Data 360 in Summer '26: New Connectors, Document AI, and Real-Time Ingest
Salesforce Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud) updates in Summer '26 — federate data from Databricks, Microsoft Fabric and AWS Glue, accelerated real-time CRM ingest, Document AI upgrades, secondary indexes, and running SQL from Apex.
Quick reminder before we dive in: Data Cloud is now Data 360 (rebranded October 14, 2025). You'll still spot "Data Cloud" in places, but it's the same platform. Summer '26 brings a solid round of updates aimed at getting more data in, querying it faster, and feeding it to AI agents. Here's the rundown.
More ways to bring data in — without copying it
Data 360's open, zero-copy ambitions get stronger with new and improved federation connectors:
- Federate data from AWS Glue Data Catalog — now Generally Available.
- Federate data from Microsoft Fabric OneLake — Beta.
- Authenticate the Databricks file federation connector with an identity provider — tighter, enterprise-grade auth.
If your data lives across multiple lakehouses, this is the release that makes Data 360 a more credible single access layer over all of it.
Accelerated Data Ingest: real-time CRM data, no pipeline delay
One of the most practical additions: Accelerated Data Ingest (Generally Available) lets you access CRM data in real time without pipeline delays. For any use case where stale data is a problem — live personalization, real-time agent context, up-to-the-minute segmentation — this matters a lot.
Query performance and advanced querying
- Secondary Indexes — improve query performance on materialized DMOs.
- Real-Time Insights — enable advanced data manipulation.
- Data 360 Direct API — run queries directly against your data.
- Execute SQL queries from Apex — a developer favorite, letting you run Data 360 SQL straight from your code.
Document AI gets more capable
Document AI keeps maturing into a serious unstructured-data tool:
- Process more pages and larger files.
- Process documents with additional large language models.
- Refine a Document AI configuration with drafts — now Generally Available, so you can iterate safely before publishing.
Building with natural language and Agentforce Vibes
Data 360 is getting the same agentic treatment as the rest of the platform:
- Code Extensions — enhance search index chunking, and create and deploy code extensions using natural language with Agentforce Vibes.
- In-app guidance (Beta) to expand your Data 360 knowledge as you work.
Segmentation and activation improvements
- Configure a lookback window when using Rapid Publish.
- Extend grouping, ranking, and limiting rules to Engagement and Rapid Publish segments.
- Activation Templates to streamline the complete activation workflow, plus a roomier full-screen Activation Wizard and the ability to activate to more destinations in Data Cloud One companion orgs.
Data modeling and identity
- Data Graphs — track past refresh events in refresh history, and configure sort and limit filters for Calculated Insight nodes.
- Identity Resolution — segregate B2B and B2C data with filters for cleaner, more accurate unification.
- Data Processing Engine — assign Data Model Object categories for downstream compatibility, select writeback operation types, and validate logic with Data Preview for the Data Cloud runtime.
Frequently asked questions
Is Data 360 the same as Data Cloud? Yes. Data Cloud was rebranded to Data 360 on October 14, 2025. The functionality is unchanged; only the name is different.
Can I connect Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, and AWS Glue to Data 360? Yes. Summer '26 adds identity-provider auth for the Databricks file federation connector, GA federation from AWS Glue Data Catalog, and Beta federation from Microsoft Fabric OneLake.
What does Accelerated Data Ingest do? It gives you real-time access to CRM data without pipeline delays — now Generally Available.
Can I run SQL against Data 360 from Apex? Yes. Summer '26 lets you execute SQL queries from Apex, alongside the Data 360 Direct API.
What is Agentforce Vibes in the context of Data 360? It lets you create and deploy code extensions using natural language, lowering the bar for customizing Data 360 behavior.
The bottom line
Summer '26 sharpens Data 360 on the fundamentals that make AI useful: get more data in (new connectors, accelerated ingest), query it faster (secondary indexes, Direct API, SQL from Apex), and process the messy stuff (Document AI). If you're building agents, this is the fuel that makes them smart.
See how this data powers insights in our Tableau Next and Analytics guide.