How to query shared data extensions in salesforce marketing cloud

Querying shared data extensions has been a confusing topic for me, and I have changed my understanding of it several times. At one point, I believed shared DEs could not be queried at all, and later I found Salesforce resources stating that they actually can be queried. This article aims to bring clarity to the topic – for me, and hopefully for others who are lost as well.

Query shared data extension created in same child business unit

We have created the Send Log and placed it in the shared space. Let’s see how our query functions perform.

SSJS: WSProxy.retrieve
{"Status":"Error: Data extension does not exist: ENT.SendLog","RequestID":"52e6011d-850d-412d-8768-77ed0572ecce","Results":null,"HasMoreRows":false}
SSJS: Platform.Function.Lookup
4566378
SSJS: Platform.Function.LookupRows
4566378
SSJS: DataExtension.Init().Rows.Retrieve()
[]
AMPscript lookupRows:
4566378

SSJS: WSProxy.retrieve

• WSProxy (SOAP API) is MID-aware
• In the current BU context, the SOAP call cannot see ENT.SendLog
• This usually means one of the following:
  • You are executing the script in a child BU
  • ENT.SendLog exists in the Enterprise BU, but:
    • it is not shared to this BU, or
    • the SOAP context does not automatically resolve ENT. prefixes

WSProxy does not automatically resolve shared DEs across BUs unless the DE is visible and accessible to the SOAP context of the current MID.

SSJS: Platform.Function.Lookup

• The lookup successfully returned a value
• Platform.Function.Lookup uses the AMPscript execution engine
• AMPscript:
  • does not enforce BU boundaries the same way SOAP does
  • can access shared/system DEs transparently

Platform.Function.Lookup behaves like AMPscript and can access shared/system data extensions even when WSProxy cannot see them.

SSJS: Platform.Function.LookupRows

• Same engine as Lookup
• Successfully returned rows
• Confirms that rowset lookups also work across shared DEs

Both Lookup and LookupRows in SSJS bypass SOAP-level BU visibility checks.

SSJS: DataExtension.Init().Rows.Retrieve()

• No error, but no data returned
• This API:
  • runs in the Content Builder / BU-scoped context
  • respects BU ownership and sharing strictly

DataExtension.Init() cannot access shared/system DEs unless they are explicitly visible in the current BU.

AMPscript: LookupRows

• Works exactly like Platform.Function.LookupRows
• Confirms AMPscript’s broader internal access

Execution layers compared

Method	Execution Layer	BU-aware	Result
WSProxy.retrieve	SOAP API	✅ strict	❌ cannot see DE
Platform.Function.Lookup	AMPscript engine	❌ relaxed	✅ works
Platform.Function.LookupRows	AMPscript engine	❌ relaxed	✅ works
DataExtension.Init().Rows.Retrieve	Content Builder API	✅ strict	❌ empty
AMPscript LookupRows	Internal engine	❌ relaxed	✅ works

Query shared data extension created in another child business unit

I have another question I want to clarify: if the Send Log was created in our BU and I want to access a shared DE that was created in a different business unit, can I still query it? I know we can find a DE’s MID using WSProxy, but currently we can’t see the shared DE in our BU. To test this quickly, I will manually create a DE in another BU, move it to the shared space, and try running the same lookups to retrieve data.

SSJS: WSProxy.retrieve
{"Status":"Error: Data extension does not exist: ENT.test_shared_de","RequestID":"ce13a7d5-6440-41cb-8c4a-c338b0b20263","Results":null,"HasMoreRows":false}
SSJS: Platform.Function.Lookup
test
SSJS: Platform.Function.LookupRows
test
SSJS: DataExtension.Init().Rows.Retrieve
[]
AMPscript:
test

The results are the same as before.

Query shared data extension created in parent business unit

Last but not least, we will create a shared data extension in the parent business unit and try to query it from a child business unit.

SSJS: WSProxy.retrieve
{"Status":"Error: Data extension does not exist: ENT.test_shared_de2","RequestID":"24f5b41a-d920-444e-83f8-2fcd8af9f86f","Results":null,"HasMoreRows":false}
SSJS: Platform.Function.Lookup
test
SSJS: Platform.Function.LookupRows
test
SSJS: DataExtension.Init().Rows.Retrieve
[]
AMPscript:
test

The results are the same as before.

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