Salesforce has initiated Dreamforce with significant partner announcements, unveiling plans for bi-directional data sharing with Databricks and Snowflake.

Salesforce, led by Marc Benioff, is expanding its Salesforce Data Cloud to enable real-time data integration with Databricks’ data lakehouse platform. This move will empower joint customers to enhance datasets and develop more advanced models to tackle vital business challenges.

Adam Conway, SVP of Products at Databricks, emphasized the importance of combining trusted data with AI for competitiveness, applauding the partnership with Salesforce.

Notably, Snowflake, a competitor led by Ali Ghodsi, has also formed a strategic alliance with Salesforce to link their respective data platforms.

Traditionally, data integration involved complex ETL processes, but Salesforce is introducing a zero-ETL integration approach, known as BYOL (Bring Your Own Lake). This innovation streamlines unified data management, maintaining robust governance, security, and trust.

BYOL comprises two essential features: Data Sharing and Data Federation. Data Sharing enables access to Salesforce data within Databricks or Snowflake, while Data Federation allows access to information from these platforms within Salesforce Data Cloud.

This bi-directional data exchange benefits users across the board. On Salesforce, external data from Databricks and Snowflake enriches customer profiles, enhancing customer experiences within existing applications and processes.

Conversely, Salesforce’s CRM data on Databricks and Snowflake strengthens these platforms’ data foundation, empowering downstream applications like AI/ML and in-depth analysis for improved business outcomes.

For example, by merging Salesforce CRM data with market analysis in Databricks, users can create custom cross-selling models based on real-time client engagement data. Similarly, combining Salesforce data with external market trends in Snowflake enables retailers to identify shifts in customer behavior, facilitating smarter inventory management and marketing strategies.

While Snowflake users can also develop custom AI models, Databricks users will be the first to receive support for migrating their models to the Salesforce Data Cloud, enabling them to power applications on the platform.