Over the last two decades, the Salesforce platform has been transforming how organizations handle customer relationship management. Through the platform’s innovation, countless organizations have been able to gain an edge over their competitors when it comes to increased communication and improved customer relationships.
Salesforce offers many benefits to organizations and is very user-friendly. While managing data in Salesforce is definitely doable, implementing Change Data Capture (CDC) in Salesforce can significantly enhance data integration and analysis capabilities, enabling organizations to work more efficiently with their existing data.
Here are our 5 key takeaways:
- Change Data Capture (CDC) in Salesforce enables organizations to capture and process real-time data changes for improved data integration and analysis.
- The seven steps for implementing CDC in Salesforce include:
- Enabling CDC and selecting objects
- Subscribing to the event channel
- Building the jar file
- Accessing Salesforce events
- Subscribing to events in the specified URL
- Creating new objects
- Monitoring the terminal
- Implementing CDC in Salesforce provides benefits such as receiving real-time notifications of data changes, streamlined tracking and analysis of Salesforce records, and improved decision-making based on up-to-date information.
- Consider utilizing a platform designed for Salesforce data integrations, to simplify and optimize the CDC implementation process.
- By implementing CDC, organizations can optimize their data management processes, enhance customer relationship management, and gain a competitive edge through real-time insights.
In this article, we will explore the seven crucial steps for successfully implementing CDC in Salesforce. By following these steps, you can harness the power of real-time data changes and gain valuable insights for optimizing customer relationship management.
What Is Salesforce?
In 1999, Marc Benioff launched the Salesforce platform. As one of the oldest cloud-based software companies in the world, Salesforce has become the number-one customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
With its many features, Salesforce offers:
- An effective place to store customer data.
- A convenient way to track customer interactions.
- A simplified space to view data in action.
- A vehicle to easily collaborate with colleagues throughout multiple sectors.
Overall, the Salesforce platform enables companies to make well-informed and more efficient decisions while they easily create the best customer relationships possible.
Related Reading: The Salesforce Database Explained
What Is Change Data Capture?
Change Data Capture (CDC) is a software process that identifies and tracks changes within source tables and databases. By capturing real time data changes, CDC facilitates faster integration and analysis, reducing the strain on system resources.
Proper execution of CDC in Salesforce can make the user experience much better for those who use the platform.
Related Reading: 7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Change Data Capture
Why Implement CDC in Salesforce?
Implementing CDC in Salesforce offers many benefits to users. Salesforce, the world's leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform, empowers organizations to optimize customer interactions and make informed decisions. By implementing CDC in Salesforce, organizations can receive timely notifications of data changes, enabling efficient tracking and improved decision-making.
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Steps for Change Data Capture in Salesforce
1. Enable Change Data Capture and Select an Object
The first step in implementing change data capture on an object in Salesforce is to go to the "Change Data Capture" section in the setup tab. When you’re on this tab, select the object for which you want CDC to be enabled. This section outlines and makes available all objects, including those that are custom.
2. Subscribe to the Event Channel
After selecting the object and enabling change data capture, you will need to subscribe to the event channel. The Salesforce platform provides users with a Java tool called emp connecter, which allows them to easily subscribe to the event channel and print out any event messages. You can also find the emp connector on Github.
3. Build the Jar
The next step is to build the jar, which you can do with the following command:
java -jar target/emp-connector-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT-phat.jar /data/Employee__ChangeEvent
4. Access Salesforce Events
After you build the jar, access Salesforce events by subscribing to specific URLs. You can access specific default object URLs through the following format:
/data/ChangeEvent
For accessing change data events on custom objects, use the format below:
/data/__ChangeEvent
/data/sale_item__ChangeEvent
5. Use the Jar File to Subscribe to Events in the Specified URL
Open the shell and type the following command, using the jar file to subscribe to events in the specified URL:
java -jar target/emp-connector-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT-phat.jar /data/sale_item__ChangeEvent
6. Create a New Sale Item Object
After having subscribed to the event, it's time to create a new sale item object. You can achieve this by going to the App launcher and selecting sale_item. By selecting "Click New," you will be able to populate the name and description fields. Be sure to click "Save" after completing this task!
7. Go to the Terminal
The final step in implementing CDC in Salesforce is to go to the terminal where the emp connector is running. You should find the message in the following format:
{ "schema": "-pszPCNGM45tUPU1ftkjxEA", "payload": { "LastModifiedDate": "2020-01-25T20:36:12.000Z", "OwnerId": "005RM000001vI54mYAE", "CreatedById": "005RM000001vI54mYAE", "ChangeEventHeader": { "commitNumber": 65842604581, "commitUser": "005RM000001vI54mYAE", "sequenceNumber": 1, "entityName": "sale_item__c", "changeType": "CREATE", "changedFields": [], "changeOrigin": "com/salesforce/api/soap/47.0;client=SfdcInternalAPI/", "transactionKey": "00051c2e-a75a-3f97-03fc-cdf4e16d9d3c", "commitTimestamp": 1569443783000, "recordIds": [ "a00RM0000114ICTYA2" ] }, "CreatedDate": "2020-01-25T20:36:12.000Z", "name": "IPhone", "description": "IPhone black with triple camera", "LastModifiedById": "005RM000001vI54mYAE", }, "event": { "replayId": 15053 } }
Change can take place in one of these four values — Create, Update, Delete, Undelete.
Related Reading: Understanding Change Data Capture: Everything You Need to Know
Benefits of Utilizing a CDC Solution
By implementing CDC in Salesforce, organizations can unlock numerous benefits, including:
- Real-time notifications of data changes
- Streamlined tracking and analysis of Salesforce records
- Improved decision-making based on up-to-date information
- Enhanced customer relationship management
How Integrate.io Can Help
Implementing change data capture in Salesforce is achievable when you follow the custom-code approach outlined above. However, you may need an expert developer to get the job done. Luckily, there is an easier solution for implementing change data capture in Salesforce. This solution is to use the Integrate.io platform, which can help you set up numerous Salesforce data integrations.
Are you ready to discover what the Integrate.io platform has to offer your organization? If so, contact our team today to schedule a 14-day trial of our platform, and see how we can help your company optimize all aspects of your data management.