Why Your Salesforce to SAP DS Connection Just Stopped Playing Nice

You’ve done nothing wrong. Your job server’s humming along, your SAP BODS configuration hasn’t changed, and Salesforce is... ignoring you. No errors that make sense, no polite warnings — just broken pipelines and failed extractions.

If you're wondering why your Salesforce to SAP Data Services (DS) connection is suddenly acting like it's on strike, here's the answer: Salesforce is retiring the legacy APIs your integration relies on. - Let’s break it down.

Salesforce + SAP Data Services Adapter Retirement Video

The Short Version

Salesforce is deprecating Platform API versions 21.0 through 30.0. These APIs are scheduled to be retired by Summer 2025, which means any integration depending on them — including the native Salesforce adapter in SAP DS — is on borrowed time.

If your data pipeline relies on that native adapter, it’s not a matter of if it stops working. It’s when.

Why Salesforce Is Retiring the APIs

Legacy APIs are maintenance-heavy, security-light, and not built for today’s scale. Retiring them lets Salesforce streamline its architecture, improve platform-wide security, and shift dev resources to newer, supported features.

Logical? Yes. Convenient? Not even a little — especially if your SAP DS environment hasn’t been touched in a while.

What Happens If You Do Nothing?

Once these API versions are retired:

• Your data jobs will fail silently (or loudly).

• Critical reporting pipelines will miss source data.

• Integration teams will be pulled into a fire drill you could have avoided.

And no, there’s no patch coming from SAP for the native Salesforce adapter. Once the APIs go, so does the connection.

So, Now What?

Here’s the part where Simba steps in.

The Simba Salesforce Adapter for SAP Data Services is designed specifically for this use case. It connects SAP DS to Salesforce using current, supported APIs — no manual workarounds, no brittle scripts, no duct tape.

✅ Compatible with current Salesforce APIs ✅ Built for SAP DS 4.3 SP1+ ✅ Supports secure credential handling and configurable memory ✅ Actively maintained by insightsoftware

In other words, it works. And it keeps working. Get the full specs here →

Installation: Straightforward, Not Simplistic

The Simba adapter doesn’t require an overhaul. You install it on your job server, configure it through SAP DS Administrator, and connect via SAP DS Designer. Here’s the high-level flow:

1. Install the MSI on your job server (must support adapters).

2. Configure the instance in Data Services Administrator.

3. Point to the adapter in your Data Store config.

4. Authenticate to Salesforce (username + token).

5. Re-import tables, rewire your dataflows, and you’re operational.

The webinar demo walks through the entire process — from install to test job.

What About My Existing Jobs?

If you’ve been using the native Salesforce adapter in SAP DS, you’ll need to reimport your metadata using the Simba adapter and rebuild your dataflows accordingly. It’s not plug-and-play — but it’s a one-time cleanup that future-proofs your integration.

And it beats waking up to broken pipelines six months from now.

Bottom Line

• The event: Salesforce is retiring API versions 21.0–30.0.

• The impact: Native SAP DS adapters relying on those versions will stop working by Summer 2025.

• The solution: Replace the native adapter with the Simba Salesforce Adapter, designed to work with supported APIs and SAP DS 4.3+.

You don’t need a major rebuild. You just need a connector that still speaks Salesforce’s language.

Get the adapter →

Or, if you’d prefer a walkthrough before touching production, the recorded demo has you covered.