Identifying OutboundSync activity in Salesforce
When to use this guide: Use this guide when you need to trace which Salesforce user OutboundSync writes as, who owns new records, or whether an integration user setup will give you the audit trail you expect.
OutboundSync touches several Salesforce user fields. They answer different questions, and conflating them is a common source of confusion during setup and troubleshooting.
Created By and Last Modified By
Section titled “Created By and Last Modified By”Created By and Last Modified By on Leads, Tasks, and other records OutboundSync creates or updates reflect the Salesforce user who completed OAuth — the person logged into OutboundSync and Salesforce when someone clicked Connect on the Connected Accounts page.
That OAuth user is tied to the OutboundSync account profile that owns each webhook receiver. OutboundSync does not set CreatedById in API payloads; Salesforce assigns it from the authenticated API session.
If Tom logs into OutboundSync and completes the Salesforce OAuth flow as Tom, Created By on synced records will show Tom — even when the webhook owner dropdown is set to Peter or an integration user.
Webhook owner (OwnerId on new records)
Section titled “Webhook owner (OwnerId on new records)”The owner field on a webhook receiver sets OwnerId on records OutboundSync creates:
- New Leads — name, email, company, and related fields are written on create; OwnerId comes from the webhook owner you select.
- New Contacts and Accounts — when OutboundSync creates a Contact (and its Account) — for example from a social profile match — OwnerId on those new records also comes from the webhook owner.
- New Tasks — activity logged as Tasks gets OwnerId from the webhook owner.
This is separate from Created By. You can assign new records to Peter while Created By still shows whoever completed OAuth.
Existing record owners
Section titled “Existing record owners”When OutboundSync finds an existing Lead or Contact, it does not change Lead Owner or Contact Owner. It writes activity (Task or EmailMessage) and may backfill empty standard fields, but it does not overwrite ownership on records that already exist.
If every Lead in your org is owned by the same person, that pattern usually predates OutboundSync or comes from other Salesforce automation — not from OutboundSync updating owners on match.
Integration users
Section titled “Integration users”Many teams create a dedicated Salesforce integration user so API-written records show a consistent Created By. That works when:
- You log into OutboundSync with the integration user’s email.
- You complete the Salesforce OAuth Connect flow while logged into Salesforce as that same user in the same browser session.
If your org uses SSO (for example Okta) and the integration user cannot sign into Salesforce outside SSO, OAuth may fail or fall back to a human user. In that case Created By reflects whoever actually completed Connect, not the integration user you intended. See Salesforce setup guide and Re-authorize your Salesforce account.
Setting the webhook owner to an integration user affects OwnerId on new Leads and Tasks only. It does not change Created By, and it does not reassign existing Leads or Contacts.
Practical audit tips
Section titled “Practical audit tips”| Question | Field to check |
|---|---|
| Who did the API write as? | Created By / Last Modified By on the Task, Lead, or related record |
| Who owns a Lead OutboundSync created? | Lead Owner (OwnerId) |
| Who owns synced activity? | Task Owner on the activity record |
| Did OutboundSync convert this Lead? | OutboundSync does not convert Leads — see Does OutboundSync convert leads in Salesforce? |
Filter Tasks or Leads by Created By to isolate OutboundSync API activity. Compare Created By to Lead Owner when investigating whether a dedicated integration user is configured correctly.
