Short answer
A Salesforce Commerce Cloud DAM integration is a connector that delivers approved product images from the DAM to B2C Commerce catalogs and keeps them current. B2C Commerce assigns images to products explicitly and serves sizes through its Dynamic Imaging Service. Fact: that service processes source files up to 10 MB and outputs up to 3,000 by 3,000 pixels.
What a Salesforce Commerce Cloud DAM integration must do
A Salesforce Commerce Cloud DAM integration must assign the right approved image to the right product and variation, in the right size, and withdraw it on time.
| Function | Direction | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Assign images to products | DAM to B2C Commerce | B2C Commerce has no pattern-based image lookup, so every image needs an explicit assignment |
| Cover variations | DAM to B2C Commerce | Colour variations show their own images and swatches |
| Deliver files | DAM to B2C Commerce or the storefront | Files sit in the catalog's internal location or at an external URL |
| Fit size limits | DAM to B2C Commerce | Source files above 10 MB skip the Dynamic Imaging Service |
| Carry alt text and titles | DAM to B2C Commerce | Product pages need accessible images per locale |
| Withdraw | DAM to B2C Commerce | Expired assets leave product pages, search and feeds |
This page covers Salesforce B2C Commerce, the storefront product in Commerce Cloud. The DAM integrations guide places commerce platforms among the other DAM connections. Product data usually comes from a PIM, and the DAM vs PIM guide explains who owns the link between image and product.
How B2C Commerce models product images
B2C Commerce models product images as explicit references stored on each product, resolved against an image location set per catalog. The facts below come from the Image Management System documentation.
- Fact: the system creates a matrix of images for each product, with several images per product and access per variation.
- Fact: images carry alt text and titles.
- Fact: images are assigned explicitly, and there is no pattern-based image lookup.
- Fact: a catalog specifies either an internal or an external image location.
- Fact: an external location needs a full http or https URL, and each product stores a relative image path.
- Fact: a product image path can be up to 1,800 characters, and full URLs up to 2,056 characters.
The documentation lists view types and swatches as parts of the same image model. DAMSelection assessment: map DAM rendition presets to B2C Commerce view types before the first demo. That mapping decides which image appears in listings, on the product page and as a swatch.
How the Dynamic Imaging Service shapes the connector
The Dynamic Imaging Service resizes, crops and converts B2C Commerce images on request through URL parameters. The connector must deliver source files that the service accepts.
| Parameter or limit | Value from Salesforce documentation |
|---|---|
| Scale width and height (`sw`, `sh`) | 10 to 3,000 pixels |
| Scale mode (`sm`) | cut by default, fit keeps the aspect ratio |
| Crop (`cx`, `cy`, `cw`, `ch`) | All four parameters needed |
| Output format (`sfrm`) | AVIF, gif, jp2, jpg, jpeg, jxr, png and WebP |
| Quality (`q`) | 1 to 100 for JPG and JP2, default 80 |
| Strip | Removes EXIF and colour profiles, default true |
| Source formats | gif, jp2, jpg, jpeg, png, tiff, tif, webp and avif |
| Source file size | Files over 10 MB are not processed |
| Maximum output | 3,000 by 3,000 pixels |
| Timeout | Error 408 after 29 seconds |
Fact: for files over 10 MB, the first request returns an error and later requests return the original image. An oversized master therefore reaches shoppers at full size. Fact: the strip parameter removes embedded metadata by default, which includes rights and credit fields in the file.
Worked example: a 20-megapixel product photo of 5,472 by 3,648 pixels saved as a 14 MB JPEG exceeds both limits. The connector must send a rendition of at most 3,000 pixels on the long side and under 10 MB.
Integration patterns for Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Salesforce Commerce Cloud DAM integrations follow three patterns, and the catalog image location decides the first choice.
| Pattern | How it works | Delivery | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push to the internal location | The DAM sends renditions into B2C Commerce and writes image paths on products | B2C Commerce with the Dynamic Imaging Service | Two copies of every image, with sizes from one service |
| External image location | The catalog points to the DAM delivery URL, and products store relative paths | DAM CDN or image CDN | One copy, and resizing comes from the DAM delivery layer |
| Picker for content pages | Merchandisers pick DAM assets for content slots and campaign pages | Either | Covers marketing content beyond the product catalog |
DAMSelection assessment: the push pattern fits teams that already rely on the Dynamic Imaging Service in templates. The external pattern fits organisations that run one delivery layer for every channel. The buyer confirms with both vendors how resizing works for externally hosted images.
Most product image feeds run through the PIM or a catalog import. The connector then writes image paths and the PIM supplies product IDs. Vendor connector depth appears on vendor profiles, and the integrations overview explains the four-level scale.
What must stay in sync with Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Five changes in the DAM must reach B2C Commerce within a stated time: new versions, rights expiry, deletions, metadata and alt text per locale.
| DAM change | What must happen in B2C Commerce | Watch point |
|---|---|---|
| New version | Product shows the new image | Cached images on CDN instances stay until invalidation |
| Rights expiry | Image path removed from every product and variation | Feeds and search results that copy image URLs |
| Deletion | Image path removed and file deleted | Broken images when the path stays and the file goes |
| Metadata change | Titles and view type assignment updated | Order and primary image per product |
| Alt text per locale | Alt text updated for each storefront locale | Locales without a DAM value |
Fact: on CDN instances, the Dynamic Imaging Service keeps images cached until a cache invalidation, and new assets get a unique cache identifier. DAMSelection assessment: write each new version to a new file name, so the cache serves the new file at once.
Usage rights expiry is the hardest case. The connector must find every product, variation and content slot that uses the image. The accessibility and alt text guide explains why alt text lives in the DAM per language. Stripped file metadata also removes embedded credits, so rights and content credentials must travel as fields.
What to test in a Salesforce Commerce Cloud demo
A Salesforce Commerce Cloud demo tests the product image loop in a sandbox with the buyer's catalog, variations and assets. Add these steps to the scripted demo.
- Show the catalog image location the connector uses: internal or external.
- Assign five images to one master product and to two colour variations.
- Show the mapping from DAM rendition presets to B2C Commerce view types and swatches.
- Send a master above 10 MB and 3,000 pixels and show the delivered rendition.
- Request three sizes and WebP output through Dynamic Imaging Service parameters.
- Replace one image with a new version and show the storefront result without a manual cache step.
- Show alt text in two storefront locales.
- Expire the rights on one image and show its removal from products, variations and content slots.
- Delete an asset in the DAM and show the storefront result.
- Load images for 1,000 products and show the error log.
The Demo Script Generator formats the steps as a scenario. The panel scores each step pass or fail against criteria written before the demo.
Common failure points
Salesforce Commerce Cloud DAM integrations fail at five points that a buyer checks before signature.
- Oversized sources: files over 10 MB skip resizing and reach shoppers at full size.
- Cache lag: replaced files at the same path stay cached on CDN instances until invalidation.
- Ownership conflicts: the PIM import and the DAM connector both write image paths and overwrite each other.
- Stripped metadata: default stripping removes embedded credits and rights fields from delivered files.
- Variation gaps: images assigned to the master product only leave colour variations without images.
Questions for the DAM vendor
The buyer sends these questions in writing and asks for documentation with each answer.
- Does the connector support B2C Commerce, and who builds, hosts and supports it.
- Which catalog image location does the connector use, and how does resizing work for each.
- How does the connector map DAM presets to view types, swatches and variations.
- How does the connector handle cache invalidation after a new version.
- How does the connector divide image path ownership with the PIM import.
- How fast does rights expiry remove an image from products, variations and content slots.
- How does the connector deliver alt text per storefront locale.
Frequently asked
Does Salesforce Commerce Cloud have a DAM?
Salesforce B2C Commerce has an Image Management System that stores product images with alt text and titles and serves sizes through the Dynamic Imaging Service. The system holds no rights records, approval workflow or metadata schema for a full asset library. Brands with many channels add a DAM and feed approved images into the catalog.
What is the Dynamic Imaging Service in B2C Commerce?
The Dynamic Imaging Service is a B2C Commerce service that resizes, crops and converts product images through URL parameters. Fact: it processes source files up to 10 MB and outputs up to 3,000 by 3,000 pixels, in formats including WebP and AVIF. The DAM must deliver sources within those limits.
Can B2C Commerce use images hosted in a DAM?
B2C Commerce can use DAM-hosted images when the catalog sets an external image location with a full http or https URL. Each product then stores a relative path to the DAM file. The buyer confirms how resizing and cache invalidation work for externally hosted images before choosing this pattern.
Why do new image versions not show in B2C Commerce?
New image versions often stay hidden in B2C Commerce because CDN instances keep images cached until a cache invalidation. Fact: new assets get a unique cache identifier and need no invalidation. A connector that writes each version under a new file name avoids the delay.
Should the PIM or the DAM send images to Salesforce Commerce Cloud?
The PIM or the DAM can send images to Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and the buyer assigns one owner for image paths. DAMSelection assessment: the DAM owns files and renditions, and the PIM owns the link to product IDs. Two systems that both write image paths overwrite each other.