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Edit and Search NetSuite External Objects in Salesforce Connect (API Server)
Use the API Server to securely provide OData feeds of NetSuite data to smart devices and cloud-based applications. Use the API Server and Salesforce Connect to create NetSuite objects that you can access from apps and the dashboard.
The CData API Server enables you to access NetSuite data from cloud-based applications like the Salesforce console and mobile applications like the Salesforce1 Mobile App. In this article, you will use the API Server and Salesforce Connect to access NetSuite external objects alongside standard Salesforce objects.
About NetSuite Data Integration
CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from Oracle NetSuite. Customers use CData connectivity to:
- Access all editions of NetSuite, including Standard, CRM, and OneWorld.
- Connect with all versions of the SuiteTalk API (SOAP-based) and SuiteQL, which functions like SQL, enabling easier data querying and manipulation.
- Access predefined and custom reports through support for Saved Searches.
- Securely authenticate with Token-based and OAuth 2.0, ensuring compatibility and security for all use cases.
- Use SQL stored procedures to perform functional actions like uploading or downloading files, attaching or detaching records or relationships, retrieving roles, getting extra table or column info, getting job results, and more.
Customers use CData solutions to access live NetSuite data from their preferred analytics tools, Power BI and Excel. They also use CData's solutions to integrate their NetSuite data into comprehensive databases and data warehouse using CData Sync directly or leveraging CData's compatibility with other applications like Azure Data Factory. CData also helps Oracle NetSuite customers easily write apps that can pull data from and push data to NetSuite, allowing organizations to integrate data from other sources with NetSuite.
For more information about our Oracle NetSuite solutions, read our blog: Drivers in Focus Part 2: Replicating and Consolidating ... NetSuite Accounting Data.
Getting Started
Set Up the API Server
If you have not already done so, download the CData API Server. Once you have installed the API Server, follow the steps below to begin producing secure NetSuite OData services:
Connect to NetSuite
To work with NetSuite data from Salesforce Connect, we start by creating and configuring a NetSuite connection. Follow the steps below to configure the API Server to connect to NetSuite data:
- First, navigate to the Connections page.
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Click Add Connection and then search for and select the NetSuite connection.
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to NetSuite.
The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid NetSuite user credentials. In addition, the AccountId must be set to the ID of a company account that can be used by the specified User. The RoleId can be optionally specified to log in the user with limited permissions.
See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for more information on connecting to NetSuite.
- After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.
Configure API Server Users
Next, create a user to access your NetSuite data through the API Server. You can add and configure users on the Users page. Follow the steps below to configure and create a user:
- On the Users page, click Add User to open the Add User dialog.
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Next, set the Role, Username, and Privileges properties and then click Add User.
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An Authtoken is then generated for the user. You can find the Authtoken and other information for each user on the Users page:
Creating API Endpoints for NetSuite
Having created a user, you are ready to create API endpoints for the NetSuite tables:
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First, navigate to the API page and then click
Add Table
.
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Select the connection you wish to access and click Next.
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With the connection selected, create endpoints by selecting each table and then clicking Confirm.
Gather the OData Url
Having configured a connection to NetSuite data, created a user, and added resources to the API Server, you now have an easily accessible REST API based on the OData protocol for those resources. From the API page in API Server, you can view and copy the API Endpoints for the API:
Connect to NetSuite Data as an External Data Source
Follow the steps below to connect to the feed produced by the API Server.
- Log into Salesforce and click Setup -> Develop -> External Data Sources.
- Click New External Data Source.
- Enter values for the following properties:
- External Data Source: Enter a label to be used in list views and reports.
- Name: Enter a unique identifier.
- Type: Select the option "Salesforce Connect: OData 4.0".
URL: Enter the URL to the OData endpoint of the API Server. The format of the OData URL is https://your-server:your-port/api.rsc.
Note that plain-text is suitable for only testing; for production, use TLS.
- Select the Writable External Objects option.
Select JSON in the Format menu.
- In the Authentication section, set the following properties:
- Identity Type: If all members of your organization will use the same credentials to access the API Server, select "Named Principal". If the members of your organization will connect with their own credentials, select "Per User".
- Authentication Protocol: Select Password Authentication to use basic authentication.
- Certificate: Enter or browse to the certificate to be used to encrypt and authenticate communications from Salesforce to your server.
- Username: Enter the username for a user known to the API Server.
- Password: Enter the user's authtoken.
Synchronize NetSuite Objects
After you have created the external data source, follow the steps below to create NetSuite external objects that reflect any changes in the data source. You will synchronize the definitions for the NetSuite external objects with the definitions for NetSuite tables.
- Click the link for the external data source you created.
- Click Validate and Sync.
- Select the NetSuite tables you want to work with as external objects.
Access NetSuite Data as Salesforce Objects
After adding NetSuite data as an external data source and syncing NetSuite tables with NetSuite external objects, you can use the external objects just as you would standard Salesforce objects.
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Create a new tab with a filter list view:
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Display related lists of NetSuite external objects alongside standard Salesforce objects:
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Create, read, update, and delete NetSuite objects from tabs on the Salesforce dashboard:
Troubleshooting
You can use the following checklist to avoid typical connection problems:
- Ensure that your server has a publicly accessible IP address. Related to this check, but one layer up, at the operating system layer, you will also need to ensure that your firewall has an opening for the port the API Server is running on. At the application layer, ensure that you have added trusted IP addresses on the Settings -> Security tab of the administration console.
- Ensure that you are using a connection secured by an SSL certificate from a commercial, trusted CA. Salesforce does not currently accept self-signed certificates or internal CAs.
Ensure that the server you are hosting the API Server on is using TLS 1.1 or above. If you are using the .NET API Server, you can accomplish this by using the .NET API Server's embedded server.
If you are using IIS, TLS 1.1 and 1.2 are supported but not enabled by default. To enable these protocols, refer to the how-to on MSDN and the Microsoft technical reference.
If you are using the Java edition, note that TLS 1.2 is enabled by default in Java 8 but not in Java 6 or 7. If you are using these earlier versions, you can refer to this this Oracle how-to.
