diff --git a/types/jsforce/connection.d.ts b/types/jsforce/connection.d.ts
index 859b6dbdb2..189ce234e8 100644
--- a/types/jsforce/connection.d.ts
+++ b/types/jsforce/connection.d.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export interface ConnectionOptions extends Partial<OAuth2Options> {
     loginUrl?: string;
     logLevel?: string;
     maxRequest?: number;
-    oauth2?: OAuth2Options;
+    oauth2?: Partial<OAuth2Options>;
     proxyUrl?: string;
     redirectUri?: string;
     refreshToken?: string;
@@ -38,12 +38,33 @@ export interface UserInfo {
 
 export type ConnectionEvent = "refresh";
 
-export class Connection {
-    constructor(params: ConnectionOptions)
-
-    accessToken: string;
+/**
+ * the methods exposed here are done so that a client can use 'declaration augmentation' to get intellisense on their own projects.
+ * for example, given a type
+ *
+ * interface Foo {
+ *  thing: string;
+ *  yes: boolean;
+ * }
+ *
+ * you can write
+ *
+ * declare module "jsforce" {
+ *  interface Connection {
+ *    sobject(type: 'Foo'): SObject<Foo>
+ *  }
+ * }
+ *
+ * to ensure that you have the correct data types for the various collection names.
+ */
+export interface Connection {
     query<T>(soql: string, callback?: (err: Error, result: QueryResult<T>) => void): QueryResult<T>;
-    sobject(resource: string): SObject;
+    sobject<T>(resource: string): SObject<T>;
+}
+
+export class Connection implements Connection {
+    constructor(params: ConnectionOptions)
+    accessToken: string;
     login(user: string, password: string, callback?: (err: Error, res: UserInfo) => void): Promise<UserInfo>;
     loginByOAuth2(user: string, password: string, callback?: (err: Error, res: UserInfo) => void): Promise<UserInfo>;
     loginBySoap(user: string, password: string, callback?: (err: Error, res: UserInfo) => void): Promise<UserInfo>;
diff --git a/types/jsforce/jsforce-tests.ts b/types/jsforce/jsforce-tests.ts
index 3c1657711d..208dba8bc8 100644
--- a/types/jsforce/jsforce-tests.ts
+++ b/types/jsforce/jsforce-tests.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import * as sf from 'jsforce';
 
+export interface DummyRecord {
+    thing: boolean;
+    other: number;
+    person: string;
+}
+
 const salesforceConnection: sf.Connection = new sf.Connection({
     instanceUrl: '',
     refreshToken: '',
@@ -9,6 +15,11 @@ const salesforceConnection: sf.Connection = new sf.Connection({
     },
 });
 
+salesforceConnection.sobject<DummyRecord>("Dummy").select(["thing", "other"]);
+
+// note the following should never compile:
+// salesforceConnection.sobject<DummyRecord>("Dummy").select(["lol"]);
+
 salesforceConnection.sobject("Account").create({
     Name: "Test Acc 2",
     BillingStreet: "Maplestory street",
@@ -30,9 +41,9 @@ salesforceConnection.sobject("ContentVersion").create({
     }
 });
 
-salesforceConnection.sobject("ContentVersion").retrieve("world", {
+salesforceConnection.sobject<any>("ContentVersion").retrieve("world", {
     test: "test"
-}, (err: Error, ret: sf.Record) => {
+}, (err: Error, ret) => {
     if (err) {
         return;
     }
diff --git a/types/jsforce/record.d.ts b/types/jsforce/record.d.ts
index 3bfec4c65b..3dd0bca1da 100644
--- a/types/jsforce/record.d.ts
+++ b/types/jsforce/record.d.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
+import { RecordResult } from './record-result';
+import { Connection } from './connection';
 import { SalesforceId } from './salesforce-id';
+import { Stream } from 'stream';
 
-export interface Record {
-    Id: SalesforceId;
-    attributes: Object[];
+export class RecordReference<T> {
+    constructor(conn: Connection, type: string, id: SalesforceId);
+    blob(fieldName: string): Stream;
+    del(options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, result: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
+    delete(options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, result: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
+    destroy(options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, result: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
+    retrieve(options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, record: Record<T>) => void): Promise<Record<T>>;
+    update(record: Partial<T>, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, result: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
 }
+
+export type Record<T> = {Id: SalesforceId } & T;
diff --git a/types/jsforce/salesforce-object.d.ts b/types/jsforce/salesforce-object.d.ts
index 2fd097b709..c1f8f61207 100644
--- a/types/jsforce/salesforce-object.d.ts
+++ b/types/jsforce/salesforce-object.d.ts
@@ -3,19 +3,20 @@ import * as stream from 'stream';
 import { SObjectCreateOptions } from './create-options';
 import { DescribeSObjectResult } from './describe-result';
 import { Query } from './query';
-import { Record } from './record';
+import { Record, RecordReference } from './record';
 import { RecordResult } from './record-result';
 import { Connection } from './connection';
 import { SalesforceId } from './salesforce-id';
 
-export class SObject {
-    record(options: any, callback?: (err: Error, ret: any) => void): void;
-    update<T>(record: Partial<T>, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
-    update<T>(records: Partial<T>[], options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult[]) => void): Promise<RecordResult[]>;
-    retrieve(ids: string | string[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: Record | Record[]) => void): Promise<Record | Record[]>;
-    retrieve(ids: string | string[], options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: Record | Record[]) => void): Promise<Record | Record[]>;
-    upsert(records: Record | Record[], extIdField: SalesforceId, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult | RecordResult[]>;
-    upsertBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+export class SObject<T> {
+    record(id: SalesforceId): RecordReference<T>;
+    retrieve(id: SalesforceId, options?: Object, callback?:(err: Error, record: Record<T>) => void): Promise<Record<T>>;
+    retrieve(ids: SalesforceId[], options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: Record<T>[]) => void): Promise<Record<T>[]>;
+    update(record: Partial<T>, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
+    update(records: Partial<T>[], options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult[]) => void): Promise<RecordResult[]>;
+    upsert(records: Record<T>, extIdField: SalesforceId, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
+    upsert(records: Record<T>[], extIdField: SalesforceId, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult[]>;
+    upsertBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult[] | BatchResultInfo[]) => void): Batch;
     describeGlobal(callback: (err: Error, res: any) => void): void;
     describe$(callback: (err: Error, ret: DescribeSObjectResult) => void): void;
     describeGlobal$(callback: (err: Error, res: any) => void): void;
@@ -29,39 +30,37 @@ export class SObject {
     findOne<T>(query?: any, fields?: Object | string[] | string, options?: Object, callback?: (err: Error, ret: T) => void): void;
 
     approvalLayouts(callback?: (layoutInfo: ApprovalLayoutInfo) => void): Promise<ApprovalLayoutInfo>;
-    bulkload(operation: string, options?: { extIdField?: string }, input?: Record[] | stream.Stream[] | string[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    bulkload(operation: string, options?: { extIdField?: string }, input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream[] | string[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
     compactLayouts(callback?: CompactLayoutInfo): Promise<CompactLayoutInfo>;
     count(conditions?: Object | string, callback?: (err: Error, num: number) => void): Promise<number>;
     create(options: any | any[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult | RecordResult[]) => void): Promise<RecordResult | RecordResult[]>;
-    createBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    createBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
     del(ids: string | string[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: any) => void): void;
     destroy(ids: string | string[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: any) => void): void;
     delete(ids: string | string[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: any) => void): void;
-    deleteBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
-    destroyBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
-    destroyHardBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    deleteBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    destroyBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    destroyHardBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
     deleted(start: Date | string, end: Date | string, callback?: (info: DeletedRecordsInfo) => void): Promise<DeletedRecordsInfo>;
-    deleteHardBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    deleteHardBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
     describe(callback?: (err: Error, ret: DescribeSObjectResult) => void): Promise<DescribeSObjectResult>;
     insert(options: any | any[], callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult | RecordResult[]) => void): Promise<RecordResult | RecordResult[]>;
-    insertBulk(input?: Record[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
+    insertBulk(input?: Record<T>[] | stream.Stream | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Batch;
     layouts(layoutName?: string, callback?: (err: Error, info: LayoutInfo) => void): Promise<LayoutInfo>;
     listview(id: string): ListView;
     listviews(callback?: (err: Error, info: ListViewsInfo) => void): Promise<ListViewsInfo>;
     quickAction(actionName: string): QuickAction;
     quickActions(callback?: (err: Error, info: any) => void): Promise<any>;
     recent(callback?: (err: Error, ret: RecordResult) => void): Promise<RecordResult>;
-    select<T>(field?: Object | string[] | string, callback?: (err: Error, ret: T[]) => void): Query<T[]>;
+    select(callback?: (err: Error, ret: T[]) => void): Promise<T[]>;
+    //TODO:use a typed pluck to turn `fields` into a subset of T's fields so that the output is slimmed down appropriately
+    select(fields?: (keyof T)[] | (keyof T), callback?: (err: Error, ret: Partial<T>[]) => void): Promise<Partial<T>[]>;
 }
 
 export interface ApprovalLayoutInfo {
     approvalLayouts: Object[];
 }
 
-export class Record extends Object {
-    constructor(connection: Connection, type: SObject, id: SalesforceId)
-}
-
 export class Batch extends stream.Writable {
 }
 
@@ -86,7 +85,20 @@ export interface LayoutInfo {
 }
 
 export class ListView {
-    constructor(connection: Connection, type: SObject, id: SalesforceId)
+    constructor(connection: Connection, type: string, id: SalesforceId)
+}
+
+export interface BatchInfo {
+    id: string;
+    jobId: string;
+    state: string;
+    stateMessage: string;
+}
+
+export interface BatchResultInfo {
+    id: string;
+    batchId: string;
+    jobId: string;
 }
 
 export class ListViewsInfo { }