CustomerDataPlatformSettings Metadata in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

Salesforce Data Cloud (originally introduced as Customer Data Platform, hence the API name CustomerDataPlatformSettings) is the hyperscale data engine underlying Agentforce grounding, Unified Individual identity resolution, Calculated Insights, and Data Cloud-Triggered Flows.

The CustomerDataPlatformSettings metadata type (CustomerDataPlatform.settings-meta.xml) exposes the org-level feature toggles that activate Data Cloud capabilities inside the host Salesforce org. In enterprise DevOps pipelines that package Data Kits (DataPackageKitDefinition), Data Streams, or Apex ConnectApi.CdpQuery integrations, deploying CustomerDataPlatform.settings-meta.xml ensures the target scratch org or sandbox has Data Cloud services enabled before dependent Data Model Objects (__dlm) or Calculated Insights (__cio) are deployed.

SFDX Directory and File Suffix#

Key Metadata Fields#

CustomerDataPlatformSettings provides boolean switches for core Data Cloud services and cross-cloud connectors.

Declarative XML Example#

Below is a standard CustomerDataPlatform.settings-meta.xml file enabling Data Cloud core services, segment activations, Service Cloud intelligence, and zero-copy data sharing targets.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CustomerDataPlatformSettings xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <enableCdpForService>true</enableCdpForService>
    <enableCdpSegmentActivation>true</enableCdpSegmentActivation>
    <enableCustomerDataPlatform>true</enableCustomerDataPlatform>
    <enableDataShareTarget>true</enableDataShareTarget>
</CustomerDataPlatformSettings>

package.xml Manifest#

Reference CustomerDataPlatformSettings under the Settings metadata type with member CustomerDataPlatform:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>CustomerDataPlatform</members>
        <name>Settings</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

SFDX CLI Retrieval and Deployment#

Use Salesforce CLI to retrieve and deploy CustomerDataPlatformSettings:

# Retrieve CustomerDataPlatformSettings from a Data Cloud-enabled org
sf project retrieve start --metadata Settings:CustomerDataPlatform

# Deploy CustomerDataPlatformSettings to a target sandbox or scratch org
sf project deploy start --metadata Settings:CustomerDataPlatform

Architect Best Practices and Gotchas#

• Use Data Kits for DLO/DMO Packaging: While CustomerDataPlatformSettings enables the org-wide toggles, never attempt to deploy raw auto-generated __dlm (Data Model Object) or __dll (Data Lake Object) files directly without wrapping them in a Data Kit (DataPackageKitDefinition and DataPackageKitObject). Data Kits ensure Data Space bindings and field mappings activate cleanly in the target org.
• Permission Set Assignments: After enabling CustomerDataPlatformSettings, assign the Data Cloud Admin or Data Cloud Architect permission set to your deployment integration user before deploying Data Streams, Identity Resolution rulesets, or Calculated Insights.

Frequently asked questions

What Salesforce product is controlled by CustomerDataPlatformSettings?

CustomerDataPlatformSettings manages org-level preferences for Salesforce Data Cloud (formerly Salesforce CDP), which unifies customer data across Data Streams, Data Lake Objects (DLOs), and Data Model Objects (DMOs).

Where is CustomerDataPlatformSettings stored in an SFDX repository?

It is stored at force-app/main/default/settings/CustomerDataPlatform.settings-meta.xml and referenced in package.xml under the Settings metadata type with member CustomerDataPlatform.

Why is this metadata type named CustomerDataPlatformSettings instead of DataCloudSettings?

Salesforce preserves the original API name CustomerDataPlatformSettings for backward compatibility in Metadata API even after rebranding Salesforce CDP to Salesforce Data Cloud.

Can CustomerDataPlatformSettings provision a full Data Cloud instance in a scratch org?

In scratch orgs with Data Cloud licenses and features enabled, deploying CustomerDataPlatformSettings activates the core metadata switches so Data Kit components, DLOs, and DMOs can be deployed and tested.