Qlik Salesforce Connector Installation

and User Guide

Qlik Salesforce Connector Version 13.1

Newton, Massachusetts, September 2015
Authored by QlikTech International AB
Copyright QlikTech International AB 2015, All Rights Reserved Under international copyright laws,
neither the documentation nor the software may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or
reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior
written permission of QlikTech International AB, except in the manner described in the software
agreement.
QlikTech, Qlik and QlikView are registered trademarks of QlikTech International AB. All other
company names, products and services used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.

Contents
1

Qlik Salesforce Connector ...................................................................4

1.1

Whats new ....................................................................................................... 4

Install the Qlik Salesforce Connector ...............................................4

2.1

System requirements ...................................................................................... 4

2.2

Installing the Qlik Salesforce Connector ...................................................... 4

Create a Salesforce connection ..........................................................5

3.1

Specifying Salesforce.com account credentials ................................................ 5

3.2

Setting data load properties ............................................................................... 7

3.3

Changing the default proxy setting ................................................................... 8

Select and load data ............................................................................9

4.1

Selecting data .................................................................................................... 9

4.2

Renaming fields ............................................................................................... 11

4.3

Load Salesforce objects with relationship queries .......................................... 11

Locate the Salesforce connector log file .........................................13

Supported data types ........................................................................13

1 Qlik Salesforce Connector

The Qlik Salesforce Connector provides a means for the Qlik visual analytics platform to efficiently load
data into a QlikView application from a Salesforce.com dataset. The metadata is used by the Create Select
Statement dialog box to specify the table and columns to select for the SOQL SELECT statement.

Note: When loading data (sending a query to Salesforce.com), you cannot send more
than one query at a time in the same user account. The first query to finish loading
closes the Salesforce session and then the remaining queries cannot be completed.

1.1 Whats new

Version 13.1 of the Salesforce Connector adds support for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2., which is
required to connect with Salesforce.coms TLS 1.1 and 1.2. Salesforce.com is deprecating support for SSLv3
and TLS 1.0.

2 Install the Qlik Salesforce Connector

2.1 System requirements
Version 13.1 of the Qlik Salesforce Connector runs only on systems with 64-bit processors. It can be
installed on 64-bit systems that run QlikView. Those systems include:
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft Windows 7
Mircrosoft Windows 8.1
Version 13.1 also requires Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2 or later version.
Version 13.1 supports up to Salesforce API version 29.

2.2 Installing the Qlik Salesforce Connector

1.

Download the QlikSalesforceConnector_setup.exe file from the Qlik download site.

2.

Run the QlikSalesforceConnector_setup.exe.

The Qlik Salesforce Connector InstallShield Wizard sets up the installation environment and
completes the installation.
The Connector is then available from the QlikView Desktop with the name
QvSalesforceConnector.exe.

3.

Open the QlikView11 Desktop application.

If QlikView is open when you install the Salesforce Connector, you must close and reopen it in
order for QlikView to recognize the Connector.

3 Create a Salesforce connection

QlikView applications connect to data sources through the Script Editor.

3.1 Specifying Salesforce.com account credentials

1.

Open a new or existing QlikView application.

2.

Click Edit Script... on the File menu in the main QlikView window.

3.

Select QvSalesforceConnector.exe from the drop-down list next to Connect... on the Data tab in
the lower part of the Edit Script dialog.

4.

Click Connect... to open the Salesforce Connection dialog.

5.

Enter the user name and password for the Salesforce account.
Salesforce user names are email addresses. If you intend to connect to a sandbox (Step 7), you
must append the name of the sandbox to your user name. For example,
john.smith@XYZ.com.mysandbox.

6.

Enter the security token assigned to the account.

If you connect to Salesforce.com from an IP address that is in the Trusted IP Ranges in Salesforce,
the security token is not required.

7.

Enter the URL for an alternative Salesforce.com environment you want to connect to.
By default, the Salesforce Connector connects to your accounts production organization.
Depending on the type of account you have (for example, Enterprise, Performance or Unlimited
Edition), there may also be a sandbox, which is a testing environment you can work in while
preserving the stability of the production organization. The sandbox URL can be entered,
optionally, in the URL text box to direct the Salesforce Connector to open the sandbox instead of
the default production organization.
To access your sandbox, use the following URL:
https://test.salesforce.com/services/Soap/u/29.0
The Salesforce Connector supports the SOAP API version 29.0. You might encounter problems
using another version of the SOAP API.

8.

Click Test Connection to verify that a connection can be made with the account properties
entered.

3.2 Setting data load properties

1.

Select the type of interface to use with the connection: SOAP API Query, SOAP API QueryAll, or
Bulk API.
If you use the SOAP API to connect to Salesforce, you can read all records in the Salesforce object
that have not been marked as deleted (Query). Or you can read all records in the Salesforce
object including those that have been marked as deleted (QueryAll).
Note: When choosing between SOAP and Bulk APIs, you must know whether or not you
need to load multiple Salesforce objects with a relationship query (see Load Salesforce

objects with relationship queries below.) The SOAP API is required when loading data
with relationship queries.
The Bulk API provides faster transmission than the SOAP API. It is particularly useful when you
load entire tables.
Note: The Bulk API does not support aggregation functions or grouping.
Note: If you use Bulk API, the Salesforce Bulk API must be enabled for the account that is
reading the data on Salesforce.com.
2.

Specify the timeout period in seconds for connections that use the SOAP API.
The timeout value sets a limit on the amount of time the connector waits for a response from
Salesforce.com when it requests a batch of data. The timeout applies to loading each batch of
data. It does not apply to the time it takes to parse, convert and write the data to QlikView.
This is used only for connections that use the SOAP API. When Bulk API is selected (Step 1), the
Timeout field does not appear.

3.

Specify the batch size, which is the maximum number of rows written to the data target in one
batch.
The batch size can be used to control the speed at which QlikView and Salesforce.com
communicate. If a batch size is not specified or Salesforce.com does not accept the set batch size,
the Connector tries to use the maximum allowed batch size of 2000 and then increments down in
steps using the following predefined batch sizes:
2000, 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1
Bulk API is selected (Step 1), the Batch size field does not appear.

4.

Select Convert SQL dates to convert dates entered in the format YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss to the
SOQL format.
The SQL date-time data type is often used in WHERE clauses, but that data type format does not
match date-times in a Salesforce object. If the Convert SQL dates box is selected, date-time
values entered in the YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss format are automatically converted to the SOQL
format used for the date-time data type.
If Convert SQL dates is not selected, date-time values submitted to Salesforce.com in SQL
format would not match any date-time values in the Salesforce.com object database. See the
discussion of the WHERE clause in the section below on creating a load statement.

5.

Select Boolean as strings to return Boolean values as true or false strings.

If Boolean as strings is not selected, Boolean values are returned as 0 or 1.

6.

Select Convert UTC to local time to convert date-time values returned by the Connector to the
local time of the computer the Connector is running on.
If Convert UTC to local time is not selected, the Connector returns date-time values from
Salesforce.com in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

3.3 Changing the default proxy setting

By default, the Salesforce Connector uses the proxy settings defined in the Windows Proxy settings,
which can be accessed in Internet Options in the Control Panel. The proxy setting can be changed to
use a host other than the default.
The proxy parameter must be set as described in the Microsoft article Enabling Internet
Functionality. To change the proxy setting, use the Proxy fields at the bottom of the Salesforce
Connection dialog as follows:
1.

Specify the name or IP address of a proxy host in Proxy section of the Salesforce Connection
dialog.

2.

Specify the port number for the Proxy on the machine running the host.

3.

Select the authentication required by the Proxy host from the Enable authentication dropdown menu.
The Enable authentication drop-down menu does not appear until you start to enter a name
or IP address in the Proxy host field.

4.

If Enable authentication is set to Yes, enter the user name and password for the Proxy host.
The User name and Password fields do not appear until you select Yes from the Enable
authentication drop-down menu.

After the account credentials have been entered and the connection tested, the data load properties set,
and the proxy settings changed if necessary:

Click OK to create the connection string used when sending the load statement to
Salesforce.com.
The Salesforce Connection dialog closes and the connection string is inserted in the Edit Script
dialog.

4 Select and load data

Once a connection to Salesforce.com has been established, you can select data and load it into a QlikView
application.

4.1 Selecting data

1.

Click the enabled Select... on the Data tab in the lower part of the Edit Script dialog.
The Edit Script dialog has two Select buttons when the Salesforce Connector has been
connected but only the bottom button is enabled.

2.

Select a database table from the Objects list in the Create Select Statement dialog.

3.

Select the fields to load from the Fields list.

Press the Control (Ctrl) key to select multiple fields.
The SELECT statement that will be used to load data from the Salesforce.com database displays
under the Script tab in the bottom portion of the dialog. If you want to rename a selected field,
see Renaming fields.
The SELECT statement does not include a WHERE clause, but one can be added in the text box
under the Script tab. The SELECT statement for the Salesforce Connector supports the addition
of WHERE clauses. If the selected field uses a date or date-time data type, the date-time format
YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss is automatically converted to the SOQL date-time (YYYY-MMDDThh:mm:ssZ) if Convert SQL dates is selected in the connection dialog. SOQL uses "Z" on the
time to indicate that the time is to be read as absolute, with no time zone offset. In SOQL, Z can
be substituted with an offset value. For example, the date 2009-02-24 23:01:01 in Eastern US
time zone would be 2009-02-24T23:01:01-05:00 in SOQL. Because the YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss
format has no offset value, the date-time is converted to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Note: The Convert UTC to local time setting does not affect the time zone in date-time
values sent to Salesforce.com in WHERE clauses. The Convert UTC to local time setting
handles the display of date-time values returned from Salesforce.com, not the values sent
to Salesforce.com.
The SELECT statement for the Salesforce Connector also supports:

SELECT * statement: The Salesforce Connector allows you to use the SELECT *
statement to select all fields in the table. You add the SELECT * statement manually in
the text box under the Script tab.

The SOQL query language does not support the SELECT* statement, but the Salesforce
Connector has been enhanced to recognize that syntax. Only asterisks (*) and simple
field names can be used in the SELECT * statement.
The SELECT * statement can only be used when Bulk API is selected in the Salesforce
Connection dialog. See Bulk API.

String escape characters: The Salesforce Connector uses the single quotation mark
character as an escape character instead of the back slash (\) used by SOQL. To include
a single quotation mark in a query string, it must be prefaced by another single
quotation mark. For example, the following string encloses Captain Awesome in single
quotation marks.
Devon Captain Awesome Woodcomb

The SELECT statement for the Salesforce Connector does not support:

Qualified field names: Field names cannot be prefixed by table table names. For
example, Contact.FirstName is not permitted.

Salesforce prefix: It is not permissible to prefix the table name with the string
Salesforce. For example, Salesforce.Contact is not allowed.

Bracketed names: Table and field names cannot be put in brackets. For example, the
following SELECT statement is not valid:
SELECT [FirstName] FROM [Contact]

SOQL aliases: The syntax for creating aliases in SOQL cannot be used. For example, the
following SOQL syntax is not valid for the Salesforce Connector:
SELECT Id BusinessID FROM Contact

Note: Changes entered manually in the text box under the Script tab will be lost if new
selections are made in Objects or Fields. Changes entered manually are also lost when you
select Preceding load Select all tables and fields as well as Preceding load before editing
the script manually.
4.

Select Preceding load to create a LOAD statement before the SELECT statement.
This step is optional.

Note: The Preceding load check box is not available when the connection is made with
SOAP mode. See Setting data load properties.
The preceding load feature allows the LOAD statement to use the SELECT statements as input.
Basically, it is a LOAD statement that loads from the LOAD or SELECT statement below, without
specifying a source qualifier, such as From or Resident, as you would normally. You can stack any
number of LOAD statements this way. The statement at the bottom will be evaluated first, then
the statement above, and so on until the top statement has been evaluated.
Another advantage of preceding load is that you can keep a calculation in one place and reuse it
in LOAD statements placed above. For example, when you load data from a database using a
SELECT statement, you cannot use QlikView functions to interpret data in the SELECT statement.
The solution is to add a LOAD statement and perform data transformations above the SELECT

10

statement. In this example, string data is interpreted with the QlikView Date# interpretation
function in a LOAD statement, using the SELECT statement as source:
LOAD Date#(orderDate, YYYYMMDD) as OrderDate;
SELECT OrderDate FROM _;
The preceding LOAD statement created under the Script tab is the simple version illustrated in
the screen above. To create the LOAD statement in this example, you would edit the script in the
text box under the Script tab.
5.

Click Validate to verify that the SELECT statement query is valid.

If you click OK before Validate, the statement is validated before it is added to the load script.

6.

Click the Preview tab to see data that will be loaded with the SELECT statement displayed under
the Script tab.
Previewing the data is optional. By default, 25 rows are displayed. More rows can be displayed by
selecting a higher number from the Maximum rows drop-down menu.
Note: You cannot preview data if the load script contains more than one SELECT statement.

7.

Click OK when you are finished making your selections.

Note: When loading data (sending a query to Salesforce.com), you cannot send more
than one query at a time in the same user account. The first query to finish loading
closes the Salesforce session and then the remaining queries cannot be completed.

4.2 Renaming fields

To rename a field, you create an alias in the LOAD statement. This can be done in the Edit Script dialog
after the load script has been inserted. For example:

When using Bulk mode with Preceding load, you can create the alias in the text box under the Script tab.
SOAP mode does not allow Preceding load, so the LOAD statement does not appear in the text box under
the Script tab. In SOAP mode, renaming must be done in the Edit Script dialog.

4.3 Load Salesforce objects with relationship queries

SELECT statements can be written to load Salesforce objects with relationship queries. Such statements
must be entered directly in the text box under the Script tab. They cannot be created by selecting multiple
objects and fields from the Objects and Fields lists. Each time you select an object from the list, that
selection replaces any existing SELECT statement under the Script tab. To include multiple objects in the
query, you must add them manually.
Note: SOAP mode is required for relationship queries. See Setting data load properties.
In the following example, the SELECT statement includes fields from multiple objects in a relationship
query.

11

Note: When loading multiple objects in a relationship query, you must use a relationship name
instead of a table name. For standard tables the relationship name is the plural of the table object
name. In the illustration above, Contacts and Cases are used instead of Contact and Case,
which are the object names.
From this SELECT statement, the Connector creates separate load statements for each of the related
tables.

12

The resulting load produces three related tables.

5 Locate the Salesforce connector log file

The Salesforce Connectors log file is located at:
{ProgramData}\QlikTech\Custom Data\QvSalesforceConnector\Log
Where {ProgramData} is %ALLUSERSPROFILE%.

6 Supported data types

The following Salesforce.com data types are supported by the Salesforce connector. Fields with supported
data types are the only fields that display for selection in the Create Select Statement dialog. Fields
containing unsupported data types are not displayed.
Auto Number

Lookup Relationship

Text Area

Checkbox

Number

Text Area (Long)

Currency

Percent

Text Area (Rich)

Date

Phone

Text (Encrypted)

Date/Time

Picklist

URL

Email

Picklist (Multi-Select)

Formula

Text

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