Salesforce and SharePoint Integration: Best Practices and Tools
Routine Automation
Salesforce development partner | Make Salesforce your next big move
Think of all the documents your teams need to manage every day. Are they accessible, connected, or causing major bottlenecks for your team? If you’ve chosen the last answer, it’s probably time to rethink how your Salesforce files connect to the rest of your tech stack, particularly document storage tools like SharePoint.
If your sales, marketing, and customer service teams are relying on Salesforce to track (and understand) deals and interactions, but your operations and legal teams are using SharePoint to store contracts, proposals, and internal documents, you’re going to end up with a gap.
It’s not a small gap either. Without a reliable connection between platforms, collaboration and productivity break down. Teams repeat tasks, share outdated data, and spend forever searching for information, rather than moving work forward. Some reports even show employees spend 9.3 hours per week on average just gathering info.
That’s where Salesforce and SharePoint integration come in. It creates a shared, more efficient environment for your teams, one that brings customer records and critical documents together in a way that just makes sense.
At Routine Automation, we help businesses make that connection work. Not just with a quick plug-in or surface-level sync, but with thoughtful solutions that match the way your people actually use the tools. We take standard tools and build on them to create custom integrations that are reliable, secure, and easy to use.
Why Connect SharePoint and Salesforce?
Realistically, most companies are already using Salesforce and SharePoint. They’re both incredible tools for managing and using data. Salesforce is the nerve center for leads, deals, and customer interactions. SharePoint is the engine behind document collaboration, file storage, and internal processes. But when they operate in silos, your people waste time, your data gets messy, and your workflows slow to a crawl.
Alternatively, with a Salesforce SharePoint integration, all your files, people, and processes are connected. That means:
Productivity Increases: Salespeople can upload, view, or link to documents stored in SharePoint directly from a Salesforce opportunity or account without toggling between apps. Legal teams can pull up contracts in a few clicks. Everyone saves time
No More Data Duplication: Without integration, teams end up uploading the same files in multiple places, leading to version control issues and unnecessary storage costs. A Salesforce to SharePoint integration ensures that files live in one secure location, while being accessible where needed.
One Source of Truth: When you align data and documents across systems, everyone’s working off the same page. Literally. No more emailing PDFs or asking, “Where’s the signed agreement?” It’s already linked in the Salesforce record. This centralized access improves accuracy, accountability, and trust across departments.
Simplified Docoument Management: Instead of storing attachments inside Salesforce (and hitting storage limits fast), documents can be automatically pushed to the right folder in SharePoint, using naming conventions and metadata that make retrieval easy. Since SharePoint offers robust search and filtering, finding what you need becomes a breeze.
That’s just the beginning. As you scale, you’ll need a system that grows with you. That’s why businesses don’t just want integration; they want scalable, secure, and custom-built integration.
Salesforce SharePoint Integration Challenges
Now, you might be thinking: “Wait, doesn’t Salesforce already offer something for this?” Yes. It’s called Salesforce Files Connect. But while it works as a starter tool, it’s far from perfect for enterprise-scale use.
Standard tools that help you connect SharePoint to Salesforce suffer from a few challenges, like:
File Size & Type Limitations
Files Connect has trouble handling large documents or specific file formats common in legal, architectural, or manufacturing workflows. If you’re storing large media files or complex Excel sheets with macros, you’re probably going to face problems. You don’t get the best customization options or file management (version control or tracking) features either.
Weak Metadata Support
Metadata helps teams organize and search for files efficiently. But Files Connect doesn’t allow full synchronization of custom metadata fields from SharePoint. That means your team may still be searching manually, or worse, recreating files they already have.
Limited Automation
Need to move files from Salesforce to SharePoint the second an opportunity closes? Or archive documents automatically after 90 days? You’ll need something more powerful than Files Connect. Native tools offer little to no automation, and everything becomes a manual process.
User Experience Gaps
The UI isn’t intuitive. Permissions management can be clunky. Plus, because the connection isn’t deeply customizable, companies often run into roadblocks when trying to enforce document naming rules, business logic, or audit trails.
Security Concerns
Files Connect has limited controls around file-level security and compliance tracking. For regulated industries like finance, law, or healthcare, that’s a real problem. A simple Salesforce SharePoint connector shouldn’t make you compromise on compliance.
All of this leads to one conclusion: standard tools don’t cut it for businesses with complex processes. You need something more flexible. That’s where custom Salesforce SharePoint integration using REST API, Apex, and Flow comes in.
Custom SharePoint Integration with Salesforce by RA
Most integration tools promise simplicity, and they deliver to an extent. But after a while, with tools like Files Connect, SharePoint Salesforce integrations fall short. The truth is, real business processes are rarely simple or “standardized”. One-size-fits-all options only go so far.
At Routine Automation, we help companies go beyond basic connectors and build integrations that are actually aligned with how their teams work. We start by listening.
Every company uses Salesforce and SharePoint a little differently, so we spend time learning about your goals, pain points, and internal systems. That’s how we create a solution that reflects your process, not just the technology.
Some businesses want to move files from Salesforce to SharePoint after specific events, like when a quote or contract gets approved. Others need more structured folder systems inside SharePoint, tied to custom objects in Salesforce. Some want automatic version control and permission syncing across both platforms. We handle all of that.
Our team works with a range of technologies depending on your needs, from Salesforce Apex and Flow to the SharePoint REST API, Microsoft Graph API, and MuleSoft.
Prerequisites for a Successful Salesforce SharePoint Integration
Before jumping into development, remember that a little preparation makes a big difference. The best integrations are built on a solid foundation, one where business goals, technical setup, and team alignment are already in place.
Here’s what our team at RA recommends getting ready:
Salesforce and SharePoint accounts: Make sure both platforms are active and properly licensed. If you’re using SharePoint as part of Microsoft 365, confirm which sites and libraries will be part of the integration.
Defined goals: Are you trying to improve collaboration? Centralize document access? Automate workflows? Knowing what success looks like helps shape the right solution.
Admin access: You’ll need the right permissions on both platforms to authorize APIs, create flows, and configure integration settings.
Data structure planning: Think about how you store documents today. Will files be organized by account, opportunity, or custom object? Clear folder logic makes automation easier.
Integration user setup: For security and consistency, we recommend creating a dedicated user account in both Salesforce and SharePoint specifically for integration tasks. This helps with tracking, troubleshooting, and maintaining system integrity.
It also helps to loop in the right internal teams early. Your IT staff, Salesforce admins, and operations leads can provide insights that will shape the integration’s long-term success. We guide this process, but your input helps us design something that fits well from the start.
How We Connect Salesforce with SharePoint
If you’ve ever searched “How to integrate SharePoint with Salesforce” on Google, you probably know there are a few options. The best method depends on your goals, your technical environment, and how much flexibility you need. At Routine Automation, we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach.
We help you choose the method that makes the most sense for your business, and then we build it to match. The three most common approaches we use are:
Custom API Development
For companies that need a deep, reliable connection between platforms, custom API integration is often the best choice. It offers the most control and the highest level of flexibility.
We use a combination of the Salesforce REST API and the SharePoint REST API to build secure, two-way communication between systems. This allows for:
Automated file uploads from Salesforce into specific SharePoint folders
Dynamic folder creation based on opportunity stages or account names
Metadata tagging in SharePoint based on Salesforce field values
Custom naming conventions to keep documents organized and searchable
For more complex needs, we layer in Apex, Salesforce’s powerful scripting language. This allows us to build triggers that check conditions, validate inputs, or organize files in very specific ways.
Together, Flow and Apex create a strong foundation for automation. Especially when you want to connect your CRM activity with real-time document management in SharePoint.
This method is ideal when you want your systems to follow a very specific logic, or when you’re working with sensitive data that requires advanced controls. We also make sure your users don’t need to think about the tech behind it. For them, it just works. Documents are where they should be, when they need them.
MuleSoft Integration
If your organization already uses MuleSoft, we can help extend it to include SharePoint. This is a great option for companies with broader integration needs across multiple systems, such as ERPs, HR tools, or external client portals.
Using Salesforce SharePoint integration flows inside MuleSoft, we build scalable pipelines that let documents and data flow across your ecosystem. It’s especially useful when you want to orchestrate multiple actions from a single event, for example, moving a document to SharePoint, triggering a DocuSign process, and notifying a manager in Teams.
We also help teams already using MuleSoft optimize their existing setup to make room for new Salesforce SharePoint workflows, without overloading their infrastructure.
Key Steps in a Custom Salesforce SharePoint Integration Project
A successful integration project goes beyond coding. A reliable partner, offering Salesforce consulting services and integration solutions, like RA, gets to know your workflows, defines your priorities, and creates a system you can trust.
Here’s what the process looks like when you work with Routine Automation:
Requirements Analysis: We begin with discovery. This includes meetings with stakeholders to understand what your teams need, where documents are stored, how permissions work, and what a successful outcome looks like.
Integration Architecture Design: Next, we design the technical approach, whether that involves using SharePoint, Salesforce integration APIs, Flow, Apex, MuleSoft, or a hybrid model. We also define folder structures, document naming logic, and metadata mappings.
Development and Configuration: Once the plan is approved, we begin development. We build and test the connection between Salesforce and SharePoint in a secure, sandbox environment before touching live data.
Review and Testing: We validate the integration with test cases designed around real scenarios. This includes file uploads, role-based access, metadata syncs, and system behavior under load. Security is reviewed throughout.
Training and Support: Finally, we provide training materials, documentation, and live walkthroughs for your users and admins. We also offer support packages to monitor the integration after go-live and adjust it as your needs evolve.
Our goal isn’t just to deliver working software. It’s to make sure your teams feel confident using it, and to ensure the solution supports your business as it grows.
The Benefits of a Tailored Salesforce SharePoint Integration
Custom integrations aren’t just about making Salesforce connect with SharePoint, and vice versa. They’re about making everyday work simpler, faster, and more consistent across teams. When the solution is designed for your actual workflows, you start seeing real improvements like:
Enhanced Collaboration and Document Management
One of the most immediate changes is how much smoother it becomes to work with documents across teams. Sales can upload a file from within Salesforce, and the legal team can access it in SharePoint moments later, without sending a single email.
Project managers can track signed contracts, onboarding materials, or reports without chasing down links or wondering if they have the latest version. It’s like instantly having SharePoint in Salesforce when you need it most.
For growing companies, it also means you can scale without adding complexity. As more teams rely on both systems, the integration continues to support the process, automatically organizing documents, respecting permission levels, and keeping everything searchable and secure.
Streamlined Business Processes
A custom Salesforce integration with SharePoint makes it easier to automate tasks that used to be manual, your way. That might mean moving documents from Salesforce to SharePoint when a deal closes, sending alerts when a required file is missing, or creating folders and applying metadata based on customer details.
You reduce repetitive work and eliminate opportunities for human error. And because the integration works in the background, your team stays focused on their actual job, not on file transfers or status updates.
We’ve worked with clients to automate things like proposal generation, document handoffs between sales and delivery, and even compliance review workflows. Every process is different, but the goal is always the same: less busywork, more meaningful progress.
Improved Data Security and Compliance
With so many moving parts between platforms, keeping documents secure gets tricky. SharePoint is built for document control, and Salesforce handles sensitive customer data, so when these systems are connected, they need to protect both.
That’s why we build integrations with strong safeguards. Role-based access, encrypted transfers, and detailed audit trails help your organization meet internal policies and industry standards. We also make sure that documents only go where they’re supposed to, following naming rules, folder paths, and retention policies.
Best Practices for a Successful Integration
Whether you’re pursuing a Salesforce SharePoint integration using Rest APIs, MuleSoft, SAP, Flow, or Apex, you need a plan of action. Fortunately, we’ve learned over time that a few simple best practices can make a big impact:
Start with clear objectives: Know what you want to achieve before selecting tools or writing code. Whether your goal is faster access, better version control, or streamlined workflows, those goals will guide every decision in the project.
Evaluate compatibility early: Not every integration method works for every setup. Consider your version of SharePoint, Salesforce edition, available APIs, and licensing requirements up front.
Assign ownership: Choose someone responsible for overseeing the project and communicating with your integration partner. That’ll help to ensure decisions are made quickly, and everyone stays aligned.
Test before going live: Use a sandbox or staging environment to validate the integration. Try real use cases with test records, and involve different team members in the process.
Plan for support and evolution: Even after launch, integration needs can change. Build in monitoring tools and check-in points to review what’s working, and adjust as needed. We recommend quarterly health checks to ensure long-term success.
When these pieces are in place, the result is a smoother rollout, happier users, and a much stronger return on your investment.
Why Choose RA for Salesforce SharePoint Integration
Many companies struggle to bridge the gap between tools like Salesforce and SharePoint. Off-the-shelf tools are restrictive, and internal teams lack the time (and expertise), to build something custom. That’s where Routine Automation comes in.
Our team has helped dozens of mid-sized and enterprise businesses connect their systems in ways that reduce friction, improve visibility, and support smarter workflows. We don’t just copy files from one place to another; we build solutions that reflect your business logic, user needs, and long-term goals.
We’ve delivered over 250 successful Salesforce solutions in the past five years, with a client satisfaction score of 4.9 out of 5. If you’re ready to stop managing documents manually and improve the way your team works, reach out and see how we can help.