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OData API support for Salesforce lightning connect

Updated 22 July 2026

Configure the API for OData to integrate data across system boundaries and view, search, and modify data stored outside your Salesforce organization.

Consider these factors when setting up the APIs OData tab for Lightning Connect:

  • Lightning Connect supports OData complex types.

  • OData flattens external data of complex type into a string that contains field names and values. For example, it flattens an address into the string Street: 55 East 5th Street, City: New York, State: NY, Zip:10003

  • An external object custom field associated with an OData complex type on the external system is always read-only, even if the external object is writable.

  • The OData service returns Salesforce filtering logic, which is useful to reduce the number of items returned.

To learn how to configure Salesforce Connect, go to the Salesforce Success Community.

To learn more about OData 2.0 Complex Types, go to OData 2.0 Type Mapping.