Salesforce Certified Identity and Access Management Practice

What is the purpose of a connected app in Salesforce?

1. It allows users to manage their Salesforce accounts

2. It integrates third-party applications with Salesforce via APIs

3. It enables direct database access for external users

4. It tracks API usage and performance

The correct answer is: It integrates third-party applications with Salesforce via APIs

A connected app in Salesforce serves the essential function of integrating third-party applications with Salesforce through APIs. This capability allows external systems to communicate with Salesforce in a secure manner, facilitating the exchange of data and functionality. By defining a connected app, Salesforce administrators can specify the protocols and methods that external applications must use to authenticate and access Salesforce data, thereby ensuring that the integration aligns with organizational security policies and access controls. Furthermore, connected apps support features such as OAuth for secure authentication, which is critical for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of user data. This is particularly important in ensuring that only authorized applications can access Salesforce resources, thus enhancing security overall. The other options do not capture the primary purpose of a connected app. While managing user accounts, enabling direct database access, and tracking API usage are all important aspects of Salesforce administration and integration, they do not specifically pertain to the core function of a connected app in the integration framework.