+

Introduction

Salesforce is a customer relationship management (CRM) software company that offers companies a proprietary cloud computing platform, application programming interface (API), and online customer support services.

As of 2020, Salesforce has the largest market share (20%) of the global CRM application market.

Many companies globally trust and use the Salesforce platform to manage data efficiently and connect their marketing, sales, commerce, service, and IT teams so they have a complete overview of customers and prospects to help drive business growth.

The company’s flagship product, “Sales Cloud,” includes lead management, opportunity management, case management, campaign management, and contact management, which can be further integrated with Google Data Studio to enhance data manipulation and visualization.

There are different ways to do the Salesforce Data Studio Integration, but they are not all easy or safe.

Besides, there’s no free API connection between Salesforce and Google Data Studio. Therefore, to connect Salesforce to Google Data Studio easily, you need a custom connector that Windsor.ai offers.

This ultimate guide will show you how to connect Salesforce to Google Data Studio via Windsor.ai.

So, please sit back, relax and let’s connect!

Table of content

• What is Salesforce Data studio ?

• Benefits of Salesforce Data studio

• Why Integrate Data Salesforce & Data studio ?

• Why visualize your Salesforce Data with Data studio ?

• How to connect Salesforce to Google Data studio with Windsor.ai

• Dashboard Template Overview of Salesforce & Data studio

• Windsor Advantages & Services

• Wrapping up

What is Salesforce Data Studio?

Salesforce Data Studio is the integration of Salesforce data into Google Data Studio for better visualizations, analysis, and reporting of data.

Google Data Studio’s complete overview features improve sharing of information and collaboration between teams, which can help drive more sales or make the customer journey successful.

To efficiently connect both platforms, you need a custom connector.

This connector will help you extract data from Salesforce and send it to Google Data Studio for a more in-depth data analysis.

You can visit Windsor.ai onboarding page to get started.

Benefits of Salesforce Data Studio

Google Data Studio is a robust data visualization and reporting tool that allows you to create interactive, customizable dashboards.

Its features allow you to integrate and interact with different data sources, including the data from the Salesforce database.

Companies that already use the Salesforce platform have a lot to gain connecting Salesforce to Google Data Studio, including:

Google Data Studio is free.

Using Google Data Studio does not cost your business money; you only need a Gmail account.

Fast Setup

Salesforce Data Studio integration can be set up fast to help you get real-time data and quickly automate routine reports.

Interactive reports

Users can use pre-designed templates to generate and customize the reports to their preferences.

Sharing feature

Google Data Studio has sharing features that make it easy to collaborate with others in real time. You can share your Salesforce reports, generate custom reports, and allocate and distribute them among your team.

Data blending

You can collect data from different sources and combine them with your Salesforce data on Google Data Studio to have extensive insights into your company’s marketing efforts, brand campaigns, lead generation, etc.

Why integrate data from Salesforce to Data Studio?

Salesforce is a robust database platform with a dashboard that provides some features for sales, marketing, and customer service professionals.

Google Data Studio is a visualization and reporting tool allowing users to quickly analyze data from multiple sources.

One might want to integrate Salesforce with Google Data Studio for many reasons. However, the most common sense is that integrating both platforms enables you to collect, manage, analyze, visualize, customize, automate and report data faster and more efficiently.

You can visit Windsor.ai Salesforce onboarding page to get started.

Why visualize your Salesforce data with Data Studio?

Data Studio is a web-based data visualization and reporting tool that allows you to create customizable dashboards and reports.

Visualizing your salesforce data with Data Studio helps you notice trends you might not have noticed due to its robust visualization dashboard.

Besides, it is easy to use and has many features that make it easier for you to share your analysis, reports, and critical insights with others on your team.

Its data blending feature lets companies have a 360 view of their business, improving business decision-making.

Connecting Salesforce to Data Studio

Let’s go through the step-by-step process of connecting Salesforce to Google Data Studio to start your reporting.

A prerequisite to connecting Salesforce to Data Studio is that you must have an account with Salesforce and Google (a Gmail account).

If you don’t have an account, please register an account with Salesforce here and open a Google account here.

Step 1: Register or log in to Windsor.ai if you already have an account

The first step to connecting both platforms is registering or logging into Windsor.ai if you already have an account.

You can visit Windsor.ai to begin your free trial.

Windsor.ai gives users a 30-day free trial to allow you to see how efficient we can make your Salesforce data report when you connect it to Google Data Studio via the Windsor.ai platform.

Step 2: Connect Windsor.ai to Google Data Studio

The next step after registering an account on Windsor.ai is to click on the “To use Windsor.ai with data studio, click here” option, as shown in the image above.

In addition, ensure that you are logged into your Google account with the username you want to use in Data Studio.

Step 3: Set up your Google account for Google Data Studio Salesforce integration

After clicking “use Windsor.ai with data studio,” as stated in step 2 above, you will be redirected to Google Data Studio Connector Gallery.

However, if you are yet to set up your Google account, a pop-up will appear on Google Data Studio requesting you to complete your account setup, as shown in the image above.

Fill in the form that pops up; at this point, you can either change or use the Google account you wish to use for the Salesforce data report.

Step 4: Create a new Google Data Studio report

After setting up your Google account, a new page opens up in Data Studio. This page is where you create a new Data Studio report.

As shown in the image above, click on create and then click on data source.

Step 5: Add Windsor.ai Google Data Studio Salesforce Connector

To create and visualize your Salesforce report on Google Data Studio, you need a connector like Windsor.ai to enable the seamless connection of both platforms.

Clicking “create and on Data Source,” as stated in the previous step, opens the Google Data Studio Connector Gallery page.

Search for Salesforce by Windsor.ai connector and click on it.

Step 6: Give Data Studio Authorization to the Connector

After clicking on Salesforce by Windsor.ai connector, a new tab opens. You’ll be required to give Data Studio authorization to connect to Data on this page.

Click on authorize.

After clicking on authorize, a Google authorization prompt pops up requesting that you login into your Google account, which should be the same account you used to sign up for the free trial.

Once you log into your Google account, a new prompt request that Ad Data and Analytics by Windsor.ai wants to access your Google Account.

Click on “Allow,” as shown below.

Step 7: Give Salesforce authorization to Data

Once you have given Ad Data and Analytics by Windsor.ai access to your Google Account, the next step is to grant Salesforce authorization to connect to Data.

Click on authorize, as shown in the image above.

After clicking on authorize, you will be redirected to Windsor.ai onboarding page in a new window.

Step 8: Give Salesforce authorization via Windsor.ai

At the Windsor.ai onboarding page, you get access to all the data sources available on the platform.

On this page, you can begin accessing any data source you want to visualize, including MailChimp, Instagram Insight, LinkedIn Ads, Amazon MWS, Campaign Manager 360, Google Analytics, and Facebook Ads.

If you wish to view other data sources available on Windsor.ai, click the setting icon to see them. However, the “Salesforce authorization blue button” you will click from Data Studio will take you directly to the Salesforce connector page on Windsor.ai.

Next, click on “Grant Salesforce Access.” as shown above.

When you do, a new page opens (as shown in the image below) that says Windsor Connector is asking to:

• Access the identity URL service
• Manage user data via APIs
• Manage user data via Web browsers
• Access Connect REST API resources
• Access Visualforce applications, etc.

Click on allow to close this window. Then go back to Windsor.ai onboarding page and click on “Select.”

A drop-down appears with the registered Salesforce account name. Select the Salesforce account name you want to use, as shown below.

After selecting the account name, click “Select Destination.” to open the destination option page.

Step 9: Connect Salesforce to Data Studio

On the destination option page, choose Google Data Studio as your destination.

Once you click on Google Data Studio, a new tab opens that takes you to the data studio, requiring you to authorize Salesforce to connect to data.

Click on Authorize.

Once authorization is complete, the connect button at the top right end of the page changes to blue.

Click on the connect button.

Step 10: Add your Data from Salesforce to Data Studio report

Congratulations!

You have completed the salesforce data studio integration.

From here on, it’s easy to use the Salesforce template to get your marketing data into Google Data Studio and create a report.

You can customize it however you like and with whatever metrics and dimensions you wish.

When you are done with your customizations and are ready to visualize your report, click the “Create Report” button as shown in the image below to pull your Salesforce data into Data Studio.

Dashboard Overview of data studio salesforce connector

Do you plan to connect and visualize your Salesforce data in Google Data Studio?

The image above is an overview of connected Salesforce data in Google Data Studio via Windsor.ai, showing a conversion funnel with metrics such as leads creation over time, leads by country, and leads by the department.

This Google Data Studio Salesforce template helps you visualize your salesforce data for easy reporting and analysis.

Furthermore, you could blend it with other data to comprehensively visualize the customer journey (learn more about this here).

Below are a few of the dimensions and metrics we make available here:

To keep the dashboard simple, we have only included a few available dimensions in our connector. You can find the complete list of supported metrics and dimensions here.

Analyze data in Data Studio

The image above is a sample report of a connected salesforce data studio integration pulled via Windsor.ai.

The template shows the conversion funnel overview for Salesforce data in Google Data Studio, highlighting “Lead creation over time, leads by country, leads by department, contacts by amount spent and cost/action.”

We have included only a few metrics in the template above; however, you can customize the dashboard to your particular need once set up.

Let’s analyze the data shown in the template above

Conversion Funnel Overview

What is a Lead Creation in Salesforce?

Lead creation is a process in Salesforce that allows your sales team, marketing team, or other users to set up, create and manage leads. 

The leads can be imported and generated from external marketing automation platforms, including web traffic, email, social media, etc.

A lead is typically someone who has expressed some interest in your product or service but does not yet have an account with you.

When a new lead signs up for your product and services, the data relating to the new leads, such as first name, last name, email, and country, are stored.

The leads generated or assigned to each department can be visualized in Google Data Studio, and the information gathered can be used to customize any marketing directed toward them.

Other metrics that can be visualized include event tracking, users, brand-building campaigns, lead generation campaigns, opportunities (deals or sales in progress), etc.

Challenges for Integration between Google data studio and Salesforce

The main challenge for integrating Salesforce into Data Studio is that there’s no free API connection between the two platforms.

Businesses can use a few methods to move data from Salesforce to data studio, but they are usually daunting and cost you more.

In addition, you have to factor in the data security while using these methods.

As a business, data analyst, or marketer, this challenge makes it imperative that you find a better approach to pull data from Salesforce to Data Studio to get the best out of connecting both platforms.

Thankfully, Windsor.ai is helping businesses to solve this challenge.

Windsor.ai advantages and services

Windsor.ai makes integrating all your marketing data easy in just a few clicks.

You can directly connect Salesforce to Google Data Studio within five minutes without worrying about data security by simply choosing the salesforce data studio connector.

Connecting Salesforce to google data studio via Windsor.ai gives you a range of features to make the transfer and management of data more convenient, including templates with metrics and dimensions that you can customize to suit your needs.

In addition, Windsor.ai saves you time and stress with our pre-built template.

Connecting Salesforce to a data studio via Windsor.ai does not require you to have any coding knowledge. We made it as easy as opening an email account.

Once you sign up on Windsor.ai and have connected both platforms, you can begin to visualize your Salesforce data within five seconds.

Conclusions

Data is everywhere, but insight is a precious commodity.

Data needs to be captured and presented in a visually pleasing, easy-to-digest format that is easy to share and customize to be valuable to the business.

As of 2020, Salesforce has 150,000 users on its platform.  

83% of its customers are Fortune 500 companies that use the platform to build stronger connections with their customers, manage and monitor business in real-time, and pivot in ever-changing markets.

However, the added features that Google Data Studio offers make it seductive to connect Salesforce to Data Studio.

In this post, we discussed what Salesforce Data Studio is, including its benefits, and why it is essential for businesses to integrate with Google Data Studio.

We discussed how Salesforce data studio integration could help you see your data in one place across all sources, with a clean visual interface that your data engineers can tweak to suit your needs.

And finally, we presented the step-by-step process of how you can connect Salesforce data to Google Data Studio using Windsor.ai.

In addition to using Windsor.ai custom connector to connect both platforms, Windsor.ai provide pre-built templates that you can use to create reports in just a few simple steps.

Visit Windsor.ai to get started!

You should also read:

Connect Your Data to Google Data Studio

Data Studio Salesforce Overview Report

Google Data Studio Template Gallery