Salesforce Data Access (UI bundles)

Salesforce Data Access (UI bundles)

All Salesforce data access in a UI bundle goes through the @salesforce/​platform-sdk data SDK. The SDK handles auth, CSRF, and base-URL resolution, and — on the WebApp surface — caches every GraphQL query by default.

This file is the workflow + guardrail spine. Depth lives in linked docs:

• references/​graphiti-cli.md — the graphiti CLI (sf-gql-* commands) that compiles a small JSON spec into a schema-correct, guardrail-applied query + variables + types. The preferred way to author the GraphQL in steps below; falls back to the schema-grep script when unavailable.
• references/​sdk-api.md — query/mutate call surface + generated-type placement; the behavior nuance (surfaces, error stances, QueryResult) grounds on tier-2b.
• references/​caching.md — the on-by-default cache + two refresh modes; behavior grounds on tier-2b docs/​data/ when installed, with the full version-stamped fallback here.
• references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md — schema lookup, read / mutation templates, every platform guardrail (@optional, pagination, limits, semi-join, wrappers, error table…).
• references/​rest-and-integration.md — sdk.fetch, the supported-API allowlist, and the reactive/​lifecycle integration patterns.
• references/​migration.md — old @salesforce/​sdk-data callable code → new namespace. The only place the dead API appears as usable code.

The one-paragraph mental model

const sdk = await createDataSDK(). Then sdk.graphql is a namespace, not a function: sdk.graphql!.query({...}) for reads, sdk.graphql!.mutate({...}) for writes. On WebApp, every query() is cached by default (300s). HTTP 200 never means success — always check result.errors. Verify every entity and field against the schema before you query it: one unverified field fails the whole query at runtime, and schema.graphql is too large to eyeball — look it up.

import { createDataSDK, gql } from "@salesforce/​platform-sdk"; // gql tags the query string so codegen + eslint validate it

const sdk = await createDataSDK();
const result = await sdk.graphql!.query({ query: GET_ACCOUNTS, variables });
if (result.errors?.length) throw new Error(result.errors.map((e) => e.message).join("; "));
const rows = result.data?.uiapi?.query?.Account?.edges?.map((e) => e.node) ?? []; // unwrap edges/​node; read field values via .value

Typed call params (query<GetAccountsQuery, GetAccountsQueryVariables>), the CacheControl type, and NodeOfConnection<T> (extracts a node type from a Connection for clean typing) all live in references/​sdk-api.md.

This changed (breaking — PR #502). The previous callable sdk.graphql(...) form and the previous package name are dead — the code above is the only correct form. If you encounter the old API in existing code (or a stale dist/ artifact), don't copy it; convert it per Working on existing code.

sdk.graphql! is WebApp-only. The non-null assertion above is correct only if the bundle runs solely on WebApp. On other surfaces it can crash — decide before you write it. See Surfaces — ! vs guard below.

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Ground the SDK contract on the installed types (tier-2a)

@salesforce/​platform-sdk force-publishes on a shared version line and moves fast. This SKILL's prose is a point-in-time snapshot of the call contract; the installed declarations are authoritative for the version you actually have. Before writing any query/mutate, read the installed types and let them win:

• node_modules/​@salesforce/​platform-sdk/​dist/​core/​data.d.ts — query/mutate signatures, QueryResult (has subscribe/refresh) vs MutationResult (has neither, by design), the CacheControl union, the default TTL.
• node_modules/​@salesforce/​platform-sdk/​dist/​data/​index.d.ts — createDataSDK, gql, NodeOfConnection.

Precedence — installed .d.ts beats this SKILL's prose. If a signature, type, or default here disagrees with the installed declaration, follow the declaration and note the drift; do not "correct" the types to match the prose.

Grounding ladder (one model, two axes):

Fallback when the .d.ts is absent — the package is installed but ships no declarations (a stale or types-stripped build artifact). Then use this SKILL's prose as best-effort. This fallback does not cover a missing package: if @salesforce/​platform-sdk isn't installed, stop and install it (Precondition #1) — do not author calls from prose against a dependency you don't have.

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Ground the SDK behavior on the installed docs (tier-2b)

The same package ships an authored behavior guide beside its types: node_modules/​@salesforce/​platform-sdk/​docs/​data/ (numbered files, read them in order). Tier-2a's .d.ts fixes the call contract; this folder is authoritative for the behavior the contract doesn't spell out — the caching model, the surface !-vs-guard decision, error-handling stances, the migration mindset. Read it before choosing a caching policy, a surface assertion, or an error stance, and let it win — same precedence as tier-2a (the installed source beats this prose; when present it's the fuller, version-current copy).

Fallback when the folder is absent (older SDK, or a types-only build): this SKILL keeps a thin per-behavior fallback — below and in each section — sized only to keep you moving; act on it. As with tier-2a, a missing package is different: if @salesforce/​platform-sdk isn't installed, stop and install it (Precondition #1).

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Surfaces — sdk.graphql! vs guard

sdk.graphql / sdk.fetch are genuinely optional (typed graphql?: …), and whether you may assert them with ! is a runtime-crash decision — make it before writing any query/mutate. Fallback rule: WebApp-only bundle → sdk.graphql! is safe; any bundle that might run off-WebApp (Mosaic / OpenAI / MCPApps) → guard first (if (!sdk.graphql) return …), then call. If you cannot prove WebApp-only, guard — a bare ! that later ships elsewhere throws Cannot read properties of undefined and TypeScript won't catch it (same for sdk.fetch!).

The surface matrix, the portable guard snippet, and the full reasoning ground on tier-2b docs/​data/ (fallback above); the guard snippet is also in references/​sdk-api.md.

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Step 0 — Route the task

GraphQL covers far more than record reads and writes — prefer it for anything the uiapi namespace exposes (see Beyond record CRUD). Reach for REST only when the data genuinely lives outside uiapi (Apex REST, file upload, Einstein) — see references/​rest-and-integration.md.

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Preconditions — verify before writing any query

<skill-dir> below is wherever this skill is installed (the directory this SKILL.md loaded from). The schema-lookup script ships inside it. The script does not hunt for schema.graphql by walking up the tree — an ancestor schema can belong to a different org and would validate fields against the wrong one. Resolve the schema explicitly: run from the SFDX project root (where schema.graphql lives), or pass --schema <path> / set GRAPHQL_SCHEMA=<path>. The script echoes the schema it resolved ([graphql-search] using schema: … on stderr) — glance at it to confirm you grounded against the right file.

If preconditions aren't met you may still scaffold components, routes, and layout — but use empty arrays / null for data, mark query sites with // TODO: add query after schema verification, and add a plan item to return. Do not write GraphQL strings until the schema workflow is complete.

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Read workflow

1. Look up the schema first — never guess a name. Preferred (graphiti): when the exact API name is at all uncertain, list before you describe — npx graphiti sf-gql-discover '{"org":"<alias>","mode":"list_objects","search":"<intent>"}' to find the real name, then npx graphiti sf-gql-discover '{"org":"<alias>","mode":"describe_object","object":"<Entity>"}' for exact field/​type names, picklist values, filterable/​sortable. An empty list or missing object is a fact about the org (wrong name or not deployed), not a tool failure — re-list or forceRefresh; do not fall back to the script for this (see guardrail 2). Fallback is only for a CLI that genuinely can't run (no graphiti dep / org won't prime): bash <skill-dir>/​scripts/​graphql-search.sh <Entity> from the SFDX project root. (Full rules: references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md.)

2. Write the query. Preferred — compile it with graphiti: npx graphiti sf-gql-list '{"org":"<alias>","object":"<Entity>","fields":[…],"first":N}' returns a { query, variables, types, warnings } envelope with @optional, value/displayValue, edges/​node, and first:/pageInfo already applied. Confirm warnings: [] (a non-empty array means the object wasn't in the primed schema — the query is degraded; don't ship it), then paste the query verbatim into inline gql (simple) or an external .graphql file (one operation per file, imported with the bundler's ?raw suffix — import Q from "./​q.graphql?raw" brings the file in as a plain string). Fallback — hand-author: apply @optional to every selectable FLS-gated field — scalar leaf fields (Name @optional { value }) and parent/​child relationships and the fields inside them — but NOT on Id, on connection plumbing (edges, node, the connection field itself), or on pageInfo; the graphiti output leaves those bare and is the canonical placement. Always set first:, include pageInfo if it may page. Either way, full mechanics and the primed-vs-degraded behavior: references/​graphiti-cli.md.

3. Generate types — npm run graphql:codegen (from the UI bundle dir) → src/​api/​graphql-operations-types.ts.

4. Call query() with the generated types:

   import type { GetAccountsQuery, GetAccountsQueryVariables } from "../​graphql-operations-types";
   
   const result = await sdk.graphql!.query<GetAccountsQuery, GetAccountsQueryVariables>({
     query: GET_ACCOUNTS,
     variables: { first: 20 },
     // cacheControl,            // optional — see Freshness & caching
   });
   

5. Handle the result. result.data + result.errors are the initial snapshot; result.subscribe / result.refresh are the reactive handles. Always check errors before reading data:

   if (result.errors?.length) throw new Error(result.errors.map((e) => e.message).join("; "));
   const rows = result.data?.uiapi?.query?.Account?.edges?.map((e) => e.node) ?? [];
   

Defend consuming code with ?./?? (because @optional can omit fields). Error-handling stances (strict / tolerant / discriminated) ground on tier-2b docs/​data/ (fallback: guardrail #1 — always check result.errors); NodeOfConnection typing in references/​sdk-api.md.

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Write workflow

1–3 as above (schema lookup → write the mutation → codegen). To compile the mutation with graphiti, use sf-gql-create / sf-gql-update / sf-gql-delete — they emit the uiapi { <Object>Create(input: $input) { Record {…} } } shape; the types field tells you the input shape. Details: references/​graphiti-cli.md. 4. Call mutate() — note the option key is mutation, not query, and that mutations are never cached. The runtime variables shape differs per operation — values are raw (never {value}-wrapped; that wrapper is a read-shape thing and breaks writes) and nest under the entity key:

// create — input.<Entity> holds the new field values
variables: { input: { Account: { Name: "Acme", Industry: "Technology" } } }
// update — sibling Id alongside the entity key
variables: { input: { Id: "001…", Account: { Industry: "Finance" } } }
// delete — Id only, no entity key (generic RecordDeleteInput)
variables: { input: { Id: "001…" } }

const { data, errors } = await sdk.graphql!.mutate<CreateAccountMutation, CreateAccountMutationVariables>({
  mutation: CREATE_ACCOUNT,
  variables: { input: { Account: { Name: "Acme" } } },
});
if (errors?.length) throw new Error(errors.map((e) => e.message).join("; "));

This is the variables shape the spine owns; the CLI types-field interpretation is in references/​graphiti-cli.md and the GraphQL-document field constraints (createable/updateable, ApiName references, @{alias} chaining) in references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md. 5. Re-freshen affected reads. mutate() has no refresh. To update a live list after a write, hold the QueryResult from your earlier query() call (e.g. accountsResult) and call await accountsResult.refresh() (forced re-fetch, pushes to subscribers) — note this is the read's handle, not anything mutate() returns. See Freshness & caching.

Mutation syntax is exacting: wrap under uiapi(input: { allOrNone: ... }), only createable/updateable fields, Create/​Update output is always Record but Delete has no Record field — select Id only. Full template + chaining + constraints: references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md.

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Beyond record CRUD

The uiapi namespace is not just record reads/​writes. Before reaching for REST, check whether GraphQL already covers it — the same sdk.graphql!.query() call, different sub-selection. The top-level uiapi fields:

Same rules as record reads: verify every type/​field first, @optional where FLS applies, check result.errors. Aggregations can be compiled with npx graphiti sf-gql-aggregate (pass groupBy + aggregations); object metadata / picklists / related lists are hand-authored — templates: references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md.

Two related capabilities (the current-user record and layout delivery) need confirmation against a current org schema before this skill documents a query shape — tracked as a follow-up, not yet covered here.

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Freshness & caching

Ground the cache model on tier-2b docs/​data/ — cache-key mechanics, what-gets-cached, the shared-by-baseUrl details, uncached-surface semantics, and the reactive-handle nuance all live there (references/​caching.md restates it as a version-stamped fallback). The load-bearing fallback (enough to act when the folder is absent):

• Caching is ON by default on WebApp — every query() cached at 300s; no opt-in flag, no factory, no /​cache subpath. Do not build your own cache (React Query, SWR, localStorage, hand-rolled Map). mutate() is never cached.
• Shared by host + API version — the same query+variables from another createDataSDK() targeting the same host and apiVersion is a cache hit = one network call; the per-instance fetch pipeline stays isolated.
• Two distinct freshness tools — don't conflate them:
  1. Per-call cacheControl (one-shot policy on the options bag): "no-cache" (bypass, writes back) / "only-if-cached" / { type: "max-age", maxAge: <seconds> }; default 300s. Thread it as an optional param on the read fn and expose each policy as a thin named export in the same data-layer file (refreshAccounts → "no-cache", offlineAccounts → "only-if-cached", …). An "only-if-cached" miss surfaces on result.errors with extensions.code === "CACHE_MISS" — render an empty state, do not fall back to the network (that defeats offline-first).
  2. Reactive subscribe / refresh (live handle on a QueryResult): subscribe(cb) fires on later snapshots only (always unsubscribe on teardown); refresh() re-fetches, bypasses the cache, pushes to subscribers — use it after a mutate() (which has no refresh). Multi-subscriber fan-out / independence ground on tier-2b docs/​data/.

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Working on existing code (migration)

Only enter this path if the existing code actually uses the old API — i.e. it imports @salesforce/​sdk-data or calls the callable sdk.graphql(query, vars) form. For any new read/​write, ignore migration entirely and use the Read workflow / Write workflow — those already show the only correct API.

When you do have old code to convert, see references/​migration.md for the before→after diff (imports, query/​mutate calls, optional-chaining → non-null assertion, codegen type placement) and a checklist. The target API is exactly what the Read/​Write workflows above prescribe — migrating is just swapping the old form for that.

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Platform guardrails — never regress these

These are Salesforce GraphQL platform behaviors, independent of the SDK. Violations cause silent runtime failures. (Details + templates: references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md.)

1. HTTP 200 ≠ success — always parse result.errors; the Promise resolves even on failure.
2. Schema is the only source of truth — verify, never invent. Verify every entity/​field/​type via graphiti sf-gql-discover (preferred) or bash <skill-dir>/​scripts/​graphql-search.sh <Entity> before use. Case-sensitive; __c/__e; _Record entity suffix (v60+). When graphiti is primed, a "not found"/​empty/Cannot query field answer (including from graphql-codegen/@graphql-eslint, even when the message points at schema.graphql) is a fact about the org — wrong name or undeployed/​inaccessible metadata, not a tool failure: fix the operation, or deploy the metadata (the platform-metadata-deploy skill)
   • assign perms + refresh (sf-gql-connect --forceRefresh / npm run graphql:schema). Do not fall back to the script, hand-author around it, or guess a name — a guessed entity or field silently fails the whole query at runtime; if lookups aren't converging, ask the user rather than keep spiraling. schema.graphql and the codegen output (src/​api/​graphql-operations-types.ts) are read-only generated mirrors — never open or edit them (honor any # DO NOT EDIT marker). Hand-adding a missing type satisfies codegen/​lint but grants no org access; it just hides the failure until runtime. Fall back to the script only when the CLI can't run at all (no dep / SCHEMA_PRIME_FAILED).
3. @optional on every FLS-gated field at each nesting level — scalar leaf fields plus each parent/​child relationship and the fields inside it (FLS fails the whole query otherwise, v65+). Do NOT decorate Id, the connection plumbing (edges, node, the connection field), or pageInfo — those are not FLS-gated and the graphiti output leaves them bare. Consume with ?./??. Placement rules: references/​graphql-hand-authoring.md.
4. Mutations wrap under uiapi(input: { allOrNone: ... }); set allOrNone explicitly; output excludes child/​navigated-reference fields; the output field is literally named Record (unrelated to the _Record entity suffix in rule 2) — Delete → Id only. GA v66+.
5. Explicit pagination — always set first:, because the server silently caps at 10 and you'll drop rows with no error; forward-only (first/after, no last/before); upperBound (v59+) raises the per-request ceiling for large sets (when set, first must be 200–2000).
6. SOQL governor limits apply — uiapi queries compile to SOQL, so the same governor limits are inherited: ≤10 subqueries, ≤5 child→parent levels, ≤1 parent→child level, ≤2,000 records/​subquery. Split into multiple requests if you'd exceed them.
7. Field value wrappers — read the raw value via .value; displayValue is the server-formatted string for UI. When a field is both shown and operated on (currency, dates, picklists), select both value and displayValue so you don't reformat on the client. Display-only fields can take just displayValue.
8. Compound fields — filter/​order on constituents (BillingCity), not the wrapper (BillingAddress).
9. Supported APIs only — GraphQL (uiapi), UI API REST, Apex REST, Connect REST, Einstein LLM via sdk.fetch. NOT: Enterprise SOQL /​query, Aura-enabled Apex, Chatter (use uiapi.currentUser). See references/​rest-and-integration.md.

One SDK convention lives in the workflows, not this list (it's not a platform behavior): always run npm run graphql:codegen and use the generated types after writing an operation (Read workflow step 3). Also in the Pre-flight checklist.

graphiti applies most of these for you. When you compile a query with sf-gql-* against an object that's in the primed schema, rules 3 (@optional), 4 (mutation Record output envelope and entity-keyed input — not allOrNone, which you still add yourself), 5 (first:/pageInfo), and 7 (value/displayValue wrappers) come out already satisfied — which is exactly why you paste the query verbatim rather than re-deriving it. Rules 1 (check result.errors), 6 (governor limits), 8 (compound fields), and 9 (supported APIs) are still on you. And the automation only fires when the object is primed: a non-empty warnings array means it isn't, and the emitted query is degraded (bare fields, no guardrails) — see references/​graphiti-cli.md.

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Commands & layout

<skill-dir>/                            ← wherever this skill is installed
└── scripts/​graphql-search.sh           ← schema lookup (ships with the skill)

<project-root>/                         ← SFDX project root; run the script from here
├── schema.graphql                      ← generated mirror; grep target (never open or edit; script reads ./​schema.graphql)
└── force-app/​main/​default/​uiBundles/<app>/   ← UI bundle dir
    ├── package.json                    ← npm scripts
    └── src/​api/                        ← queries, generated types, SDK calls

Pre-flight checklist

• Surface decided: sdk.graphql! only if WebApp-only; otherwise guard with if (!sdk.graphql) … (Surfaces)
• SDK contract grounded on installed dist/​*.d.ts (types win over prose) (tier-2a)
• SDK behavior grounded on installed docs/​data/ (docs win over prose; fallback if absent) (tier-2b)
• Every field/​entity verified — sf-gql-discover (preferred) or graphql-search.sh (fallback, against the right schema)
• If compiled with graphiti: warnings: [] confirmed (non-empty = degraded query, don't ship); query pasted verbatim
• @optional on FLS-gated fields + relationships (NOT Id/edges/node/pageInfo); ?./?? in consuming code
• result.errors checked before reading result.data
• Caching considered: default 300s OK, or cacheControl / refresh chosen deliberately
• npm run graphql:codegen run; generated types used; npx eslint passes