Data Cloud

Connecting GRAX Data Lake to SFDC Data Cloud

GRAX can connect to Salesforce Data Cloud to enable bidirectional data flow between your GRAX Data Lake and Salesforce's Customer 360 platform. This integration allows you to leverage GRAX's historical data within Data Cloud for analytics, segmentation, and activation.

Prerequisites

• Active Salesforce Data Cloud license

• GRAX deployment with configured storage (AWS S3, Azure, or GCP)

• Salesforce org with System Administrator access

• GRAX Data Lake enabled on your GRAX instance

Configuration Steps

1

Set Up Data Cloud Permissions

• Navigate to Setup > Users in your Salesforce org

• Ensure your user has the following permission sets:

  • Data Cloud Admin

  • Data Cloud User

  • GRAX Agent Action (if using GRAX automation)

  • GRAX Console Admin Permission

  • GRAX Console Power Permission

2

Create a Data Connector in Data Cloud

• Open Data Cloud Setup from the App Launcher

• Navigate to Connectors under External Integrations

• Click "New" and select your storage type (e.g., Amazon S3 for GRAX on AWS)

• Choose "Source" as the connector type

3

Configure Authentication

• For AWS S3 connections:

  • Select "Access Key/Secret Based" authentication

  • Enter your AWS access key and secret access key

  • Specify bucket name and parent directory (typically parquet/ for GRAX Data Lake)

• For Azure or GCP, use appropriate authentication methods

• Test the connection before saving

4

Create a Data Stream

• Navigate to Data Streams in Data Cloud

• Click "New Data Stream"

• Select your configured connector

• Choose Parquet as the file type

• Specify the file path pattern for GRAX data (format: v2/org={OrgId}/object={ObjectName}/batch={BatchId}/data-*.parquet)

5

Configure Data Lake Objects

• Select "Profile" as the category for customer data

• Map source fields to Data Cloud fields

• Set appropriate data types for each field

• Configure primary key (typically record Id)

• Set record modified field for incremental updates

Important Considerations

Field Naming Limitations

• Data Cloud has a 40-character limit for field API names

• GRAX's nested field notation may exceed this limit

• Solution: Create field aliases in Data Cloud or use formula fields to reference long field names

File Path Structure

GRAX stores data in a specific directory structure:

/parquet/v2/org={OrgId}/object={ObjectName}/batch={BatchId}/

Ensure your Data Stream configuration accounts for this pattern.

Data Sync Frequency

• GRAX backs up data based on your configured schedule

• Data Cloud ingestion can be set to run hourly, daily, or on-demand

• Align these schedules for optimal data freshness

Troubleshooting

"File not found" errors

• Verify the exact file path in your S3/Azure/GCP bucket

• Check that the parent directory in your connector matches GRAX's structure

• Ensure proper wildcards are used in file name patterns

Authentication failures

• Confirm IAM policies include s3:GetObject and s3:ListBucket permissions

• For Azure, verify SAS token or service principal has appropriate access

• Test connection directly from Data Cloud connector settings

Field mapping issues

• Review field character limits (40 characters max)

• Check data type compatibility between GRAX and Data Cloud

• Use Data Cloud's formula fields for complex transformations

Next Steps

Once connected, you can:

• Create unified customer profiles combining current Salesforce data with GRAX historical data

• Build segments using historical trends and patterns

• Activate historical insights through Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, or other channels

• Use Data Cloud's Identity Resolution to match records across time periods

This integration complements GRAX's native analytics capabilities by making historical data available within Salesforce's ecosystem for real-time activation and decisioning.