If you’ve ever built a Salesforce integration in SmartConnect, you know writing SOQL queries by hand isn’t always fun, especially when you’re not sure of the exact field or relationship names. That’s what the Salesforce Metadata Browser helps solve.
If you want to see a video demonstration explaining this, we covered it in our SmartConnect Office Hours. Check it out here:
The Salesforce Metadata Browser
The Metadata Browser is a visual SOQL query builder built right into SmartConnect. Instead of memorizing Salesforce field and object names, you browse your schema, click what you want, and a valid SOQL query builds itself in real time.
Objects
On the left is the ‘Objects’ panel, which is your full Salesforce schema. The example organization shown has 820 objects in the view, so you can browse them easily. To search for an object, you can either use the ‘filter’ box, or filter the list using the ‘all’, ‘standard’, or ‘custom’ tabs.
- All: shows every object
- Standard: shows out-of-the-box Salesforce objects like ‘accounts’ or ‘contacts’
- Custom: shows objects your organization has built.
Each object in the list shows its label and API name, so there’s no guessing which name to use. Selecting an object tells the builder what you’re querying, and it becomes the ‘From’ in your query. Once you pick an object, you land on the ‘Fields’ tab.
Fields
This is where you decide exactly which data comes back. At the top, ‘PATH’ shows exactly where you are in the schema. Below that, the object header confirms the name, whether it’s standard or custom, and its raw API name.
The ‘Fields’ badge tells you how many fields exist on that object (this example has 70). Each field has a checkbox that you can check to add it to your ‘SELECT’ statement on the right. If you uncheck it, it will be removed.
Next to each field name, you’ll see its API name, its data type, and tags showing whether it can be used in a ‘WHERE’ clause, an ‘ORDER BY’, or if it’s writable. For pick list fields, there’s a ‘Show values’ link, so you can see the exact valid options without leaving the page. Every row also has its own ‘copy’ icon so you can grab just one field’s API name.
Relationships
The ‘Relationships’ tab is where the metadata browser really saves you time. The badge shows 76 relationships on this object, split into two columns: Parent references and Child relationships.
Parent references are lookups going up, so you can view things like who owns that account or who created it. Each card shows the relationship name, the field it’s based on, and which object it points to. Clicking into one drills into that related object’s fields, and the path at the top updates to show the whole route. Any fields you select here become ‘Owner.Name’ in the query automatically.
Child relationships are related records that point back to the account, like contacts or opportunities. You can expand a subquery, so a ‘SELECT FROM ChildAccounts’ is nested right inside your main query. This allows you to pull in related records without writing any subquery syntax yourself.
Filters
The ‘Filters’ tab is where you can visually build your ‘WHERE’ clause. You can toggle between ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ logic, add a simple condition, or add a nested group of conditions for more complex logic. When there’s nothing in the tab, it says “Empty group — add a condition” so it’s always clear what to do next.
Once you add a condition, you pick a field, operator, and a value, and everything is validated against the actual field type, so you can’t build something invalid.
No matter which tab you’re on, the right side stays constant so you can see your live SOQL query.
SOQL Query
Your live SOQL query lives on the right-hand side. At the top, it shows how many fields are selected, with a trash icon to delete everything and start over if needed. The query itself updates instantly as you click fields, drill into relationships, or add filters, and the keywords are color-coded, so it’s easy to read. Below that, you can add ‘sort’ fields with ‘+ Add sort’ and set a limit to cap how many records come back.
‘Preview’ runs the query against live data so you can check the results before using it anywhere. ‘Validate & Copy’ checks that the query is valid on the server, then copies it to your clipboard, ready to drop straight into a SmartConnect source.
Try the Salesforce Metadata Browser in SmartConnect
By the time you’re done clicking through objects, fields, relationships, and filters, you’ve got a fully valid SOQL query without writing a single line of it by hand. That’s the beauty of the metadata browser; you get a faster, more accurate way to build Salesforce SOQL queries inside SmartConnect.
Whether you’re brand new to SOQL or just want to move faster, give it a try next time you’re setting up a Salesforce source. Please reach out to support@eonesolutions.com if you have any questions, or reach out to sales@eonesolutions.com if you are ready to get started with New SmartConnect
Sign Up for New SmartConnect Office Hours
If you haven’t signed up for New SmartConnect Office Hours and want to learn more about these new features, it’s not too late.
Upcoming Office Hour topics include:
- September 3: Using New SmartConnect with Dataverse
- September 10: Using New SmartConnect with Generic REST APIs
- September 17: Using New SmartConnect with Salesforce
- October 1: Using New SmartConnect with NetSuite