Salesforce.com provides users with the flexibility of modifying records as soon as these are imported into the Salesforce.com platform. Sometimes there are restrictions on editing the records however. This sort of flexibility might trigger quality issues like duplication of records, values would require to be standardized and also, additional records would be required to be imported in a mass scale. The records may be needed to be exported from the system to be used in an external system.
These tasks would be tedious and pretty time-consuming from User Interface. However, an effective tool would be able to make the entire process of data management within the organization far more efficient. You have several options at your disposal for managing data effectively. Some of the most popular options include Data Loader, Import Wizard and DemandTools. These vary as per the complication associated with your specific data management requirements.
Ways to Use Data Loader
There are basically two ways of using the data loader. They are:
User Interface: When the User Interface is being used, you actually work interactively for specifying the configuration parameters, Field mappings which actually map the field names right into your import file along with the specific field names in Salesforce.com.
Command Line (Compatible to Windows only): When you are using the command line, you should be specifying the configuration, mappings, data sources and also, actions in files. This makes it possible for you to create a data loader for carrying out an automated processing.
The Key Features of a Data Loader
Support for Windows 7, Windows XP and Mac OSX
Support for pretty big files containing up to 5 million records or more.
Support for all sorts of objects, including all the custom objects
Drag-and-Drop the Field Mapping
The data loader is known to complement the Import Wizards which are available from Set-up Menu of the online application.
When to Use the Data Loader
The import wizards can be used for sets of less than 50,000 records. The list of supported objects can be found under “Data Management” accessible from the Quick Find Box. Learn more by visiting http://www.flosum.com/salesforce-data-migrator/.
If you need to load a number of records anywhere between fifty thousand and five million, Data Loader is the tool for you. However, if the number of records you wish to load exceeds five million, you will need to consult a Salesforce partner or browse through the host of third-party partner products available at App Exchange.
The Data Loader supports a huge range of objects, many of which are still not supported by the classic import wizards. It is also hugely useful when you want to schedule and set data load operations at regular intervals.
You will need to provide administrator privileges to access and use data loader on Windows and Mac machines alike.
Installation Considerations
Now a number of different versions of data loader applications are available for downloading. Some previous versions were referred to as Salesforce Data Loader or AppExchange Data Loader. You are able to run several versions on the same computer simultaneously. However, remember to install one copy only of any version. Stay away from installing several copies of the same version. You would be able to access the latest version always on Salesforce.com.
Useful Tip to Follow
In case you are facing some logging difficulties in the Command Line Interface post up gradation to a new edition of data loader, you may consider re-encrypting your password for solving the issue.
