reign on what you do with them, assuming the API supports changes. They aren’t really competitors. If all you want to do is view your records and do basic edits, then get Salesforce Connect. It’s essentially only allowing you the user view and edit the records in very simple ways. If you want to complete control over the records while interacting with them in many many different ways, then get Skuid. This is assuming cost is not a factor. I’m not familiar with the cost to Connect, so I can’t really suggest either way.

Thank so much for this response. One follow up question to it…I’ve been looking for documentation on Limitations of Skuid’s connection to external data. For example, Salesforce Connect, allows for 10,000 callouts per hour. I would like to find similar documentation for skuid to compare…Particularly with large data sets.

And one more follow up: I now see how you create ‘models’, which I understand to be the same as the ‘External Objects’ that you create with Salesforce Connect…same idea, but probably hosted on Skuid’s platform. My question is on how much control skuid platform allows for with these models. For example, can you relate them to internal salesforce objects? With salesforce connect you can create relationships between external objects, and between external objects and the internal objects (custom and standard). Can these relationships be created in Skuid?

Sorry, I’m really trying to have a go and figure this out on my own, but I can’t seem to get an external data connection to work…so asking questions in the meantime, and trying to figure that out on a separate post. 

Andy,

You want to do what Skuid calls ‘Override field metadata’.  Go to the model, find the Fields grouping and click it, then click on the name of the field.  You’ll find a checkbox called ‘Override field metadata’.  Check it and you’ll see options for how you can make it a lookup to another model.

Thanks,

Bill

Hmmm… So create a Salesforce text field to store the Id to the External object record. Then set the field behavior as a lookup in the Salesforce internal object. Interesting. I wonder how it’ll behave. May have to tweak it a little more than just field metadata. Let us know the behavior.

Pat,

Exactly…a great use case for this is to create a ‘Lookup’ field from Task/Events to some other object.  Salesforce doesn’t support this, but you can do it with Skuid.  The one caveat in Salesforce is that you don’t get the benefit of the Lookup relationship and being able to get related fields without an additional query.

I am pretty sure that Skuid added the field override to enable these kinds of ‘Lookup’ fields across data sources on the Skuid Platform.

Thanks,

Bill

I’ve done this before using a snippet, but not just setting the metadata.

One can still get the values from these other records by loading them into a model and using a UI only formula field with the model lookup function. Not as clean as Salesforce external object in that it would simply display the fields to choose just like any other object.

Still think the Pros outweigh the Cons.

Andy, what’s the cost of the Salesforce Connect?

I’m located in Sydney. So, the quote is in AUD. And, I’m sure the pricing swings depending on the situation. So, I will ball park it at 5k AUD a month. 

Anybody care to ballpark Skuid for me?

You can easily get over 100 licenses of Skuid for that amount of money. How many users do you have?

Near 100 at the moment. 

Thanks for this.