Deciding which mode to use
External Objects vs Lightning Web Components
Omnata Connect for Salesforce, operates in one of two modes:
- External data live-queried via External Objects, via a custom Salesforce Connect adapter
- External data live-queried via our Lightning Web Components
The key difference is that External Objects can be used throughout the Salesforce platform, but require a Salesforce Connect license. Lightning Web Components do not require a Salesforce Connect license, but are limited to providing a record/list view of the data.
Feature Comparison Matrix:
Feature | External Objects | Lightning Components |
|---|---|---|
View external data in a list, with sorting and filtering | ✅ | ✅ |
View individual records | ✅ | ✅ |
Navigate to related records | ✅ | ✅ |
On a standard/custom record page, view a related list of external data | ✅ | ✅ |
Configure connections and objects/fields via the Setup UI | ✅ | ✅ |
Reconcile schema changes via the Setup UI | ✅ | ✅ |
Search across all records in an external dataset | ✅ | ✅ |
Query external data via Apex code | ✅ | ✅ |
Apply row level filtering to external data access | ✅ | ✅ |
Apply advanced multi-currency conversion to external data | ✅ | ✅ |
Use external data in Salesforce Reporting | ✅ | ❌ |
Use external data in Salesforce Automation (Flows and Processes) | ✅ | ❌ |
Perform SOQL queries on external data | ✅ | ❌ |
Navigate to specific external records from the tab menu | ✅ | ❌ |