Data Import in Salesforce

You can easily import external data into Salesforce. Supported data sources include any program that can save data in the comma delimited text format (.csv).

Salesforce offers two main methods for importing data.

Data Import Wizard—this tool, accessible through the Setup menu, lets you import data in common standard objects, such as contacts, leads, accounts, as well as data in custom objects. It can import up to 50,000 records at a time. It provides a simple interface to specify the configuration parameters, data sources, and the field mappings that map the field names in your import file with the field names in Taroworks.

Data Loader—this is a client application that can import up to five million records at a time, of any data type, either from files or a database connection. It can be operated either through the user interface or the command line. In the latter case, you need to specify data sources, field mappings, and other parameters via configuration files. This makes it possible to automate the import process, using API calls.

Use the Data Import Wizard When:

1. You need to load less than 50,000 records.
2. The objects you need to import are supported by the wizard.
3. You don’t need the import process to be automated.

Use Data Loader When:

1. You need to load 50,000 to five million records. If you need to load more than 5 million records, we recommend that you contact us as migration of such voluminous data might result in discrepancy.
2. You need to load into an object that is not supported by the Data Import Wizard.
3. You want to schedule regular data loads, such as nightly imports.

Follow these steps before you start importing any data.

1. Use your existing software to create an export file.
2. Clean up the import file for accuracy and consistency. This involves updating the data to remove duplicates, delete unnecessary information, correct spelling and other errors, and enforce naming conventions.
3. Compare your data fields with the Taroworks fields you can import into, and verify that your data will be mapped into the appropriate Taroworks fields. You might need to fine-tune the mapping before starting the import. For details, see Field Mapping for Data Sources in the online help.
4. Make any configuration changes required in Taroworks to handle the imported data. For example, you might need to create new custom fields, add new values to picklists, or temporarily deactivate workflow rules.

Use the Data Import Wizard

Once you have created an export file and cleaned up the data for import, follow these steps to import data using the Data Import Wizard.

1. Start the wizard.

1. From Setup, enter Data Import Wizard in the Quick Find box, then select Data Import Wizard.
2. Review the information provided on the welcome page, then click Launch Wizard!

2.   Choose the data that you want to import.

1. To import accounts, contacts, leads, solutions, person accounts, or campaign members, click Standard Objects. To import custom objects, click Custom Objects.
2. Specify whether you want to add new records to Taroworks, update existing records, or add and update records simultaneously.
3. Specify matching and other criteria as necessary. Hover over the question marks for more information about each option.
4. Specify the file that contains your data. You can specify your data file by dragging the CSV to the upload area of the page or by clicking the CSV category you’re using and then navigating to and selecting the file.
5. Choose a character encoding method for your file. Most users can accept the default character encoding.
6. Click Next.

3.       Map your data fields to Taroworks data fields.

The Data Import Wizard tries to map as many of your data fields as possible to standard Taroworks data fields. If Taroworks can’t automatically map fields, however, you do it manually. Unmapped fields are not imported into Taroworks.

To see a list of standard Taroworks data fields, from Setup, at the top of the page, click Object Manager. Click the object whose fields you’re interested in, and click Fields & Relationships. For example, if you want to see a list of standard Taroworks fields for leads, click Object Manager | Lead | Fields & Relationships.

1. Scan the list of mapped data fields and locate any unmapped fields.
2. Click Map to the left of each unmapped field.
3. In the Map Your Field dialog box, choose the Taroworks fields you want to map to and click Map.
4. To change mappings that Taroworks performed automatically, click Change to the left of the appropriate field, then choose the Taroworks fields you want to map to and click Map.
5. Click Next.

4.     Review and start your import.

1. Review your import information on the Review page. If you still have unmapped fields that you want to import, click Previous to return to the previous page and specify your mappings.
2. Click Start Import.

5.       Check import status.

From Setup, enter “Bulk Data Load Jobs” in the Quick Find box, then select Bulk Data Load Jobs.

While importing it is important to note :

1. Multi-Select Picklists—To import multiple values into a multi-select picklist, separate the values by a semicolon in your import file.
2. Checkboxes—To import data into a checkbox field, use 1 for checked values and 0 for unchecked values.
3. Default Values—For picklist, multi-select picklist, and checkbox fields, if you do not map the field in the import wizard, the default value for the field, if any, is automatically inserted into the new or updated record.
4. Date/Time Fields—Ensure that the format of any date/time fields you are importing matches how they display in Taroworks per your locale setting.
5. Formula Fields—Formula fields cannot accept imported data because they are read-only.
6. Field Validation Rules—Taroworks runs validation rules on records before they are imported. Records that fail validation aren’t imported. Consider deactivating the appropriate validation rules before running an import if they affect the records you are importing.