Connecting and refreshing Salesforce Objects for a multi source report

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have been asked to look at potentially using some Salesforce data in an existing report, that currently uses multiple SQL Server instances as data sources.  This is a relatively new cloud implementation of Salesforce

Currently I don't have access to Salesforce, so I'd like to ask a few questions:

• Do I need to use a Gateway when refreshing the Salesforce data once published to the service?
• What data size limitations are in place when connecting via Salesforce Objects?
• Is there anything else I need to consider?

Any feedback on the above questions would be very much appreciated!

Cheers

[metrica]

Hi everyone,

Coming back to this thread for anyone landing here from search. @v-jingzhang's answer covers the gateway logic and field-count limit well - just adding context on the field-count piece, since it's a recurring pain point on wider Salesforce objects.

The "Select Query advanced option" Jing mentioned is the workaround, but it requires writing SOQL by hand, which isn't great if you're not used to it. If you'd rather pick fields visually (and see labels alongside the API names while you're at it), Metrica Power BI Connector for Salesforce on AppExchange has a UI for that - you select the fields you want on the Salesforce side, so only those are pulled into Power BI. On wide objects this also keeps the query well within Salesforce's field/SOQL length limits.

Free 30-day trial if you'd like to test it on your own objects. Setup guides at https://metricasoftware.com/, demo available on request.

Cheers,

Metrica Team.

[v-jingzhang · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous 

Salesforce is a cloud data source. If it is only used in a separate query, you don't need to use a gateway to refresh the Salesforce data on the Service. If you combine (merge or append) cloud and on-premises data sources in a single query, you need to add the cloud data source to the same gateway as the on-premises data sources.

Reference: Merge or append on-premises and cloud data sources - Power BI | Microsoft Docs

If you use the Salesforce Objects connector, there is not a specific data size limitation for this data source in a dataset. There's a limit on the number of fields a query to Salesforce can contain. The limit varies depending on the type of the columns, the number of computed columns, and so on. When you receive the Query is either selecting too many fields or the filter conditions are too complicated error, it means that your query exceeds the limit. To avoid this error, use the Select Query advanced option and specify fields that you really need.

Reference: Power Query Salesforce Objects connector | Microsoft Docs

For the data size limitation of a whole dataset, it depends on the resources of the computer where Power BI Desktop App runs. When published to the service, it depends on the workspace storage and workspace type. Usually there is a 1GB limit for each dataset. But if it's in a Premium workspace, the dataset size can be larger.

Reference:

Manage data storage in your workspaces - Power BI | Microsoft Docs

What is Microsoft Power BI Premium? - Power BI | Microsoft Docs

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Community Support Team _ Jing
If this post helps, please Accept it as the solution to help other members find it.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking your time to respond with such an excellent reply!

So, just to clarify, if I was to use the same data set with separate data sources, which I then join in the Power BI model, no gateway is fine?  Because that is exactly what I plan to do.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any feedback?

Thanks