Query a Salesforce org from any external tool such as SOAP UI or Postman, for example to look up a Contact by email.

Using the Enterprise SOAP API, log in to retrieve a sessionId, then send SOQL queries to the returned serverUrl.

Preparation

  1. Check that API is enabled in Setup > API
  2. Download the WSDL with “Generate Enterprise WSDL” > “Generate”
  3. Get you login URL in <soap:address location="https://login.salesforce.com/services/Soap/c/XX/XX"/>
  4. Get you security token from Profile > Settings > Reset My Security Token. It will be sent via Email.

Walkthrough

Login to retrieve sessionId

Create a request with the login URL, the headers Content-Type=text/xml, SOAPAction="" and the following request:

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:urn="urn:enterprise.soap.sforce.com">
  <soapenv:Header>
  </soapenv:Header>
  <soapenv:Body>
    <urn:login>
      <urn:username>[Your Salesforce Username]</urn:username>
      <urn:password>[Concatenate Salesforce Password and Security Token]</urn:password>
    </urn:login>
  </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

Response:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns="urn:enterprise.soap.sforce.com" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
    <soapenv:Body>
        <loginResponse>
            <result>
                <serverUrl>XXX</serverUrl>
                <sessionId>XXX</sessionId>
                <userId>XXX</userId>
                <userInfo>[...]</userInfo>
            </result>
        </loginResponse>
    </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

SOQL Query

  1. Create another request with the endpoint set as the previous serverUrl
  2. Use below request:
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:urn="urn:enterprise.soap.sforce.com" xmlns:urn1="urn:sobject.enterprise.soap.sforce.com">
  <soapenv:Header>
    <urn:SessionHeader>
        <urn:sessionId>[sessionId]</urn:sessionId>
    </urn:SessionHeader>
  </soapenv:Header>
  <soapenv:Body>
    <urn:query>
	    <urn:queryString>
        SELECT Id FROM Contact WHERE Email = '[email protected]'
      </urn:queryString>
	   </urn:query>
   </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

Response:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns="urn:enterprise.soap.sforce.com" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:sf="urn:sobject.enterprise.soap.sforce.com">
    <soapenv:Header>
        <LimitInfoHeader>
            <limitInfo>
                <current>2643</current>
                <limit>XXXXX</limit>
                <type>API REQUESTS</type>
            </limitInfo>
        </LimitInfoHeader>
    </soapenv:Header>
    <soapenv:Body>
        <queryResponse>
            <result>
                <done>true</done>
                <queryLocator xsi:nil="true"/>
                <records xsi:type="sf:Contact">
                    <sf:Id>XXXXX</sf:Id>
                </records>
                <size>1</size>
            </result>
        </queryResponse>
    </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

Going further