The Integration User & Data Language

CRM Analytics needs a way to reach into your core Salesforce data and copy it into datasets. It does this through a special, system-created account called the Analytics Integration User. You will rarely interact with it directly, but understanding what it does — and its two big gotchas — will save you hours of confused debugging.

What the Integration User does

When you sync or replicate Salesforce objects into CRM Analytics, the platform does not use your login to read the data. Instead it authenticates as the Integration User and reads the objects and fields on your behalf, pulling records into the staging layer and ultimately into datasets.

Because this user is the engine behind every data sync, one rule is non-negotiable:

Standard fields work; custom fields do not — automatically

By default, the Integration User is provisioned with access to most standard Salesforce objects and fields. Sync an Account, an Opportunity, or a Case out of the box and it generally just works.

The trap is custom objects and custom fields. The Integration User does not automatically have read access to your custom schema. If you try to sync a custom object — or pull a custom field on a standard object — without granting that access first, the sync will warn or fail, and the field will silently come across empty.

Locale sets the language of your data values

Here is a subtle behavior that surprises even experienced admins. The Integration User has a locale setting, and that locale controls the language of the data values that get brought into your datasets.

To make the distinction concrete, CRM Analytics has two separate "languages" in play:

So if the Integration User's locale is set to, say, French, the stage values flowing into your dataset (the contents of records, not the column names) can come in translated to French — even while your dashboard labels appear in English because you are the running user. When picklist values show up in an unexpected language, the Integration User's locale is the first place to look.

Why this matters

The Integration User is the quiet workhorse of CRM Analytics. Treat it well — keep it active, grant it access to every custom object and field you sync, and set its locale intentionally — and your data will land clean and complete. Neglect any of those and you will chase blank columns and mysteriously translated picklists.

Next we meet the other special account CRM Analytics relies on: the Security User, which powers row-level security.