How to Enrich Salesforce Accounts from Google Sheets with N8n

Workflows > New Workflow

Create new N8n workflow

Start with a blank workflow canvas. This will house your trigger, data processing, and Salesforce update nodes.

1. 1Click 'New Workflow' from the N8n dashboard
2. 2Rename the workflow to 'Account Enrichment Sync'
3. 3Save the empty workflow

Nodes > Trigger > Google Sheets

Add Google Sheets trigger

Set up polling to detect new rows in your enrichment spreadsheet. This will check every 5 minutes for changes.

1. 1Click the + button next to the Start node
2. 2Search for 'Google Sheets' in the node selector
3. 3Select 'On Row Added' trigger
4. 4Choose your enrichment spreadsheet from the dropdown

Node Settings > Credentials > Google Sheets

Connect Google Sheets credentials

Authenticate with your Google account to access spreadsheet data. N8n needs read permissions on your enrichment sheet.

1. 1Click 'Create New Credential' in the Google Sheets node
2. 2Select 'OAuth2' authentication method
3. 3Click 'Connect my account' and authorize N8n
4. 4Test the connection with 'Test Step'

Nodes > Flow > IF

Add data filter node

Filter out incomplete rows and test data. Only process rows that have both account identifier and enrichment data populated.

1. 1Add an 'IF' node after Google Sheets
2. 2Set condition to 'account_id' field 'is not empty'
3. 3Add second condition 'AND' for enrichment fields not empty
4. 4Connect the 'true' output to continue the workflow

Nodes > Sales > Salesforce

Add Salesforce node for account lookup

Find the existing Salesforce account record using your identifier field. This prevents creating duplicates.

1. 1Add a 'Salesforce' node after the IF node
2. 2Select 'Get All' operation
3. 3Choose 'Account' as the resource
4. 4Set filter to match your account identifier field

Node Settings > Credentials > Salesforce

Connect Salesforce credentials

Set up OAuth connection to your Salesforce org. N8n needs read/write access to Account records.

1. 1Click 'Create New Credential' in the Salesforce node
2. 2Enter your Salesforce instance URL (e.g., yourorg.salesforce.com)
3. 3Complete OAuth flow and authorize N8n
4. 4Test connection with sample account lookup

Nodes > Flow > IF

Add account existence check

Verify the account was found before attempting updates. This prevents errors when account IDs don't match.

1. 1Add another 'IF' node after Salesforce lookup
2. 2Set condition to check if Salesforce returned results
3. 3Use expression '{{ $json.length > 0 }}' for the condition
4. 4Connect 'true' path to continue, 'false' to error handling

Nodes > Data > Set

Add field mapping node

Transform Google Sheets data to match Salesforce field formats. Handle data type conversions and field naming differences.

1. 1Add a 'Set' node after the account existence check
2. 2Map each enrichment field to corresponding Salesforce API name
3. 3Add the account ID from the lookup result
4. 4Include only fields that have data in the sheet row

Nodes > Sales > Salesforce

Add Salesforce update node

Update the account record with enriched data. This writes the transformed data back to your CRM.

1. 1Add a second 'Salesforce' node after the Set node
2. 2Select 'Update' operation
3. 3Choose 'Account' as the resource
4. 4Set 'Id' field to the account ID from lookup results

Workflow > Settings > Error Handling

Configure error handling

Set up proper error handling for failed API calls and data validation issues. This prevents workflow crashes on bad data.

1. 1Click workflow settings in the top menu
2. 2Set 'On Error' to 'Stop Workflow'
3. 3Enable 'Save Data On Error' option
4. 4Add error notification webhook (optional)

Workflow > Execute Workflow

Test with sample data

Run the workflow manually with test data to verify field mappings and error handling work correctly.

1. 1Add a test row to your Google Sheets with real account data
2. 2Click 'Execute Workflow' button
3. 3Check each node output for correct data transformation
4. 4Verify the account updated in Salesforce with new enrichment data

Workflow > Activate

Activate automated polling

Enable the workflow to run automatically every 5 minutes. This starts continuous monitoring of your enrichment spreadsheet.

1. 1Click the 'Inactive' toggle in the top toolbar
2. 2Confirm activation in the popup dialog
3. 3Check 'Executions' tab to see polling started
4. 4Monitor first few automated runs for errors

Drop this into an n8n Code node.

// Clean and validate enrichment data before Salesforce update
const cleanData = {
  AnnualRevenue: $json.revenue ? parseInt($json.revenue.replace(/[^0-9]/g, '')) : null,

// Clean and validate enrichment data before Salesforce update
const cleanData = {
  AnnualRevenue: $json.revenue ? parseInt($json.revenue.replace(/[^0-9]/g, '')) : null,
  NumberOfEmployees: $json.employees && $json.employees !== 'Unknown' ? parseInt($json.employees) : null,
  Industry: $json.industry === 'Software' ? 'Technology' : $json.industry // Map to SF picklist
};

return [{ json: cleanData }];