Salesforce Connection

Tip:New and improved content available! The topic Steps to Set Up a Salesforce Connection  replaces this article.

Supported on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers:

• Introduction to Salesforce Connections
• How to configure a Salesforce Connection
• Troubleshoot a Salesforce Connection

Introduction to Salesforce Connections

What is a Salesforce Connection?

A Salesforce Connection in ProntoForms enables a secure connection from ProntoForms to the Salesforce Application Programming Interface (API). Through this connection, ProntoForms can pull in data from Salesforce and push data to Salesforce.

In ProntoForms, you can create connections to both production and sandbox Salesforce environments.

A Salesforce Connection enables you to:

• Populate data in your forms from a Salesforce Report Data Source or a Salesforce Query Data Source.
• Create or update records for any standard or custom object in Salesforce using a Salesforce Data Destination.
• Access extended Salesforce solutions, such as ServiceMax.

Examples of Salesforce Connections

Populate data in your forms

You might have a list of customer names, customer contacts, and customer equipment specifications stored in your Salesforce organization. You can use this information to populate customer and job data in a form and ensure that technicians enter valid data.

To pull information from Salesforce, in ProntoForms, you set up a Salesforce Data Source that references a Salesforce Connection. The Salesforce Connection establishes communications between ProntoForms and your Salesforce organization.

Create or update Salesforce records

Your mobile users out in the field can update customer and equipment information in a form, and seamlessly push that data to Salesforce. ProntoForms Salesforce Data Destinations provide this functionality. Your Salesforce Data Destinations reference a Salesforce Connection to establish communications.

Access extended Salesforce solutions

For extended Salesforce solutions, such as ServiceMax, you use a standard Salesforce Connection to establish communications. Once you set up the connection, you can use Salesforce Data Sources and Data Destinations to populate forms with ServiceMax data or update ServiceMax records.

Post notifications to Chatter and Zinc

The Salesforce Apex REST Data Destination in ProntoForms enables you to post notifications to Chatter and Zinc, or send custom Apex script files. This destination also requires the Salesforce Connection in ProntoForms.

Connect to different Salesforce environments

Typically, you’ll have at least two Salesforce environments to connect to—one for development work and the other for your finished forms (production). This requires two separate Salesforce Connections, one for each Salesforce environment.

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How to configure a Salesforce Connection

Prerequisites

There are prerequisites on both the ProntoForms and Salesforce sides.

ProntoForms prerequisites

1. Your ProntoForms Team must be in the Enterprise or Advanced tier.

2. You must be an Admin user.

Salesforce prerequisites

1. You must have API Access enabled on the organization. API access is enabled by default on the following Salesforce editions:

   • Enterprise Edition

   • Developer Edition

   • Performance Edition

   • Unlimited Edition

   To learn how to enable API Access, consult the Salesforce Help.

2. We recommend that you log in to Salesforce with a dedicated integration user (not necessarily your own Salesforce user). The integration user must have Read/Create permissions for all Salesforce objects that you want to create or update, including those in any extended Salesforce solutions such as ServiceMax.

   For example, to use the Salesforce Account Data Destination, the user that establishes the Salesforce Connection must have Read/Create permissions for the accounts object. If the user does not have the correct object-level and field-level permissions, the Data Destination execution or Data Source fetch fails.

   Info:

   For more information about why and how to create a dedicated user, see the following Salesforce guides:

   • The Value of Having A Dedicated Salesforce Integration User
   • Why You Need A Dedicated Salesforce Integration User
   • How to Create a Dedicated Integration User in Salesforce

Steps to configure a Salesforce Connection

1. From the Manage Forms menu, navigate to Connections.

2. Click Create Connection.

3. Choose Salesforce Connection.

4. Name your connection (required) and provide a description (optional).

5. Select the FormSpaces that can use this connection.

   Note:

   To prevent accidentally updating a production environment with test data, only give access to the specific FormSpaces that need it.

   • Production—Allow FormSpaces that contain your production forms.
   • Development—Allow FormSpaces that contain your development forms.

6. Identify the type of Salesforce Environment, either Production or Sandbox.

   • Select Production to target Salesforce environments that are accessed through https://login.salesforce.com

   • Select Sandbox to target environments accessed through https://test.salesforce.com

     Tip: If you have a custom URL for your Salesforce organization and you don’t know which environment to choose, contact your Salesforce Administrator.

7. Click Connect, and then enter the Salesforce login credentials for the dedicated Salesforce user for this connection.

8. Follow the prompts to complete the connection.

   Result: The system connects to the selected Salesforce environment and displays the Salesforce username.

9. Is the correct user displayed?

   • If yes, go to step 10.

   • If no, see the section Wrong user shown on connection.

10. Click Create.

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Troubleshoot a Salesforce Connection

Salesforce login issue

You might see the following error message: "Please check your username and password. If you still can't log in, contact your Salesforce administrator."

1. Make sure that you enter your Salesforce login credentials correctly.

2. Did that solve the problem?

   • If yes, continue to Steps to configure a Salesforce Connection.

   • If no, check that you chose the correct environment, either Production or Sandbox.

3. If you still see the error message, contact your Salesforce administrator for help.

Wrong user shown on connection

If you have single sign-on (SSO) enabled for Salesforce, when you click Connect, Salesforce automatically uses the credentials that you are already signed in with.

To force the browser to ask you for the credentials:

1. Click Create to create the connection even though it is with the incorrect user, this will prevent you from having to start over.

2. Open an incognito tab, or open a browser that isn't logged into SSO.

3. Log in to the ProntoForms web portal.

4. From the Manage Forms menu, navigate to Connections.

5. Click on the Name of the connection you just created.

6. From the menu next to the name of the connection, click Update.

7. In the Connection section, click Clear to remove the current user.

8. Click Connect, and then enter the Salesforce login credentials for the dedicated Salesforce user.

9. If you need more help, here's how to contact ProntoForms Support.

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