Salesforce SharePoint Integration: A Step-by-Step Guide to Seamless Connectivity

Are you struggling with low storage and poor document management in Salesforce? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Many businesses adore the CRM capabilities of Salesforce but find its storage limitations and document-handling options lacking. 

In the current business dynamics, enterprises using Salesforce are looking for a robust system to manage and secure their documents. And here, SharePoint comes into action, the perfect solution to overcome such challenges.

SharePoint is ideal where Salesforce falls short, providing a streamlined way to manage documents with the utmost security. Can you imagine integrating both tool’s capabilities? What do you think, is it beneficial for your organization?

In this blog, you can discover how Salesforce SharePoint integration makes CRM more efficient by eliminating common issues like limited storage and inefficient document management. We will break down essential things from what SharePoint is, why integration is required, and most importantly, a step-by-step guide to complete Salesforce and SharePoint integration.

Overview of SharePoint 

SharePoint is a Microsoft product that allows businesses to facilitate team collaboration and streamline document management. It enables users to create sites, securely store & share information, manage content with workflows, view document history & restore older versions, etc. 

SharePoint is easily accessible from devices such as PCs, smartphones, tablets, etc. Users only need a stable internet connection and a web browser. It facilitates team communication by engagingly showcasing visuals and updates.

Why Integrate Sharepoint with Salesforce? (Salesforce Limitations)

Salesforce is a robust CRM management application and offers a wide range of functionalities, but it also contains some limitations. Users may find challenges related to limited document storage, higher upgrade charges, etc. So, it is clear that companies who want to enhance productivity, have to adopt a system like SharePoint. 

But the question is, is this integration required or not? To help you out, read the limitations to find the answer.

1. File Upload Limitation

Salesforce provides options to upload documents including attachments of up to 25 MB and file uploads of up to 2 GB. However, the increased document size than this limit also increases the storage costs. In addition, it slows down the performance of the system in the long run due to its multitenant architecture.

2. Real-time Document Information 

The changes made by the users in the local drive in Salesforce, do not get synced automatically. The only thing users can do is upload or download, then replace it with the new version. It makes it difficult for teams to manage documents properly and delays the decision-making process. 

3. Basic Features Limitations

Salesforce offers only some basic document management features. Also, users can only search and filter documents by name, it does not provide a filter by date. With a lack of advanced document features capabilities, businesses often struggle within Salesforce.

4. File Sharing Limitation

Salesforce only allows file sharing with a maximum of 2000 times. The sharing count involves records, people, and group sharing. When the limit is exceeded, businesses have to create a public link for sharing. 

This is why integration is essential if a business is expanding and wants to save operational costs. Also, getting Salesforce integration solutions experts assistance while your business is expanding can help get a seamless integration journey.

Prerequisites for Salesforce and SharePoint Integration

To complete SharePoint Salesforce integration, businesses have to meet some requirements. It will ensure a seamless integration process. Here are the prerequisites that enterprises have to follow:

1. Accounts on Platforms

Before going for SharePoint and Salesforce integration, it is essential to have an account on both platforms. In Salesforce, you need a valid subscription with API access. 

2. Licensing

Salesforce and SharePoint both have their own agreements and licensing. So, you need to check if your Salesforce org account allows the API integration and SharePoint allows external data access to make seamless integration. 

3. Work Understanding of Salesforce and SharePoint

For Salesforce and SharePoint integration, it is essential to have a working understanding of both platforms. 

Now, knowing the Salesforce Files Connect is crucial to integrating the Salesforce platform with SharePoint. 

What is Salesforce Files Connect? 

Salesforce Files Connect is a Salesforce feature that allows users to directly access, share, and search external data from systems like SharePoint, One Drive, Google Drive, etc. 

Files Connect streamlines access and interaction for Salesforce users to gain enhanced visibility for external documents. This provides a bridge for organizations to get easy access to internal and external files. 

Salesforce files connect is a cost-effective file connector. It does not require any extra cost as this feature is included in the Salesforce license. Additionally, it provides a familiar and easy-to-use user experience. It enables seamless integration for users to connect the Salesforce platform with Sharepoint. 

But wait, before diving straight into the Salesforce Sharepoint integration steps, knowing the checklist is vital for successful integration.

Salesforce SharePoint Integration Checklist: How to Ensure Successful Integration?

Here are some key pointers that a business should consider before going for Salesforce integration with Sharepoint. 

1. Understand the Objective Behind the Integration

Before integrating Salesforce with SharePoint, it is essential to understand the objective. For that, you can simply outline the key reasons such as document management, workflow management, collaboration, etc. Also, you can identify the features that you want with integration such as automated document generation. 

2. Compatibility Check 

With Salesforce and SharePoint integration, it is important to ensure that both existing platform versions are compatible with the integration.

For example, Salesforce Files Connect is compatible with SharePoint online. Remember, it does not connect with previous versions like SharePoint 2010 and 2013. 

3. Going for the Right Integration Method

The next and very important point to ensure a successful integration is choosing the right integration method. There are two ways to complete this process such as native integration (Salesforce Files Connect) and third-party integration. 

However, choosing the native integration method can be helpful as it does not require any third-party app or extra cost to complete the integration.

4. Ensure Higher Security Standards

Businesses should consider data security while integrating. They can implement some security measures such as strong access controls and authentications. Also, organizations should ensure their security policies align with industry standards after integration. 

5. Dedicated Team for Seamless Setup

To complete a successful SharePoint and Salesforce integration, businesses need to form a dedicated team for this task. Also, the team should have members who have experience working on both tools. This will ensure the team addresses potential issues before deployment and lead to a seamless integration.

6. Testing the Integration

Only integrating Salesforce and SharePoint is not the final step, from here businesses should conduct thorough testing in a sandbox environment. It will ensure that users can use the integration capabilities properly or not. Additionally, identifying implementation against real-world problems can ensure smoother workflows and fewer misconfiguration issues in the future.  

7. Monitoring Integration Regularly

Another crucial thing in a successful integration is keeping regular checks to help remove potential issues. Also, getting real user feedback ensures to make improvements when identifying bottlenecks. It will eventually help users to get a seamless user experience. 

Bonus Tip: User Training is Crucial

Apart from seven checklist pointers, businesses should provide training to users to utilize the capabilities of integration effectively. It can be helpful to train your team to use different features to drive productivity.

Step-by-Step Salesforce SharePoint Integration

Here is the step-by-step guide to Salesforce SharePoint integration. 

Step 1(a): Open your Salesforce Org account and search Salesforce Files Connect from the homepage quick find box.

(b): Go to files connect and enable “Use external object search layout.” 

Step 2 (a): Now search for “Permission Sets” from the quick find box and create a new permission set.

(b) Add Label and API name such as Files Connect Permission and choose license type for none or specific license and save the permission.

(c) Now, scroll down and click on “System Permissions.” and click on edit

(d) Now scroll to find “Files Connect Cloud” and click to enable and save them.

Step 3 (a): After saving, you are redirected to “Permission Sets,” and select “Manage Assignments.”

(b) Now, click “Add Assignments” from the right corner and choose the specific user who wants Files Connect Access.

(c) After selecting the user, now click on “Next” and you are redirected to the next page, select the expiration date or specify it and click on Assign.
Step 4 (a): Now search for “Auth. Providers” from the quick find box.

and click on “New”.

(b) Create Auth. Provider type, choose “Microsoft Access Control Services”.

• Now, you have to enter the Name (You want to appear in Salesforce).
• You have to create a “URL Suffix” or by default, it reflects the name.
• Create a “Consumer Key and Consumer Secret”.  
• You have to write “Authorize Endpoint URL” and “Token Endpoint URL” which must begin with https.
• Now, rest you can leave empty. Remember these all entries are for testing, we will find out from SharePoint and fill these entries again.

After saving, you will get Salesforce Configuration URLs like Test-Only Initialization URL, OAuth-Only Initialization URL, Callback URL, and Single Logout URL.
Step 5(a): Now, open the SharePoint account in the new window and create a Team Site with the name you want such as SFDC connect.

(b) Now, you have to change the URL from the end and paste (https://(orgID Name).sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/appregnew.aspx). This will redirect you to the next page:

(c) Now simply, create a Client ID and Client secret.

• In the title, you can add File Connect. Now, you have to add the “App Domain” shown in the image (your salesforce org id url).

(d) In the Redirect URL, you have to add the Callback URL that we have in Salesforce Auth Provider as the Setback URL.

(e) After adding the information, you have to click on register and you will be redirected that your app identifier has been successfully created.

Step 6(a): The next step is granting permission for this newly created site. 

• You can simply go to (https://Org Admin ID.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/appinv.aspx). 
• Then, you will be redirected to a page, here you have to add App ID (put the client ID), Title (add Files Connect), App Domain, and Redirect URL (Same as the previous step). 
• Add this to create the App Permission Request XML (<AppPermissionRequests AllowAppOnlyPolicy=”true”>, <AppPermissionRequest Scope=”http://sharepoint/content/tenant” Right=”FullControl” />, </AppPermissionRequests>).

(b) Creating this will redirect you to the page shown in the image. The highlighted part is the Token ID that you need for the Token Endpoint URL.

(c) Now, you can create the Authorize Endpoint URL and Token Endpoint URL as like the image

(d) Now, you have to change all the data that we just got including Authorize Endpoint URL and Token Endpoint URL that you get from the SharePoint platform. Save all the changes.

Step 7(a): Now, search from the quick find box “External Data Sources”. Create new external data sources.

(b) Fill in External Data Sources “Files Connect” then the name will fill automatically and select in type “Files Connect: Microsoft SharePoint Online”. Now you have to share the site URL of your SharePoint account.
(c) In the Identify Type, you have to choose “Per User” and Authentication Protocol “OAuth 2.0” and search Authentication provider to File Connect SharePoint and save.

(d) Now it will redirect you to the page, here you have to click on “Trust IT”.

That’s it, you have completed the Salesforce SharePoint integration. You can now directly search from Quick Find for File Connect and find it. This will help your business get numerous benefits.

Benefits of Salesforce and SharePoint Integration

Building the bridge between Salesforce and SharePoint can be valuable and offer numerous benefits to businesses. 

1. Improved Team Collaboration

Salesforce and SharePoint integration improve team coordination and facilitate increased productivity. It allows teams to share, manage, and access all the documents within Salesforce with SharePoint capabilities. 

It provides real-time access to customer documents and information, ensuring users get the latest updated data. This eventually improves their project delivery and outcomes without taking a long time.  

2. Simplified Document Management

SharePoint Salesforce integration streamlines document management. While Salesforce limits document access to ensure security, implementing both tools streamlines this process. SharePoint offers wide and secure accessibility to authorized users as per their role. 

3. Time and Cost Saving

Salesforce SharePoint integration saves much time by making a seamless transition from one to another file. By storing all data in one place, it minimizes the time that ruins searching files on different platforms. 

The integration provides a fast and secure way to share data with clients. Also, it reduces a lot of the amount that causes formalities and transfers data from one to another platform. With integration, businesses do not have to pay any extra money and eventually get a fast and secure environment.

4. Compliance and Increased Security 

Salesforce and SharePoint integration ensure compliance with security and regulatory compliance. It enables consistent data monitoring and provides a unified view, enhancing data protection and minimizing potential data breaches. Integration increases the ability of secure data management and is eventually helpful to regular data governance from the Salesforce environment.

5. Increased Document Storage

While Salesforce document storage is limited and requires higher costs for more storage, Salesforce integration with SharePoint enables the extensive storage capacity of the Salesforce system. In addition, it can be highly valuable and cost-saving when businesses grow and require more document storage space for management. 

6. External Sharing Management

The integration empowers the capabilities of SharePoint such as link expiry control, temporary access control, etc. It allows businesses to set a one-time authentication passcode to provide external users with temporary access. Apart from this, they can set view-only access to reduce unauthorized risks. 

The integration enables businesses to get optimal results and streamlines document generation and management.

Conclusion

Salesforce SharePoint integration provides a unified system for businesses that want to streamline document management and team collaboration. This will combine the capabilities of both tools that will allow businesses to enhance overall productivity.

However, this integration will require technical expertise to implement specific requirements. Thus, we at Cyntexa will assist you with a complete salesforce integration guide to seamless implementation. We will cater to your specific needs and provide a unified solution so you can harness the power of both tools and achieve the desired results.