7 important steps to integrate sharepoint with salesforce
TRANSCRIPT
This is the Cloud age
Everything everywhere is connected with each
other via cloud hosted web services and
people can access these services from anywhere
in globe, anytime.
But is everything really connected as is expected?
Not every cloud based service
can be connected with every other service,
But fortunately most popular Apps can be integrated
And so can
Salesforce and Microsoft SharePoint
Salesforcewith SharePoint
How to integrate
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
Microsoft has not released any API to facilitate direct Salesforce SharePoint interactions so we need to involve a third-party adapter or service.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
There are a number of ways you can integrate SharePoint with Salesforce.
However most of these ways can be categorized into three approaches.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
The different ways are:
1. Integrating using a third party system installed adapter.
2. Integrating using a Custom Coded Adapter.
3. Integrating using a third party integration service.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
The first way involves building a third-party adapter that had to be
physically installed on a computer system and therefore
severely limits the cloud
based capabilities.
The third way involves using a
paid integration product usually in a SaaS format.
It is easy to use but it is not as flexible as a custom
adapter and may prove to be a security risk.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
So the best cloud integration
method left is to use a custom coded integration solution
that is hosted on Microsoft Azure service to integrate your Salesforce and SharePoint.
This method involves main steps
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
Step 1: Salesforce sends authentication request to the Adapter.
Step 2: The Adapter passes on the request to the SharePoint.
Step 3: SharePoint authenticates the information and passes on a security token for further use.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
Step 4: The adapter receives the token and passes on the token to Salesforce.
Step 5: Using the token as an authentication key, Salesforce then send request to view specific or all accessible files and folders.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
Step 6: The Adapter passes on the request along with the token and receives an output which it again passes on to the Salesforce installation.
Step 7: Either the token expires and the process is repeated again, or using the same token more requests are sent and received.
Integrate Salesforce with SharePoint
The main point for cloud based integration is to host a running service on Microsoft’s cloud app platform Azure, and leveraging it to interact with SharePoint.
How Salesforce Performs Step 1
Since the service is hosted on a cloud platform, we usually access it via web-based URL. Like
How Salesforce Performs Step 1
http://testingalgoworks.azurewebsites.net/Api/Values/GetAuthToken
How Salesforce Performs Step 1
So our methods from Salesforce side to request authentication token look something like this:
How Salesforce Performs Step 2,3,4
Once Salesforce has sent the request for authentication token, here’s how Azure platform service authenticates login.
How Salesforce Performs Step 5
Once Salesforce has authentication token, it uses that to request files and folders from the adapter. Once again it uses the Azure service URL to hit the service.
Here’s a method to request files and a method to request folders
How Azure Services Handle Requests
The code for how Azure service handle requests is a little
long. So i request you to checkout our blog on the same.
Our Blog: How to integrate SharePoint with Salesforce?
There you will also find the code to actually display Sharepoint files in Visual force page.
Salesforce and Microsoft, in an obvious strategy of mutual benefit went into an extended partnership.
Using Salesforce Files Connect
On December 17 Salesforce launched its new integration
features in the form of Salesforce Files Connect.
Using Salesforce Files Connect
It was released after much research and is touted as a go-to method to integrate Microsoft 365 products as well as Microsoft OneDrive.
Using Salesforce Files Connect
But since it’s a new service it’s still not tested for the
most optimum performance and security standards by third party users.
Using Salesforce Files Connect
However based on our 10+ years of experience we can
predict that in the near future Files Connect would be the
dominant way to integrate both SaaS platforms.
Using Salesforce Files Connect
[email protected] Toll Free : +1-877-284-1028
AuthorCo-Founder &
DirectorOpen-Source | Salesforce | ECM
Pratyush is Co-Founder and Director at Algoworks. He is responsible for managing,
growing open source technologies and Salesforce CRM team .
He provides consulting and advisory to clients looking for services relating to CRM(Customer
Relationship Management) and ECM(Enterprise Content Management).
Pratyush Kumar
Write to me @ [email protected]
Official Blog Link - http://www.algoworks.com/blog/salesforce-sharepoint-integration
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