Choosing a Method for Importing Data. salesforce Salesforce Organization
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization
Type of record
Custom objects
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Which records can be imported?
Import record limit Users permissions needed
50,000 at a time “Import Custom Objects”
AND
“Edit” on the custom object
Learn more
50,000 at a time “Import Solutions”
You can’t import these records via the Data Import Wizard.
What Is Imported for Solutions?
Solutions
Assets
Cases
Campaigns
Contracts
Documents
Opportunities
Products
on page 365.
Note: Relationship group members can’t be imported.
SEE ALSO:
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
What permissions do I need to import records?
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Learn about your options for importing data into Salesforce.
Tool Editions supported
Number of records you can import or export
Up to 50,000
Import
Yes
Export
No
Internal or external to
Salesforce
Internal Data Import
Wizard (unified)
All editions except
Database.com
Additional information
An in-browser wizard that imports your org’s accounts, contacts, leads, solutions, campaign members, and custom objects.
.
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Tool
Data Loader
Editions supported
Enterprise,
Unlimited,
Performance,
Developer, and
Database.com
Editions
Number of records you can import or export
Between 5,000 and 5 million
Import
Yes
Export
Yes
Internal or external to
Salesforce
External
Additional information
Data Loader is an application for the bulk import or export of data.
Use it to insert, update, delete, or
export Salesforce records. Read more
.
SEE ALSO:
What Is Imported for Business Accounts and Contacts?
The import wizards for contacts and business accounts allow you to match records in a variety of ways in order to prevent duplicates. Contacts can be matched by Salesforce ID, name, email, or external ID. Business accounts can be matched by Salesforce ID, external ID, or by name and site.
Matching by Salesforce ID is inclusive of both contacts and business accounts; if you match one by
Salesforce ID, the other will also be matched by Salesforce ID.
EDITIONS
Available in: Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Matching by Name and Site
If you choose to match contacts by name and business accounts by name and site (which are the recommended options), the import wizards automatically create a business account for each unique business account name and site in the import file. They also create a separate contact for each contact name listed in the file. The contacts are then associated with the appropriate business accounts.
Available in: All Editions except Database.com
Organization import not available in: Personal
Edition, Database.com
If the business account or contact already exists in the system, and you have read/write access to the record, the wizards add your import data to the existing data in Salesforce.
Matching by Salesforce ID
You can also choose to match contacts and business accounts by Salesforce ID. With this selected, the Salesforce ID will be the criteria for de-duplication. That is, if you are matching by ID and a record in your source file has the same ID as a record in Salesforce, then that record will be updated in Salesforce. Note that record IDs are case-sensitive and must match exactly.
Matching by External ID
An external ID is a custom field that has the External ID attribute, meaning that it contains unique record identifiers from a system outside of Salesforce. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce with external IDs that match those in the import file. This operation is not case-sensitive. For example, “ABC” is matched with “abc”. However, if the external ID field also has the case-sensitive Unique attribute, uppercase and lowercase letters aren’t considered identical.
Scan and standardize your external ID values before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
If the Data Import Wizard finds duplicate records, only the first three duplicate records are reported in the confirmation email.
Overwriting Existing Account Values
The wizards never overwrite your existing business account fields unless you check the
Overwrite existing account values
checkbox in the wizard. With this box checked, you can insert or update existing business account fields with new data.
However, you cannot use this checkbox to update existing field data with blank values. With this box unchecked, the wizard updates any empty business account fields, but does not touch any fields with existing data.
If you do not have read/write access to an existing business account or contact, the wizards create a new business account or contact owned by you. In addition, the wizards create new business accounts and contacts based on specific fields in your import file.
In Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, and Developer Edition organizations, the import wizards can also import new business account and contact notes. The wizards do not import notes that are exact duplicates of existing contact or business account notes.
SEE ALSO:
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
What Is Imported for Person Accounts?
The Data Import Wizard prevents creating duplicate person accounts by matching records according to one of the following fields:
Account Name
,
Salesforce ID
,
, or an external ID field. In your import file, include a column for the field that you’re using for record matching.
EDITIONS
Note: Your administrator could have renamed “person account” to another term. If so, the
Data Import Wizard refers to the new name.
Available in: both Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Matching by Name
Available in: Enterprise,
Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same name. This type of matching is not case-sensitive. For example, names that begin with a capital letter are matched with the same name that begins with a lowercase letter. If necessary, scan and standardize your record names before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
Matching by Salesforce ID
A Salesforce ID is a system-generated, case-sensitive string of 15 or 18 letters and numbers that uniquely identifies each Salesforce record.
When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same Salesforce ID. You can obtain Salesforce IDs by running reports that include the ID field of the record.
Matching by Email
With this option, records in your import file are matched with existing records in Salesforce according to the exact value in the
Email field.
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Matching by External ID
An external ID is a custom field that has the External ID attribute, meaning that it contains unique record identifiers from a system outside of Salesforce. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce with external IDs that match those in the import file. This operation is not case-sensitive. For example, “ABC” is matched with “abc”. However, if the external ID field also has the case-sensitive Unique attribute, uppercase and lowercase letters aren’t considered identical.
Scan and standardize your external ID values before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
If the Data Import Wizard finds duplicate records, only the first three duplicate records are reported in the confirmation email.
Ignoring or Updating Matching Records
When the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that match according to your chosen field, you can choose one of these actions.
•
Add new records—If records in your file are new and don’t match existing records, insert them into Salesforce. Ignore records in your file that match existing records, and do nothing to the existing records.
•
Update existing records—If records in your file match existing records, update the existing records. Ignore records in your file that don’t match existing records, and don’t insert them as new records.
•
Add new and update existing records—If records in your file are new and don’t match existing records, insert them into Salesforce.
If records in your file match existing records, update the existing records.
What Is Imported for Leads?
You can import data into standard lead fields and custom lead fields, even if a field is hidden or read only in your page layout or field-level security settings for leads.
Importing Leads with Matching Types
You can choose whether to match leads in your import file with existing leads in Salesforce. Leads can be matched according to the following types: Salesforce ID, name, email, or external ID. Choosing a matching type sets the criteria for avoiding duplicate leads. For example, if you’re matching by email and a lead in your source file has the same email as a lead in Salesforce, that lead is updated in Salesforce. If you aren’t matching by email and a lead in your source file has the same email as a lead in Salesforce, a lead is created.
EDITIONS
Available in: Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Available in: Group,
Professional, Enterprise,
Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
Importing Leads Without Matching Types
If you choose a matching type of “None” in the Data Import Wizard, for each lead in your import file, the Data Import Wizard creates a lead in Salesforce. You can merge leads after they are imported.
Matching by Name
When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same name. This type of matching is not case-sensitive. For example, names that begin with a capital letter are matched with the same name that begins with a lowercase letter. If necessary, scan and standardize your record names before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Matching by Email
With this option, records in your import file are matched with existing records in Salesforce according to the exact value in the
Email field.
Matching by Salesforce ID
A Salesforce ID is a system-generated, case-sensitive string of 15 or 18 letters and numbers that uniquely identifies each Salesforce record.
When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same Salesforce ID. You can obtain Salesforce IDs by running reports that include the ID field of the record.
Matching by External ID
An external ID is a custom field that has the External ID attribute, meaning that it contains unique record identifiers from a system outside of Salesforce. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce with external IDs that match those in the import file. This operation is not case-sensitive. For example, “ABC” is matched with “abc”. However, if the external ID field also has the case-sensitive Unique attribute, uppercase and lowercase letters aren’t considered identical.
Scan and standardize your external ID values before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
If the Data Import Wizard finds duplicate records, only the first three duplicate records are reported in the confirmation email.
SEE ALSO:
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
What’s Imported for Campaign Members?
You can use the Data Import Wizard to update the statuses of campaign members.
You can also import campaign members. For each contact, lead, or person account in your import file, the Data Import Wizard:
•
Imports the record
•
Associates the record with the specified campaign, making the contact, lead, or person account a campaign member
•
Inserts a Member Status value for the campaign member
If your import file has duplicate records, the Data Import Wizard doesn’t merge them. If an imported record matches an existing record, the Data Import Wizard doesn’t merge the duplicate data into one record.
EDITIONS
Available in: both Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Available in: Professional,
Enterprise, Performance,
Unlimited, and Developer
Editions
Matching by External ID
An external ID is a custom field that has the External ID attribute, meaning that it contains unique record identifiers from a system outside of Salesforce. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce with external IDs that match those in the import file. This operation is not case-sensitive. For example, “ABC” is matched with “abc”. However, if the external ID field also has the case-sensitive Unique attribute, uppercase and lowercase letters aren’t considered identical.
Scan and standardize your external ID values before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
If the Data Import Wizard finds duplicate records, only the first three duplicate records are reported in the confirmation email.
SEE ALSO:
What Is Imported for Custom Objects?
The Data Import Wizard prevents creating duplicate records by matching records according to one of the following fields: custom object name, Salesforce ID, or external ID. In your import file, include a column for the field that you are using for record matching.
Matching by Name
When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same name. This type of matching is not case-sensitive. For example, names that begin with a capital letter are matched with the same name that begins with a lowercase letter. If necessary, scan and standardize your record names before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
EDITIONS
Available in: Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Custom object import available in: Contact
Manager, Group,
Professional, Enterprise,
Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
Matching by Salesforce ID
USER PERMISSIONS
A Salesforce ID is a system-generated, case-sensitive string of 15 or 18 letters and numbers that uniquely identifies each Salesforce record. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same Salesforce ID. You can obtain Salesforce
IDs by running reports that include the ID field of the record.
To import custom object data via the Data Import
Wizard:
•
“Import Custom Objects”
AND
Matching by External ID
An external ID is a custom field that has the External ID attribute, meaning that it contains unique record identifiers from a system outside of Salesforce. When you select this option, the Data Import
“Edit” on the custom object
Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce with external IDs that match those in the import file.
This operation is not case-sensitive. For example, “ABC” is matched with “abc”. However, if the external ID field also has the case-sensitive
Unique attribute, uppercase and lowercase letters aren’t considered identical.
Scan and standardize your external ID values before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
If the Data Import Wizard finds duplicate records, only the first three duplicate records are reported in the confirmation email.
Note: You can’t use the Data Import Wizard to import custom objects with two master-detail relationships.
SEE ALSO:
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
What Is Imported for Solutions?
The Data Import Wizard prevents creating duplicate records by matching records according to one of the following fields: solution title, Salesforce ID, or external ID. In your import file, include a column for the field that you are using for record matching.
Matching by Solution Title
When you select this option, the import wizard detects existing solutions in Salesforce that have the same title. This type of matching isn’t case-sensitive. For example, titles that begin with a capital letter are matched with the same title that begins with a lowercase letter. If necessary, scan and standardize your solution titles before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
Matching by Salesforce ID
A Salesforce ID is a system-generated, case-sensitive string of 15 or 18 letters and numbers that uniquely identifies each Salesforce record. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce that have the same Salesforce ID. You can obtain Salesforce
IDs by running reports that include the ID field of the record.
EDITIONS
Available in: Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Available in: Professional,
Enterprise, Performance,
Unlimited, and Developer
Editions
USER PERMISSIONS
To import solutions:
•
“Import Solutions”
Matching by External ID
An external ID is a custom field that has the External ID attribute, meaning that it contains unique record identifiers from a system outside of Salesforce. When you select this option, the Data Import Wizard detects existing records in Salesforce with external IDs that match those in the import file. This operation is not case-sensitive. For example, “ABC” is matched with “abc”. However, if the external ID field also has the case-sensitive Unique attribute, uppercase and lowercase letters aren’t considered identical.
Scan and standardize your external ID values before performing the import to prevent unintended matches.
If the Data Import Wizard finds duplicate records, only the first three duplicate records are reported in the confirmation email.
SEE ALSO:
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Notes on Importing Data
•
Field Accessibility—You can import values into a field only if you have read and edit access.
Field access is determined by user permissions, page layout assignments, and field-level security settings.
Field-level security is available in Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, and Developer
Editions.
•
New Values for Picklists and Multi-Select Picklists—If you import a picklist value that doesn’t match an existing picklist value:
–
For an unrestricted picklist, the Data Import Wizard uses the value that’s in the import file.
–
For a restricted picklist, the Data Import Wizard uses the picklist’s default value.
EDITIONS
Available in: Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
Your edition determines the types of objects you can import.
•
Multi-Select Picklists—To import multiple values into a multi-select picklist, separate the values by a semicolon in your import file.
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Set Up and Maintain Your Salesforce Organization Choosing a Method for Importing Data
You can import up to 100 values at a time in a multi-select picklist field. If you have more than 100 values in your import file for any one record, the import wizard leaves the field blank in that record.
•
Checkboxes—To import data into a checkbox field, use 1 for checked values and 0 for unchecked values.
•
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.
•
Date/Time Fields—Ensure that the format of any date/time fields you are importing matches how they display in Salesforce per your locale setting.
•
Formula Fields—Formula fields cannot accept imported data because they are read only.
•
Field Validation Rules—Salesforce 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.
•
Geolocation Custom Fields—To import a geolocation custom field using the Data Import Wizard, supply two values: a latitude and a longitude. Import both values in one field, separated by a semicolon. If you enter only one value, it is imported as the latitude, and the longitude is interpreted as 0. If you supply more than two values, the import fails for the entire row.
•
Currency Fields—If you have currency data in your CSV file, format your values for your locale. For example, if you’re in the U.S.
locale, use periods for decimals and commas for thousand markers. Using the incorrect currency format could change your imported values.
SEE ALSO:
Choosing a Method for Importing Data
Importing Multiple Currencies
If your organization has set up the ability to use multiple currencies, you can import amounts in different currencies.
EDITIONS
Organization Import
Available in: Salesforce
Classic and Lightning
Experience
When importing accounts, contacts, custom objects, leads, or solutions for your organization, you can specify the currency type for amount fields using the your import file. The following rules apply.
Currency ISO Code
column in
Available in: Group,
Professional, Enterprise,
Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
•
Entering currency codes - Enter a currency code in the
Currency ISO Code
column in your import file. Currency codes are three letter codes that follow an international standard.
For example, USD is the currency code for U.S. dollars. From Setup, enter
Manage
Currencies
in the
Quick Find
box, then select Manage Currencies to see a list of valid codes for your organization.
•
Using one currency for accounts and contacts - If you are importing accounts and contacts, the
Currency ISO Code column applies to both an account and its associated contact. You cannot specify different currencies for associated accounts and contacts.
•
Updating the currency code - When updating the currency code but not the currency amount for accounts and contacts, the amount isn’t converted to the corresponding number in the new currency.
•
Entering inactive currencies - If you enter an inactive currency in your import file, your personal currency is used instead. However, amounts aren’t modified. For example, if your file has AUD 100 for 100 Australian dollars but AUD is an inactive currency for your organization, it’s imported as USD 100, assuming your personal currency is U.S. dollars.
366
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