Access Conversation Data

The data for enhanced conversations in Salesforce are saved in on-platform and off-platform objects. Refer to the Messaging Object Model to see which type of data is stored in on-platform versus off-platform objects. We provide tools to help you query, report on, or export this information regardless of where it’s stored.

All on-platform conversation objects are queryable using SOQL, and many are also available through Salesforce standard reporting. For help setting up reports that you can use to track response time, handle time, and other KPIs, see Report on Messaging Activity in Service Cloud.

Off-platform data, such as the actual messages exchanged in a conversation, is not available through SOQL or standard reporting.

There are three supported ways to access off-platform data:

Salesforce provides two APIs for accessing conversation data: the newer Conversation Data GET API and the Conversation Entries Connect Rest API. This section will detail the differences between these APIs and outline their respective limitations for retrieving conversation data.

When choosing an API for your integration, keep the following timing and availability factors in mind. Both the Conversation Data GET API and the Connect REST API provide near real-time access to conversation data as it is generated. However, voice call entries are only associated with the voice call record after the call ends. Therefore, you may not be able to retrieve conversation entries for voice calls until the call has concluded.

The Conversation Data GET API is planned to eventually replace the legacy Connect REST API. While no end-of-support date has been set for the Connect API, we strongly recommend building all new data access integrations using this new GET API.

The Conversation Data GET API provides a key functional advantage in that it returns the full conversation entry payload, including all conversation entry types (such as rich content, URLs, bot messages, and bot selections) that the legacy Connect API omits. Transcripts returned via the Connect REST API are text-only, and don't include rich content or bot messages.

The rate limits for these APIs also differ. The Conversation Data GET API rate limit is currently 90 requests per user per minute. In contrast, the Connect REST API rate limit varies by organization but is generally higher and is evaluated over a 24-hour period rather than per minute. Please note that while the Connect API limit is currently higher, there are plans to increase the rate limit for the Conversation Data GET API in the future to meet enterprise requirements.

Sync your off-platform conversation data to Data Cloud. After off-platform conversation data is synced to Data Cloud, you can:

  • Analyze your messages using Data Cloud Reports.
  • Export the data programmatically via Data Cloud APIs.

While Service Cloud's direct APIs are ideal for near real-time access to individual records, Data Cloud is best for exporting large batches or chunks of data at once and its use for conversation data comes at no additional cost for most customers.

Note: It can take up to an hour for conversation data to become visible in Data Cloud.

Conversation data uses a minimal amount of Data Cloud capacity. If your Salesforce edition includes free Data Cloud, in many cases, the capacity used to store your off-platform conversation data comfortably fits within the limits of the free tier.

To sync off-platform conversation data to Data Cloud:

  1. Enable access to conversation transcripts in Data Cloud. See Analyze Conversation Transcripts in Data Cloud for steps on how to enable access.
  2. Create Data Streams for Conversation Transcripts.

To download all of your conversation data from all time, the bulk export tool is the best option. The tool performs a complete export of message data and can only be used once every 7 days. The tool is best used for archival or compliance use cases and not frequent syncing.

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