Salesforce Connect allows administrators to integrate Salesforce with external data sources without writing code. It uses the OData protocol to provide real-time, bi-directional access to external databases on any device. Administrators can set up external data sources by defining an authentication method and connection URL. This allows external data to be viewed and manipulated from within Salesforce just like native objects, including CRUD permissions. Considerations for using Salesforce Connect include its paid feature status, current limitations around approval processes and validation rules, and the benefits of reducing integration costs.