This document provides an overview of different tools for importing and exporting data in Salesforce, including import wizards, API-based tools like the Data Loader, and considerations for which tool to use. It discusses features of the import wizards like limits of 50,000 records and supported objects. API-based tools allow loading any object and more than 50,000 records. The Data Loader can import/export CSV or load from/to a database, supports custom relationships for upsert, and can be run from the command line. System administrators can download the Data Loader from Setup. Whether to use wizards or API tools depends on the needed operations, objects, scheduling, de-duplication, and data sources/targets.

1. Francis Pindar

2. Objectives
Quick overview on ways in import
List objects exposed to the import wizards
List some of the capabilities of API-tools that the
import wizards don’t have
How to obtain the Data Loader
List the capabilities of the Data Loader
Show Data Loader example

3. Tools for Executing Data Migration
Via Application import / Via Web Services API
export Wizards
Accounts Data Loader
Contacts Partner Tools
Leads Custom-built Tools
Solutions Open Source Tools
Custom Objects

4. Import Wizards
Easy to use tool to load Accounts, Contacts, Leads,
Solutions, or Custom Objects.
Load 50,000 records or less
Prevent duplicates
Account Name and Site; Account Ids
Contact Email Address; Contact Name; Contact ID
Lead Email Address; Lead IDs

5. Overview of API-Based Tools
Load any object supported by the API
Load more than 50,000 records
Schedule regular data loads such as nightly feeds.
Export data for backup
Mass delete supported objects

6. Data Loader
Is a fully supported salesforce.com product.
Supports import from CSV or export to CSV.
Supports loading from or exporting to a database via
JDBC.
Supports custom relationships for upsert.
Can be run from the command line.

7. Obtaining Data Loader
Available in: UE, EE, DE
System Administrators download through the
application
1. Setup | Data Management | Data Loader
2. Download the Data Loader link and save
3. Launch the installShield Wizard
Open Source Project
SourceForge.net
Not supported by salesforce.com

8. Which tool do you use?
Wizard vs API is the essential question
Depends on the operations you want to perform
Depends on the objects involved
Depends on your scheduling needs
Depends on your de-duping needs
Depends on the number of records involved
Depends on the data sources/destinations involved

9. Review
1. Can you import data into custom objects using the
Salesforce import wizard?
2. How do you decide which tool to use?
3. True or False: An External ID is always unique

10. Upsert
Upsert is an API function that combines insert and
update into a single call.
Upsert uses an indexed custom field or external ID to
determine whether to create a new object or update an
existing object.
 If the external ID is not matched, then a new object is
created
 If an external ID is matched once, then the existing object is
updated.
 If an external ID is matched multiple times, then an error is
reported.
Use Upsert when importing data to prevent the creation
of duplicates.

11. External IDs
External ID is flag that can be added to a custom field to
indicate it should be indexed and treated as an ID.
Custom index on any custom field of type: Text, Number
or Email
Available on all objects that support custom fields
User-defined cross-reference field
Why is this important?
 Increases report and API SOQL performance
 Used with upsert to easily integrate apps with other systems.
An object can have three External ID fields.

12. Data Management