In this document, you'll learn:
Overview
Clay's Salesforce integration enables users to interact with your Salesforce data by looking up, creating, and updating current records with the enrichment panel. Alternatively, you can import records or reports as a source.
Setting Up the Salesforce Integration
Requirements for Getting Set Up
Salesforce Permissions
Salesforce Permissions
To connect Clay to Salesforce, your Clay user needs the following permissions:
Access Identity Information: Permission to access identity URL services (e.g., id, profile, email, address, phone).
Manage User Data via APIs: Permission to manage data through APIs.
Perform Requests Anytime: Permission to perform requests at any time (e.g., refresh_token, offline_access).
Salesforce Authentication
Salesforce Authentication
To establish the initial connection between Clay and Salesforce, you'll need a user with OAuth permissions. Once the connection is made, any user within your Clay workspace can use the integration.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 - Select Salesforce integration through the integrations page in the settings
In the top navigation bar, click on your profile picture and head over to Settings > Connections > Add connection > Enter “Salesforce” and click on the Salesforce icon.
At this point of the process, the URL of your settings should be app.clay.com/workspaces/{YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID/settings/accounts
Step 2 - Authenticate your Salesforce account
You will need to authenticate Salesforce access for your Clay account, allowing Clay to connect to your Salesforce account. Please remember to have OAuth Settings enabled. For more information on the Salesforce connection, visit our FAQ page (links to scope/permissions).
Step 3 - Create your account key
Once you’ve authenticated your Salesforce account, you will be taken to a page “Add Salesforce Account”.
On this page, you have the option to name your Salesforce “Key” (i.e. account name) and set this connected account as default via the Set as default toggle.
Please remember that once you have connected your Salesforce account to Clay and added a key, other members within your workspace can access the account tied to the specific key.
Now, you can use the Salesforce integration in your Clay tables to perform actions such as importing, creating, reading, or updating records.
Salesforce actions in your Clay table
Within Clay, you can create, read, and update your Salesforce data.
Supported Clay-native actions for Salesforce
To access the Import records or Import reports actions, please use the Import source panel.
You can access the Import source panel when you create a new table via Create new table or when you add a source to an existing table via Actions > Import. The Actions button is below the top navigation bar.
To access Lookup records, Create records, or Update records actions, please use the Enrichment Panel.
Import Actions
If you want your Salesforce as a Clay table source, you must select Salesforce as a source through the Source Panel via the Import or Create New Table options.
Note that if you Import reports, there is a limit of 2,000 rows you can import.
Create Actions
The Create record action lets you create new Salesforce records from your Clay table. Within this action panel, there is also a Duplicate Rule Override.
Update Actions
The Update record action lets you update Salesforce records from your Clay table.
With the Create record and Update record actions, it's best practice to turn off auto-update when starting with a new Clay workflow.
This lets you test a few rows before confirming the data you are automatically uploading.
Lookup Actions
You can also check existing Salesforce records with a Lookup records action.
The Lookup records action checks if the key string you provided exists in the specified field of the object. This might be useful when checking for duplicates, exclusion lists, or importing other Salesforce information. The way the Lookup records work is similar to a VLOOKUP in Excel.
Learn more about best practices around Salesforce actions in this guide.
Import via Webhook-supported actions
Webhook connections to Clay via Salesforce require more configuration with your API, so we suggest you only use Salesforce webhooks for Salesforce if live information is critical for your CRM workflow.
One Webhook example is if you want real-time lead scoring to route your inbound leads within minutes.
To connect your table to Salesforce via a webhook, you must create a custom workflow and use Apex code.
Next Steps: Salesforce Use Cases
Inbound
Outbound
Bonus: Salesforce Package
We also provide a Salesforce Package for enterprise plan users. If you need help setting up the SDFC package, here are the instructions.