Salesforce Data Migration

4 min read

Nikita R.

Media-savvy content creator, with a curiosity for all Salesforce experiences.

Updated: Nov 21st, 2023

Why wait to learn about data migration in Salesforce when you can quickly upskill with our short Titan article?

Follow us as we explore the concept of data migration in more detail below.

What is data migration?

It’s a process you can use to transfer data from one place to another. A data migration strategy can also include changing the format of your information into something else.

Many organizations use data migration practices as their plan to move data between two or more databases or applications. To cut through manual work tasks and save time, many IT teams and businesses use a data migration plan to help in the following situations.

Upgrading to New Systems

When you decide to install software or even purchase hardware for your business, you will have to consider how you will migrate your data.

Since you will no longer be using old systems for workflows, you will have to migrate your data to your new system so your business operations can continue seamlessly.

Storing Data Online for Ultimate Access

Many companies discover that syncing their data to cloud-based platforms, like Salesforce, helps them access their information 24/7.

Don’t Hurry the Data Migration Process

Since data migration is an important task for companies, teams need a plan to make sure that data is transferred correctly. Take a look at this simple data migration process that you could try if you need some help.

First, plan your data migration process so that you know which data in your old database will be transferred to the new cloud-based platform or hardware.

Then, assess your data to find out if you need to clean it. You might want to get rid of duplicates and take the time to understand the structure of your data. Now, you can draft a document that shows how your data will be mapped from your old and new systems.

Next, you can extract your data from your old system with a tool of your choice and transform it into another format if you need it. Go ahead, and load your data into the new system and validate that it is free from errors.

Lastly, check that all your data has migrated to your new system correctly.

And don’t forget to think of a rollback plan in case your new system breaks and you need to resort to old or alternative methods to continue business operations.

A Good Plan for Data Migration in Salesforce

When it comes to Salesforce, migration plans are needed when you want to move data from an external system into your favorite CRM platform.

De-stress with these Data Migration Steps for Salesforce

Data migration, specifically in Salesforce, can be tricky since it already has its own data model that is structured and has specific requirements in place. For these reasons, we feel your pain.

So, we have a basic plan outlined below that you can use when you want to migrate data in Salesforce:

1. Like the basic data migration process, you want to assess your data so you know what you are working on and where you will be transferring it.

2. Clean up your data to remove errors and to make sure you only transfer the data that is required.

3. Create a document that will show how your data will be mapped to Salesforce objects and fields.

4. Back up your data so that you always have access to it if a problem arises in your data migration process.

5. Extract the data from your old system with your own tools or Salesforce’s Data Loader or Data Import Wizard.

6. Load your data into Salesforce with data import tools and validate that it is accurate.

7. Test your data migration process was successful and that there are no errors in your data.

Salesforce Data Migration: Best Practices + Help

Salesforce has prime tools for transferring data, so use them well! Here are a few considerations to ponder when migrating data in Salesforce:

Use Salesforce Bulk API if you want to migrate large batches of data. This API can help your data load faster into Salesforce.

If you have supermassive data volumes, then it’s best to divide it into smaller portions for data migration. Transferring smaller batches of data will ensure your data migration does not lag or time out.

When you decide to migrate your data, ensure you do it during non-working hours such as weekends or nighttime. Creating a schedule for your data migration will make sure that employees are not affected by the process.

Create policies that will describe how you want the quality of your data to be maintained. These documents will help keep your data secure for long periods of time.

During your data migration process, you might want to configure access control on user accounts so that only people who are transferring the data are involved in this critical process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which are different data migration tools in Salesforce?

Salesforce provides many tools for migrating data, but the top three common ones to use are Data Import Wizard, Data Loader, and Salesforce Inspector.