DataSourceTenant Metadata Type in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

In enterprise Salesforce Data Cloud architectures, a single logical connector (DataSource) often ingests data from specific tenant instances—such as multiple Salesforce CRM orgs in a hub-and-spoke topology, distinct Marketing Cloud Engagement Business Units (MIDs), or B2C Commerce realms. The DataSourceTenant metadata type captures the binding between a logical DataSource and a physical external tenant identifier.

For Technical Architects, DataSourceTenant is critical for multi-org governance and lineage tracking. When records flow from three regional Salesforce CRM orgs into a unified Individual Data Model Object, the tenant configuration underpins the DataSourceObject lineage and ensures records are tagged with the correct source tenant qualifier.

SFDX Directory and File Suffix#

Key Metadata Fields#

Declarative XML and Package.xml Examples#

DataSourceTenant Metadata File#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DataSourceTenant xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <dataSource>Salesforce_CRM_EMEA</dataSource>
    <description>EMEA Regional Sales Cloud Production Org Tenant Binding</description>
    <externalRecordIdentifier>00D8d000008xyz1EAA</externalRecordIdentifier>
    <masterLabel>EMEA Sales Cloud Tenant</masterLabel>
</DataSourceTenant>

package.xml Manifest#

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

SFDX CLI Retrieval and Deployment Commands#

Retrieve and deploy DataSourceTenant metadata using sf project retrieve start and sf project deploy start:

# Retrieve all DataSourceTenant configurations from the target org
sf project retrieve start --metadata "DataSourceTenant" --target-org data-cloud-prod

# Retrieve a specific tenant alongside its parent DataSource
sf project retrieve start --metadata "DataSource:Salesforce_CRM_EMEA,DataSourceTenant:EMEA_Sales_Cloud_Tenant" --target-org data-cloud-prod

# Deploy the tenant definition to UAT using sfdx-project.json string replacements
sf project deploy start --metadata "DataSourceTenant:EMEA_Sales_Cloud_Tenant" --target-org data-cloud-uat

Senior Architect Best Practices and Gotchas#

• Key Qualifier Alignment: In multi-org Data Cloud implementations, combine DataSourceTenant with Key Qualifier fields (KQ_) on your Data Lake Objects so identical record IDs (unlikely in Salesforce, but common in ERP/SQL databases with auto-incrementing integer keys) never overwrite each other during Identity Resolution.
• Connection Handshake Prerequisite: Metadata API deployment of DataSourceTenant defines the tenant metadata record, but OAuth or mutual TLS authentication for the underlying connector must still be authorized in Data Cloud Setup or via Named Credentials before streams can execute.

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of DataSourceTenant in Salesforce Data Cloud?

DataSourceTenant stores the tenant-specific identifier, such as a connected Salesforce Org ID, Marketing Cloud Business Unit MID, or external warehouse account key, associated with a parent DataSource.

What is the file suffix and folder for DataSourceTenant in SFDX?

Files use the .dataSourceTenant-meta.xml suffix and reside in the force-app/main/default/dataSourceTenants directory.

Should I commit production tenant IDs in DataSourceTenant XML to Git?

Avoid hardcoding production tenant identifiers if deploying to sandboxes. Use SFDX string replacements in your CI/CD pipeline so each target environment binds to its corresponding upstream tenant.

How does DataSourceTenant relate to DataSource?

A DataSource represents the logical connector type or integration channel, while DataSourceTenant binds that connector to a concrete external tenant instance.