Salesforce OneDrive Integration: A Guide To Make Them Work Hand In Hand

Looking to connect Salesforce with OneDrive? Learn how this integration can make managing your documents easier and faster. Read on to find out more!

Salesforce has become the go-to choice among businesses as one of the best CRM platforms. By providing excellent support for the sales and marketing needs of businesses, it enables them to manage customer accounts, opportunities, activities, and much more efficiently. 

A massive volume of diverse documents and files are produced during these processes which is then stored in the Salesforce file storage, which then requires regular organizing and management. 

Salesforce inherently lacks effective document management and storage efficiency capabilities. One idea that can help you avoid data storage and management issues in Salesforce is to opt for an external repository. 

With our decades of experience and rich industry knowledge, we confidently recommend Salesforce OneDrive Integration as the ideal solution for this.

This article aims to highlight the benefits of storing Salesforce files in OneDrive & how it extends the CRM’s collaboration and document management capabilities.

Salesforce OneDrive Integration - An Overview

Salesforce OneDrive integration connects the two platforms, allowing users to link Salesforce records to files stored in OneDrive or vice versa. 

Imagine a real estate firm managing client data in Salesforce and documents spread across Microsoft 365, it’s a mess! By integrating Salesforce with OneDrive, they can link client records directly to organized OneDrive folders. 

Need to update a contract? Teams can switch to Microsoft Word, collaborate in real-time, and save changes instantly, without leaving Salesforce. It’s streamlined, efficient, and organized, giving them more time to focus on closing deals rather than tracking down files.

This can be made possible with document management tools like XfilesPro, a solution specifically designed for Salesforce file management. Whether it’s automating bulk file migration, simplifying access with structured folders, or managing permissions with advanced access controls, XfilesPro has you covered. By the end of this article, you’ll understand why XfilesPro is the go-to AppExchange application for Salesforce users.

Reasons to Integrate OneDrive with Salesforce

OneDrive offers a large storage capacity for migrating Salesforce files and includes several powerful features. These include real-time collaboration on Microsoft Office documents, offline access, and version history. Combined with robust security measures, OneDrive ensures users’ files are easily accessible, organized, and protected from unauthorized access.

Key Features of Salesforce

Salesforce is an amazing CRM, a real productivity booster for any business. The top features include:

  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM): It gives access to customer data and interaction history, and the ability to apply social data to better understand customer behavior.
  • Marketing Cloud: Automate and personalize marketing campaigns across multiple channels.
  • AI-Powered Insight: Predictive analytics and smart recommendations to enhance decision-making.
  • AppExchange Integration: Access to thousands of third-party apps to extend Salesforce capabilities.

A massive volume of diverse content is produced from these processes which is then stored in the Salesforce file storage. The fact that this sensible CRM system is not designed to perform document management functions also contributes to its limitations. One of the drawbacks is also the limited amount of native Salesforce file storage. To overcome these limitations, most companies choose to integrate Salesforce with external storage systems like OneDrive.

Key Features of OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business is available to offer cloud storage to businesses. Managed by Microsoft, it enables users to share and collaborate on documents with their co-workers. Powered by SharePoint, ODFB grants each user a personal storage space while facilitating collaboration among team members.

Salesforce  OneDrive Integration helps improve collaboration, secure storage, better document management, unified data ecosystem, and mobile accessibility.

Benefits of Using Onedrive for File Storage

Cost Savings 

As Salesforce storage cost is on the higher side, moving & storing files in OneDrive is cost-effective. This prevents users from spending money on additional storage from Salesforce and improves their ROI.

Improved Flexibility for Teams

The Salesforce OneDrive integration helps save time and effort by enabling quick and easy access to the required resources. The synchronization between the systems enables real-time interactions and instant notifications.

Better Document Management

OneDrive provides automatic file versioning for documents stored in Salesforce and lets users decide what version has to be finalized and what will be discarded, thereby allowing teams to have better control over their documentation. 

Mobile Accessibility and Custom Workflow

Along with version control, OneDrive integration also offers online & mobile editing, native sharing capabilities, and custom workflows across both systems, which further simplify the document management process. 

Remote access from any device

OneDrive offers the convenience of flexibility and mobility which comes in handy when employees work remotely or data is stored across multiple locations. This means that all files saved in the OneDrive storage immediately become available across all the devices synchronized with the OneDrive platform. 

Automatic file back-up

When using OneDrive, the files are periodically and automatically uploaded to the cloud storage which ultimately creates a reliable backup that can be restored at any time. 

Document sharing & collaboration

Users can easily share files or folders with their team, depending on the permission granted. Files can be shared either through direct link-sharing or link-sharing with some sign-in verification.

All the shared documents can be instantly edited in real-time through the co-authoring feature which promotes streamlined collaboration among team members.  

Top-notch security features

The default security features in OneDrive include not only encrypting data in transit but also providing encryption-at-rest. It also allows users to encrypt specific files when needed, further enhancing security. Teams can also be designed to provide specific access permissions to different users, offering yet another layer of security

Boost collaboration and storage by 10x with XfilesPro integrations. Request a Demo now!

Different Ways to Connect Salesforce with OneDrive

There are multiple options for Salesforce OneDrive Integration for file movement. Some are ready-to-use and others need to be built from scratch. 

Files Connect

Files Connect is one tool provided by Salesforce to connect external platforms like OneDrive with Salesforce to move files from one to another. However, Files Connect has certain limitations such as 

Third-Party System Installed Adapter

This method involves installing an adapter or connector on the local system or within the Salesforce environment. The adapter acts as a bridge between Salesforce and OneDrive, allowing them to communicate and sync data. However, installation and maintenance require technical expertise.

Microsoft Azure-Hosted Service

This approach handles the integration through services hosted on Microsoft Azure, such as Microsoft Power Automate or Azure Logic Apps. It can be tricky to set up, and there may be extra costs. 

Third-Party Integration Service

This solution uses a third-party platform for Salesforce OneDrive integration. It is quick to set up and doesn’t need a lot of technical knowledge.

Considering this, Salesforce customers always look at AppExchange where they can get ready to use & feature-rich file management applications. XfilesPro is a popular AppExchange solution that is designed to help Salesforce users seamlessly store and collaborate Salesforce files in OneDrive storage.

Use XfilesPro to Store Salesforce Files in OneDrive

XfilesPro is highly advanced and comes with 10+ built-in features such as bi-directional file movement, folder syncing, folder structure, community file management and more. The popular application supports all major Salesforce apps, Salesforce1 mobile, AppExchange apps, Community portals, and force.com apps. 

Use Case

Businesses handle sensitive documents like employee records, financial documents, legal documents, customer-facing documents, compliance reports, etc. These files flow in from internal users, customers, and partners via Experience Cloud and customer portals. However, they often end up scattered between Salesforce and external cloud storage solutions.

Storing everything in Salesforce quickly became too expensive, leading businesses to rely on OneDrive for external storage. The manual process of moving files to OneDrive or any external cloud storage is not only time-consuming but also mentally exhausting, significantly impacting productivity.

To solve these challenges, many Salesforce users turn to advanced document management applications like XfilesPro.

How XfilesPro Helps

Integration 

The app establishes a strong integration between Salesforce and OneDrive without any additional connector. Post-integration, the application automatically moves your files from Salesforce to OneDrive to free up your file storage. In addition to OneDrive, it supports other file storage platforms such as SharePoint, Google Drive, and AWS S3.

Smart Folder Structure
XfilesPro automatically organizes files into structured folders based on the formulas implemented in Salesforce fields. These folders are created in OneDrive and linked directly to Salesforce records.

Large Volume File Offloading
Handling heavy files like compliance reports, customer portfolios, or high-resolution media can quickly consume Salesforce storage. XfilesPro offloads these large files to external storage platforms, freeing up space in Salesforce. This cuts storage costs and keeps your Salesforce environment fast and responsive.

Bi-Directional Folder/File Sync
Changes made in Salesforce or external storage are automatically synchronized across both systems. For instance, if a document is updated in OneDrive, the latest version will reflect in Salesforce, and vice versa. Folder synchronization ensures both systems stay organized and up-to-date, reducing errors and manual effort.

Tagging
XfilesPro makes organizing files in OneDrive easier by letting you tag documents with custom labels. This feature helps to categorize and search for files.

Try the XfilesPro for free on AppExchange.

Conclusion

Many Salesforce customers leverage their OneDrive storage as an extended file storage space for Salesforce files. Compared to Salesforce’s additional file storage, OneDrive is very much less priced and users can increase the storage up to 5 TB. Files stored in OneDrive can be shared & accessed seamlessly from anywhere through all connected devices. 

XfilesPro can transform the Salesforce file management experience by integrating with OneDrive. The application powers a 360-degree document management system that enables enhanced document management and collaboration, seamless file sharing, storage management, cost reduction, and centralizing your files. 

To learn more about how XfilesPro can revolutionize document management within Salesforce, get in touch with our experts.

FAQs

When should I connect OneDrive with Salesforce?

You should consider connecting OneDrive with Salesforce if you’re looking to free up space, keep your documents organized, and make collaboration easier. It helps cut down on Salesforce storage costs, keeps everything in order, and ensures your files are secure and up-to-date.

You can store files in OneDrive from Salesforce using Files Connect, a third-party app like XfilesPro, custom APIs, or an adapter/connector, depending on your needs and budget.

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