Mass update records in Salesforce

Publish Date: Jul 31, 2024

Description

Watch a video: Data Import: Best Practices for Importing Data

There are several methods available for mass updating records in Salesforce.

If you are updating large numbers of records, please review Choosing a Method for Importing Data to determine which tool is best for your scenario.

When importing versus updating the overall process is similar. The primary difference is that, in order to update, your file will need to contain unique data that will allow you to match the records in your file against existing records in Salesforce. While importing and updating are not exactly the same, it is important to understand the fundamentals of importing data into Salesforce.

If you're new to importing or updating data in Salesforce, please review the following resources before you get started:

Resolution

Warning
Always back up your data before performing any data operation. See Export Backup Data from Salesforce or Export Data for more details. It is recommended to run a test with a small subset of records to ensure the operation was successful through manually opening and verifying that the corresponding records are correct in Salesforce.

How to update a large number of records at the same time

Update a single field with the same value for a small number of records:

Consider an existing or Create a Custom List View in Salesforce Classic to select multiple records and mass edit field values via inline editing from within the list view.
If users do not see the ability to mass edit records from a list view see Unable to Inline Edit in a List View for more details.

Update only record Owners:

Consider using the Mass Transfer Records tool.

Update a large number of records, or when above options aren't applicable:

Use the Data Import Wizard
Or the Data Loader

Build a file and update your existing records via the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader

The most important part of updating your existing records via either tool is to ensure that you take the time to properly prepare your update file with matching criteria or data.

The best way prepare your file, and to ensure that you are updating the correct data in Salesforce, is to include existing Salesforce.com record IDs in your update file. See Add Salesforce IDs of existing records to your import file for more details.

Once your file contains both your existing record's IDs, along with any fields and their values you desire to update, you are ready to proceed!

Use the Data Import Wizard when:

You need to load less than 50,000 records.
The objects you need to update are supported by the wizard.
For more details on updating existing records with the Data Import Wizard see How do I use the Data Import Wizard to update records that match specified Salesforce IDs?

Use Data Loader when:

You need to update 50,000 to ~100,000 records.
You need to update into an object that is not supported by the Data Import Wizard.
For more details on updating records via the Data Loader, please review Perform Mass Updates, Insert, Update, or Delete Data Using Data Loader and Installing Data Loader.

If you need to update several hundreds of thousands to millions of records:

By default the Data Loader uses the SOAP API to process records.
To efficiently process a larger number of records you can configure it to use the Bulk API instead.
See Using Data Loader with the Bulk API and Bulk API and Bulk API Limits and Allocations for more information.

Knowledge Article Number

000382519

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