Salesforce Connect is a powerful tool for data virtualization, allowing users to view and manage data in external systems (via OData) as if it were stored natively in Salesforce. However, a critical security decision during the setup of an External Data Source is determining the Identity Type.

The Identity Type determines how the external system authenticates the Salesforce user. There are two primary options:

Named Principal: Every Salesforce user accesses the external system using the same set of credentials. This is easier to maintain but provides less granular security tracking in the target system.

Per User: Each individual Salesforce user must provide their own credentials for the external system. This ensures that the data visible in Salesforce respects the user's specific permissions in the external source.

Configuring the Identity Type is the fundamental way an architect secures OData requests because it defines the authentication boundary between the platforms. While certificates (Option A) can be used for transport layer security, the "Identity Type" configuration is the specific Salesforce Connect setting that governs how a session is authorized. Option B (Special Compatibility) is a technical setting used to handle non-standard OData implementations and does not directly relate to securing the request. By recommending the correct Identity Type, the architect ensures that the integration adheres to the "Principle of Least Privilege," ensuring that users only see the external data they are authorized to access.