Salesforce Connector for Python

You would need to install pyodbc in Python if you intend to establish connections to databases that support ODBC (Open Database Connectivity). This module facilitates communication between Python applications and various database management systems, enabling you to perform operations such as querying, retrieving data, and managing databases. Here's how you can install pyodbc in Python:

Installation Steps:

1. Ensure you have Python installed on your system. If not, download it from the official Python website and follow the installation instructions.

2. Open your terminal or command prompt.

3. Use the following command to install pyodbc using pip, the Python package installer:

   python -m pip install "pyodbc"

   Make sure you have a stable internet connection and the necessary permissions to install Python packages.

   
   

Reasons to Install:

• If pyodbc is not installed, your Python script will generate the following error:

  "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pyodbc'"

  .

• Database Connectivity: pyodbc allows Python to connect to various databases that support ODBC, such as Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and more.

• Data Operations: It facilitates the execution of SQL queries, retrieval of data, and other database operations from within Python scripts.

• Cross-Platform Support: pyodbc is designed to work across different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions.

• Simplicity and Efficiency: The module provides an intuitive interface for managing database transactions and connections, simplifying the process of working with databases in Python.

By installing pyodbc, you can seamlessly integrate your Python applications with a wide range of ODBC-supported databases, enabling efficient and effective data management and analysis.

This example demonstrates how to use the EnableBulkMode option to insert a large volume of records into Salesforce using the Bulk API (Job-based mode). By default, the standard mode writes data in batches of 200 rows. However, when Bulk API mode is enabled, it can send up to 10,000 rows per batch, offering better performance for large datasets. Note that using Bulk API mode may not provide performance benefits for small datasets (e.g., a few hundred rows).

In this example, the driver type is set to MSSQL. For other data sources such as CSV, REST API, or Oracle, update the driver type to ODBC and modify the connection string and query accordingly.

Ensure that your source query returns column names that match the target Salesforce object fields. The EXTERNAL option is used to map Salesforce target fields based on the output of the source query.

Important: If you’re using Windows authentication, the service account running the ZappySys Data Gateway must have the appropriate permissions on the source system.

INSERT INTO Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         C_NAME AS Name,
         C_CITY AS BillingCity,
         C_LOC AS NumberofLocations__c  
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

This example demonstrates how to use the EnableBulkMode option to insert a large number of records into Salesforce using the Bulk API (Job-based mode). Additionally, it shows how to set a lookup field—specifically the Owner field—by referencing an external ID from the User object instead of using the internal Salesforce ID.

If you are performing an Update operation, you must include the Id field in the source data. If your source field has a different name, alias it to Id in the SQL query. For Upsert operations, you can specify a custom external ID field using the Key='ExternalId_Field_Name' option. However, for standard Update operations, the Id field is mandatory.

By default, data is written in batches of 200 rows. When Bulk API mode is enabled, up to 10,000 rows can be sent per batch. This improves performance for large datasets, but offers little advantage for smaller volumes.

In this example, the driver type is set to MSSQL. For other sources such as CSV, REST API, or Oracle, change the driver type to ODBC and adjust the connection string and query accordingly.

Make sure the query outputs column names that match the target fields in the Salesforce object. The EXTERNAL option is used to map input columns to Salesforce fields dynamically.

Important: If you’re using Windows authentication, ensure that the service account running the ZappySys Data Gateway has the appropriate access permissions on the source system.

INSERT INTO Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_Name as Name,
         AccountOwnerId as [Owner.ExternalId]
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

This example demonstrates how to use the EnableBulkMode option to delete a large number of records from Salesforce using the Bulk API (Job-based mode). To perform a delete operation, the source query must return the Id column. If your source column has a different name, make sure to alias it as Id in the SQL query.

By default, data is processed in batches of 200 rows. When Bulk API mode is enabled, batches can include up to 10,000 rows, which significantly improves performance when working with large datasets. However, for small volumes (a few hundred records), Bulk API mode may not offer a noticeable performance benefit.

In this example, the driver type is set to MSSQL. For other data sources such as CSV, REST API, or Oracle, set the driver type to ODBC and update the connection string and query as needed.

Ensure that the query output includes column names that match the target Salesforce object fields. The EXTERNAL option allows dynamic mapping of input columns to Salesforce fields based on the source query.

Important: If you’re using Windows authentication, make sure the service account running the ZappySys Data Gateway has the necessary permissions to access the data source.

DELETE FROM Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_ID as Id
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

This example illustrates how to use the EnableBulkMode option to update a large number of records in Salesforce via the Bulk API (Job-based mode). When performing an Update operation, the source query must include the Id column. If the source column is named differently, be sure to alias it as Id in your SQL query.

By default, records are processed in batches of 200 rows. When Bulk API mode is enabled, batches can handle up to 10,000 rows, which greatly improves performance for large datasets. However, for smaller datasets (e.g., a few hundred records), Bulk API may not offer a significant performance boost.

In this example, the driver type is set to MSSQL. For other sources such as CSV, REST API, or Oracle, change the driver type to ODBC and modify the connection string and query accordingly.

Ensure that your query returns column names matching the fields in the Salesforce target object. The EXTERNAL option is used to dynamically map input columns to Salesforce fields based on the query output.

Important: When using Windows authentication, the service account running the ZappySys Data Gateway must have the necessary permissions on the source system.

UPDATE Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_ID as Id,
         Account_Name as Name,
         City as BillingCity
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

This example shows how to use the EnableBulkMode option to update a large number of Salesforce records using the Bulk API (Job-based mode). In this scenario, we update a lookup field—specifically the Owner field—by referencing the external ID from the User object instead of using the internal Salesforce ID.

When performing an Update, the Id field must be included in the source data. If your source column has a different name, alias it as Id in the SQL query. For Upsert operations, you can specify a custom external ID using the Key='ExternalId_Field_Name' option. However, for standard Update operations, the Id field is required.

By default, the system processes 200 rows per batch. When EnableBulkMode is enabled, it can process up to 10,000 rows per batch, offering improved performance for large datasets. This mode is less effective for smaller data volumes.

In this example, the driver type is set to MSSQL. For other data sources (e.g., CSV, REST API, Oracle), change the driver type to ODBC and update the connection string and query as needed.

Ensure the query returns column names that match the fields in the target Salesforce object. The EXTERNAL option dynamically maps input columns to Salesforce fields based on the query output.

Important: If using Windows authentication, ensure the service account running the ZappySys Data Gateway has appropriate permissions on the source system.

UPDATE Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_ID as Id,
         Account_Name as Name,
         AccountOwnerId as [Owner.ExternalId]
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

This example demonstrates how to perform an INSERT operation in Salesforce using multiple input rows from an external data source such as MSSQL, ODBC, or OLEDB. The operation reads records via an external query and inserts them directly into Salesforce.

In this example, the driver type is set to MSSQL. For other systems like CSV, REST API, or Oracle, set the driver type to ODBC and update the connection string and query accordingly.

Ensure that the query returns column names that match the fields in the Salesforce target object. The EXTERNAL option is used to map these input columns to the corresponding Salesforce fields based on the source query output.

INSERT INTO Account
SOURCE (
    'ODBC',  -- External driver type: MSSQL, ODBC, or OLEDB
    'Driver={ZappySys CSV Driver};DataPath=c:\somefile.csv',  -- ODBC connection string
    '
    SELECT 
        Acct_Name AS Name,
        Billing_City AS BillingCity,
        Locations AS NumberofLocations__c
    FROM $
    WITH (
        -- Either use SRC to point to a file or use inline DATA. Comment out one as needed.
        
        -- Examples:
        -- SRC = ''c:\file_1.csv''
        -- SRC = ''c:\some*.csv''
        -- SRC = ''https://abc.com/api/somedata-in-csv''

        DATA = ''Acct_Name,Billing_City,Locations
        Account001,City001,1
        Account002,City002,2
        Account003,City003,3''
    )'
)
-- Notes:
-- Column aliases in SELECT must match Salesforce target fields.
-- Preview the Account object to verify available fields.

WITH (
    Output = 1,                -- Capture __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage for each record
    -- EnableBulkMode = 1,     -- Use Bulk API (recommended for 5,000+ rows)
    EnableParallelThreads = 1, -- Use multiple threads for real-time inserts
    MaxParallelThreads = 6     -- Set maximum number of threads
)

This example demonstrates how to set a lookup field value in Salesforce using an external ID rather than the internal Salesforce ID during DML operations such as INSERT, UPDATE, or UPSERT.

Typically, updating a lookup field requires the Salesforce ID of the related record. However, Salesforce also allows referencing a related record using an external ID field. To do this, use the following field name syntax:

[relationship_name.external_id_field_name(child_object_name)]

• relationship_name: The API name of the relationship (e.g., Owner or YourObject__r).
• external_id_field_name: A custom field on the related object, marked as External ID.
• child_object_name (optional): The API name of the related object. If omitted, Salesforce derives it from the relationship name (without the __r suffix).

Example:

To assign a record owner using a custom external ID on the User object:

Owner.SomeExternalId__c(User)

• Owner: The relationship name for the user record.
• SomeExternalId__c: A custom external ID field in the User object.
• User: The related (child) object name.

If you’re using the SOURCE(...) clause to read input data and enabling BulkApiMode=1 in the WITH(...) clause, you can omit the child object name. In that case, use the format:

relationship_name.external_id_field_name

Setting a Field to NULL:

To set a lookup or standard field to null, use:

FieldName = null

For example:

AccountId = null

Avoid using:

relation_name.external_id_name(target_table) = null

More Information:
For full details and examples, visit the official guide: ZappySys Docs - External ID in Lookup Fields

-- Upsert record into Salesforce Account object
UPSERT INTO Account (
    Name,
    BillingCity,
    [Owner.SomeExternalId__c(User)]  -- Use external ID field on related Owner (User) object
)
VALUES (
    'mycompany name',
    'New York',
    'K100'  -- External ID value of the User (Owner)
)
WITH (
    KEY = 'SupplierId__c',  -- External ID field used for UPSERT on Account object
    Output = 1              -- Return __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage for result diagnostics
)