--- title: Salesforce app setup description: Setup guide for Ren Alerts in Salesforce plugin. --- [Skip to content](https://help.rensystems.com/salesforce-app-setup#main-content) [Contact support](https://help.rensystems.com/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [![Ren Logo Light (1) (2)](https://help.rensystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ren%20Logo%20Light%20(1)%20(2).png?width=120&height=38&name=Ren%20Logo%20Light%20(1)%20(2).png)](https://help.rensystems.com?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact support](https://help.rensystems.com/kb-tickets/new) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Ren Help Center](https://help.rensystems.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [Enterprise configuration](https://help.rensystems.com/enterprise-configuration?hsLang=en) # Salesforce app setup This article covers the technical details of the Salesforce app. For an overview of the features, see [Salesforce app overview](https://help.rensystems.com/salesforce-app?hsLang=en).  ### Usage Configurations This app has two usage configurations depending on your enabled scopes: | Scopes | What's Enabled | | --- | --- | | `crm` | Sync Contacts and Accounts from Salesforce to Ren | | `crm` + `crm_alerts` | Sync Contacts and Accounts **and** view alerts on Home, Contact, and Account pages | **Key capabilities with `crm` enabled:** - Manage and test the SOQL queries configured to sync contacts and accounts from Salesforce into Ren **Key capabilities with `crm_alerts` enabled (in addition to the above):** - View alerts on Contact and Account records as well as Ren feeds on the Salesforce Home - Compose AI-assisted reach-out emails directly from an alert - Share alert links with colleagues > **Note:** This package is an API-only architecture. No Ren alert data is stored in Salesforce. All alerts are fetched live from the Ren API and rendered on-demand. The only data the app writes locally are optional error logs and optional email activity Task records (both `crm_alerts`-only — see [Data Written to Salesforce](https://claude.ai/chat/fc714754-b628-4b7e-addf-2e7416eb7c7b#data-written-to-salesforce) in the Reference section below). #### Prerequisites - Salesforce Enterprise Edition or higher (Lightning Experience required) - A Ren organization account with CRM API keys (provided by Ren) ### Installation & Setup #### ![](https://help.rensystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png.png?width=670&height=499&name=image-png.png) Note: Only enabling `crm` for sync? Skip any step marked **crm\_alerts only**. ### Step 1: Install the Package Install the RenAlerts managed package via the install URL provided by your Ren account team. On install, the **Ren Alerts Admin** permission set is automatically assigned to all active System Administrators. ### Step 2: Assign Permission Sets - **Ren Alerts Admin** — confirm this is assigned to the admin(s) who will manage sync queries and settings (auto-assigned on install for System Administrators). - **Ren Alerts User** *(crm\_alerts only)* — assign to end users manually or via a Salesforce Flow, so they can view alerts, compose emails, and share links. ### Step 3: Enter API Keys Go to **Setup → Named Credentials → External Credentials → Ren API** and enter your `X-Ren-Access-Key-ID` and `X-Ren-Secret-Access-Key`. ### Step 4: Configure the External Client App Go to **Setup → External Client Apps → Ren Alerts** and: - Add relevant user profiles to "Selected Profiles" - Set refresh token to "valid until revoked" - Enable "Admin approved users are pre-authorized" ### Step 5: Configure Sync Queries Set up the SOQL queries that define which Contacts and Accounts sync to Ren (use the `{current_user_id}` placeholder). See the Setup Guide's Query Configuration section. ### Step 6: Add Page Layouts *(crm\_alerts only)* Add the Ren Alerts components to Contact/Account record pages and a Home page using Lightning App Builder. ### Step 7: Configure Optional Settings *(crm\_alerts only)* Configure in Setup → Custom Metadata Types → Ren Alerts Settings → Defaults: - **Email Preference** — Salesforce (send via Apex) or Mailto (open user's email client; default) - **Track Email Activity** — Creates Task records for emails sent through Ren Alerts - **Enable Error Logging** — Captures API errors in the Error Logs tab (available regardless of scope, but most relevant alongside alerts) ### Step 8: Connect Each End User Each end-user must complete a one-time OAuth connection: **Ren Settings → Integrations → Connect Salesforce** in the Ren web app. This applies regardless of scope — it's what allows Ren to sync Contacts and Accounts from Salesforce. Sandbox Testing For testing in a sandbox, install the app as usual with the instructions above. When connecting a user account via OAuth, you'll be prompted to log in on the "[login.salesforce.com](http://login.salesforce.com)" page. For sandbox testing only, select "Use Custom Domain" then use your sandbox URL like `https://your-salesforce-domain.sandbox.my.salesforce.com`. This will direct you to the appropriate login page to connect your sandbox user account into Ren. Troubleshooting ### Sync Issues (`crm`) | Symptom | Likely Cause | Resolution | | --- | --- | --- | | "Unable to reach Ren API" | Named Credential or External Credential not configured | Verify the Named Credential URL and API keys | | HTTP 401 or 403 errors | Invalid or expired API keys | Re-enter API keys in the External Credential | | Dry-run query fails | SOQL syntax error or field not accessible | Verify query syntax and field-level security for the selected user | ### Alerts Issues (`crm_alerts`) | Symptom | Likely Cause | Resolution | | --- | --- | --- | | "Connect Ren" shown to a user | User does not have a Ren account yet (common with SSO), or Salesforce email doesn't match the Ren account email | Ensure the user has signed up for Ren and that email addresses match across both systems | | "Connect Salesforce to Ren" message | User hasn't completed the OAuth connection | User can click the “Connect” button the Salesforce component to be guided through steps or go to Ren Settings → Integrations → Connect Salesforce | | "Contact support" error | `crm_alerts` scope not enabled | Contact your Ren account team to enable the scope | | Alerts not loading | API timeout or rate limiting | Check the Error Logs tab for details; contact your Ren account team if the issue persists | Error Diagnostics - Enable error logging: Custom Metadata → Ren Alerts Settings → `Enable_Error_Logging__c` = true - View logs in the Error Logs tab (Admin only) — filterable by date range and user email - Export up to 2,000 log records as CSV --- ### Reference: How It Works #### Authentication The app includes a built-in OAuth app, so there is no need for your organization to create a Connected App or share OAuth credentials — Ren handles this automatically. The app uses Salesforce Named Credentials and External Credentials to securely communicate with the Ren API. - Ren API keys (`X-Ren-Access-Key-ID` and `X-Ren-Secret-Access-Key`) are stored in an External Credential in your Salesforce instance — encrypted and platform-managed by Salesforce - All API calls go over HTTPS to the configured Named Credential URL - Each request is automatically scoped to the logged-in user's email address #### How Users Connect Each end-user must also have an active Salesforce ↔ Ren OAuth connection (Step 8 above). This OAuth connection allows Ren to sync Contacts and Accounts from Salesforce. This applies regardless of which scopes are enabled. ### Reference: Data Access #### Read from Salesforce | Object | Fields | Purpose | Scope | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Contact | Id, FirstName, LastName, Email, Phone, Title, Account (Id, Name, Website) | Used when adding a Contact to Ren or searching for email recipients | `crm` | | Account | Id, Name, Website | Used when adding an Account to Ren | `crm` | | User | Id, Name, Email | Used in the admin query dry-run tool | `crm` | | PermissionSetAssignment | Id, AssigneeId, PermissionSetId | Used during post-install to assign admin permissions, and in the setup guide to verify user permission set status | `crm` | All SOQL queries run with `WITH USER_MODE`, meaning they respect your org's field-level security and sharing rules. #### Data Written to Salesforce | Object | When | Purpose | Scope | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Task | Only when email activity tracking is enabled | Logs email outreach as a Task (Subject, Description, Contact link) | `crm_alerts` only | | `Ren_Error_Log__c` (custom) | Only when error logging is enabled | Captures API errors for admin diagnostics | Either | The app does **not** create or modify Contact or Account records, create custom fields on standard objects, or write to any standard object besides Task (and only when opted in). #### Sent to Ren - User email (for scoping requests to the correct user) - Contact/Account IDs and names (when syncing entities to Ren or composing reach-out emails — the latter is `crm_alerts` only) - SOQL sync query configuration (admin-defined queries that determine which Contacts/Accounts to sync from Salesforce to Ren) ### Reference: Permission Model | Permission Set | Assigned To | Access | Required For | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ren Alerts Admin | System Administrators (auto-assigned on install) | Setup wizard, query configuration, error logs, settings | `crm` and `crm_alerts` | | Ren Alerts User | End users (assigned manually or via Flow) | View alerts, compose emails, share links | `crm_alerts` only | > **Tip:** Use a Salesforce Flow to auto-assign the Ren Alerts User permission set to new users, so you don't have to do it manually each time. - [Getting started](https://help.rensystems.com/getting-started?hsLang=en) - [Adding contacts](https://help.rensystems.com/adding-contacts?hsLang=en) - [Feed optimization](https://help.rensystems.com/feed-optimization?hsLang=en) - [Sharing, research, & outreach](https://help.rensystems.com/sharing-research-outreach?hsLang=en) - [Enterprise configuration](https://help.rensystems.com/enterprise-configuration?hsLang=en) - [Frequently asked questions](https://help.rensystems.com/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en) [![Ren Systems](https://help.rensystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Untitled-1_WHITE_ON_BLACK.png?width=200&height=200&name=Untitled-1_WHITE_ON_BLACK.png "Ren Systems")](http://www.rensystems.com) Copyright © 2025, Ren Systems