Resources · Make integration

Salesforce Make integrationAutomate Salesforce with Make.

Your pipeline lives in Salesforce. Make can keep it moving for you. The Salesforce Make integration gives you 17 modules: 3 scheduled triggers, 11 actions and 3 searches. This guide links your account, then builds and tests a first scenario with you, no code.

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What you can automate

What can the Salesforce Make integration do for you?

The Salesforce Make integration lets Make read, create, update and delete records in your Salesforce org, react when a record or a field changes, and post to Chatter. You build a scenario (the automation itself, a chain of modules) and Make runs it on a schedule, so the copy-paste between Salesforce and your other tools stops.

Inbound leads that land in the CRM on their own. A web form or a spreadsheet row becomes a Salesforce record through Create a record. Put Search records (SOQL) in front of it, or use Create or update a record, and a returning prospect updates the existing record instead of creating a twin.

Deal alerts the sales team actually sees. Watch record fields notices when a field changes on an object, for example the stage of an opportunity. The next module posts a short line in the right feed with Post a message to a Chatter feed, so nobody has to refresh a report to learn that a deal moved.

Large imports without a manual upload. Bulk create records (advanced) pushes many records in one go, Watch jobs spots each new bulk job, and Get bulk job results (advanced) tells you what came through.

Know the limits before you start. All three triggers are scheduled: Make checks Salesforce on the scenario's schedule, it is never pushed by Salesforce. Some Salesforce editions have no API access at all, and without it nothing here works. For anything the listed modules skip, Make an API call reaches the rest of the Salesforce API. The same CRM also has a node on n8n: see the Salesforce n8n integration and our n8n vs Make breakdown. If you would rather learn the editor properly first, the Make training covers it.

Connect

How do you connect Salesforce to Make?

  1. 01

    Open the connection window

    Add any Salesforce module to your scenario and click Create a connection. A connection is your Salesforce account linked to Make once; every Salesforce module in every scenario can reuse it afterwards.

  2. 02

    Pick the connection type

    Under Connection type, choose Salesforce or Salesforce (client credentials). With the first one, say whether you work in a Salesforce Sandbox environment, give it a Connection name if you like, then click Save.

  3. 03

    Fill in the client credentials

    With Salesforce (client credentials), Make asks for your Salesforce My Domain Name, a Consumer Key and a Consumer Secret. You get the last two from a custom application created in Salesforce. The plain type also accepts one, under Advanced settings.

First scenario

Your first scenario: Salesforce opportunities in Chatter

GoalWhen an opportunity is created or updated in Salesforce, Make posts a short note about it in a Chatter feed.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    Go to the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the big +. That empty circle is where the first module, the one that starts everything, will sit.

  2. 02

    Add Watch records

    Type Salesforce in the search, pick Watch records and click Create a connection (or pick the one you already made). It carries a clock badge: Make checks Salesforce on a schedule.

  3. 03

    Point it at opportunities

    Once the connection works, Make lists the objects it can read. Choose the opportunity object so the trigger only reacts to deals, not to every contact or case in the org.

  4. 04

    Post to Chatter

    Click the + on the right of the trigger, add Post a message to a Chatter feed and write the message. Map the opportunity name from the first module so each post says which deal moved.

  5. 05

    Test with Run once

    Update a test opportunity in Salesforce, then click Run once. Read the bundles each module received (the items passed along) and check that the post landed in the feed.

  6. 06

    Schedule and switch on

    Click the clock on the first module: a new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default, and the Free plan cannot go lower. Pick your interval, then switch the scenario on.

Triggers

Which Salesforce triggers start a scenario?

3 modules start a scenario when something happens in Salesforce. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by Salesforce as soon as it happens.

Salesforce1Watch jobs

Watch jobs

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a bulk data job is created.”

Watch jobs starts your scenario each time a new bulk data job appears in your Salesforce org. It suits teams that already load data in bulk and want to know about it without opening Setup.

How it fires
scheduled. Make checks the app on the scenario's schedule, so a job created between two checks is picked up at the next one.
When to use it
a partner or another tool drops large imports into Salesforce and you want a follow-up, such as fetching the outcome with Get bulk job results (advanced).
Watch out
the trigger sees a job when it is created, not when it finishes, so reading results right away may return an unfinished job.
Salesforce2Watch record fields

Watch record fields

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a field has changed in an object.”

This trigger is narrower than Watch records: it only wakes the scenario when a field has changed on a record of the object you pick. That makes it the natural choice for status changes.

How it fires
scheduled. Make checks the app on the scenario's schedule and compares what it finds.
When to use it
an opportunity moves to a new stage, a case gets a new owner, and someone needs to hear about it.
Watch out
several changes between two checks can arrive together as separate bundles, and each one costs an operation (one module run on one item, the unit your plan counts).
Salesforce3Watch records

Watch records

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a record is created or updated in an object.”

Watch records is the general-purpose trigger: it hands you every record of an object that was created or updated since the last check, one bundle per record. Most first scenarios start here.

How it fires
scheduled. Make checks the app on the scenario's schedule; the clock badge on the module is the reminder.
When to use it
new leads should reach your email tool, or every new account needs a folder somewhere else.
Watch out
created and updated both count, so a record edited often can come back again and again. Add a filter after the trigger if you only care about brand-new ones.
Modules

Which Salesforce modules can you use in Make?

Salesforce gives you 14 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

Salesforce1

Bulk create records (advanced)

Action

In Make“Creates multiple records.”

Sends many new records to Salesforce in a single bulk job instead of one call per record. Useful when a trade-show list or a legacy export has to go in all at once.

When to use it
you have a batch of rows ready and the one-by-one approach of Create a record would burn an operation per row.
Watch out
once a job is completed, Salesforce queues it and you cannot add more data to it; an aborted job is never processed.
Salesforce2

Create a record

Action

In Make“Creates a new record in an object.”

Adds one new record to the object you choose: a lead, a contact, a task. You fill the fields with data mapped from earlier modules.

When to use it
a form submission or a signed quote in another tool should become a Salesforce record without anyone typing it.
Watch out
it never checks for an existing record, so the same person can end up twice. Use Create or update a record when duplicates are a risk.
Salesforce3

Create or update a record

Action

In Make“Creates a new record or updates an existing one if a matching record is found.”

Looks for a matching record first: if it finds one, it updates it; if not, it creates a new one. One module replaces a search, a router and two actions.

When to use it
contacts come in from several sources and the same email can show up more than once.
Watch out
the match only works if the value you match on is reliable, so pick a field that really identifies the record.
Salesforce4

Delete a record

Action

In Make“Deletes a record.”

Removes a record from Salesforce for good. Handy for cleanup scenarios that close the loop after a merge or an unsubscribe.

When to use it
test records created by a form need to disappear once the check is done.
Watch out
the scenario will not ask twice. Test it on a sandbox or a dummy record before pointing it at real data.
Salesforce5

Download an attachment or document

Action

In Make“Downloads an attachment or a document.”

Fetches a file stored in Salesforce, an attachment or a document, and passes it to the next module as a file you can upload elsewhere.

When to use it
a signed contract attached to an opportunity should also live in your shared drive.
Watch out
the Free plan handles files up to 5 MB, so heavy PDFs need a paid plan.
Salesforce6

Get a record

Action

In Make“Returns information about a specific record by its record ID.”

Returns the full details of one record when you already know its record ID. It is the lookup you chain after a trigger that only gave you part of the picture.

When to use it
a Chatter post or another app hands you an ID and you need the rest of the record.
Watch out
no ID, no result. If you only have a name or an email, go through a search module instead.
Salesforce7

Get bulk job results (advanced)

Action

In Make“Retrieves the records of a bulk data ingest job. If the job has not finished yet, returns the live job state with empty results.”

Reads back the records of a bulk ingest job, so you know what Salesforce accepted.

When to use it
right after Bulk create records (advanced) or Watch jobs, to log successes and send failures to someone who can fix them.
Watch out
if the job is still running, you get its current state and empty results. Check the state before you treat an empty list as a failure.
Salesforce8

Make an API call

Action

In Make“Sends a custom API call to Salesforce. You can use this to call endpoints that aren't covered by existing modules.”

The escape hatch. It sends your own request to the Salesforce API with the connection you already set up, so you can reach endpoints no other module covers.

When to use it
you need an action that is missing from this list and the Salesforce API documentation shows the endpoint.
Watch out
you are writing the request yourself, so keep the Salesforce API docs open next to the scenario.
Salesforce9

Make an API call (advanced)

Action

In Make“Sends a custom API call to Salesforce with a custom base URL. You can use this to call endpoints that aren't covered by existing modules.”

Same idea as Make an API call, with one extra: you set a custom base URL for the request instead of the default one.

When to use it
the endpoint you need sits outside the standard base address the regular module targets.
Watch out
start with the plain version; switch to this one only when the base URL is the actual blocker.
Salesforce10

Post a message to a Chatter feed

Action

In Make“Posts a message to a Chatter feed.”

Publishes a message in a Chatter feed, right where your Salesforce users already read updates. No extra chat tool needed.

When to use it
a deal changes stage or a big account is created and the team should see it inside Salesforce.
Watch out
a trigger that returns many records posts once per record, so filter first or the feed turns into noise.
Salesforce11

Update a record

Action

In Make“Updates an existing record in an object.”

Changes fields on a record that already exists: a new status, an owner, a date. The record stays the same, only the values you map move.

When to use it
a payment clears in your billing tool and the matching opportunity should move forward.
Watch out
it works on a record you have already found, so place Search records (SOQL) or a trigger upstream.
Salesforce12

List jobs

Search

In Make“Returns a list of bulk data jobs in the organization.”

Returns the bulk data jobs of your org as a list of bundles, one per job. It gives you an overview without logging in to Setup.

When to use it
you want a report of the bulk jobs that exist, for example to spot the ones nobody followed up.
Watch out
as with any search, the result can be empty, hold one job or many, and each bundle flows through the following modules separately.
Salesforce13

Search records (SOQL)

Search

In Make“Returns a list of records in an object using filters or a SOQL query.”

Finds records in an object, either with simple filters or with a SOQL query if you know Salesforce's query language. Each match comes out as its own bundle.

When to use it
before creating a contact, to check whether that email already exists.
Watch out
zero results is a normal answer. Plan what the scenario does then, or the next module simply never runs.
Salesforce14

Search records (SOSL)

Search

In Make“Returns a list of records in an object using a SOSL query.”

Runs a SOSL query, the text search of Salesforce, and returns the matching records. Where SOQL filters on precise fields, SOSL looks for a word or a phrase.

When to use it
you have a company name typed by a human and want the closest records, spelling quirks included.
Watch out
text search can return several loose matches, so check which one you keep before updating anything.
Need help

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FAQ

Salesforce and Make: common questions

01Is the Salesforce Make integration free?
Yes, Salesforce is a standard app in Make, so it works on the Free plan. That plan gives you 2 active scenarios, runs no more often than every 15 minutes, stops a run after 5 minutes and handles files up to 5 MB with 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams, Enterprise) go down to a 1-minute interval, allow unlimited active scenarios and runs of up to 40 minutes. Make counts usage in operations, one module run on one item. Your Salesforce edition still needs API access, which Make does not control.
02What does it take to connect Salesforce to Make?
A Salesforce account on an edition that includes API access, and a Make account. In the scenario, add a Salesforce module and click Create a connection. Choose the Salesforce connection type for the simple route, say whether you use a Sandbox environment, and save. The Salesforce (client credentials) type asks for the domain of your Salesforce org plus a Consumer Key and Consumer Secret, which come from a custom application you create in Salesforce. Once saved, the connection serves every Salesforce module you add later.
03Do Salesforce triggers in Make fire in real time?
No. Watch records, Watch record fields and Watch jobs are all scheduled triggers: Make checks Salesforce on the scenario's schedule and collects what changed since the previous check. A new scenario checks every 15 minutes by default. On the Free plan that is also the minimum, while paid plans can go down to every minute. There is no instant Salesforce trigger in the list. While building, click Run once to test on demand instead of waiting for the next scheduled check.
04What if the Salesforce module you need is missing?
Use Make an API call. It reuses your Salesforce connection and can reach any endpoint of the Salesforce API, so an action missing from the list is rarely a dead end. If the endpoint needs a different base URL, Make an API call (advanced) lets you set it. For bulk data, keep one rule in mind: once a job is completed, Salesforce queues it and it accepts no more data, and an aborted job is never processed. Check the Objects list V66 when an object seems unsupported.
05Make or n8n for Salesforce: which one fits?
It depends on who builds and maintains the automation. Make gives you a visual editor and ready-made Salesforce modules you set up without code, with Make an API call to cover the rest of the Salesforce API. n8n also has a Salesforce node, so the same kind of automation exists on both sides. Rather than pick on reputation, rebuild one small real scenario in each editor, for example a new lead posted to Chatter, and keep the one your team finds easier to read and fix.
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